Rekha PandeUniversity of Hyderabad

Paintings in Vijaynagara Empire

Importance of Vijaynagara Paintings

We get a glimpse of the life of the Vijaynagara people through the paintings of the period.

Music and Dance played an important role in the cultural life of Vijayanagara. Both the folk songs and classical ones were equally popular among the masses and the classes. These found reflection in the paintings of the period.

Paintings also give us information on customs and amusements,and religious beliefs of the medieval period and show aspects of social life lead by ordinary people.

A large variety of musical instruments were used by the artists such as Veena, Venu, Mridanga and the like. During those days, at least a modicum of knowledge, if not proficiency in performing, was considered as basic characteristic of culture.

Since a visual representation of vocal music is impossible in the sculpture, contemporary music was represented in sculpture and paintings through musical instruments only.

Hence these paintings take us back to that period .

TYPES OF PAINTING1. Frescoes on the walls (A

painting done rapidly in watercolor on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling, so that the colors penetrate the plaster and become fixed.

2. Murals on temples( a painting that is applied to a wall surface, wall painting)

3. Cloth Paintings (on Silk, Cotton and Canvas).

4. On manuscripts and albums

Surviving paintings in manuscripts and albums indicate that paper was in wide spread use in south India after the middle of 17th cen.

Virtually no surviving evidence exists for painting on palm leaves.

Areas where they are found

Anegundi Hampi Lepakshi Tiruparuttekunram Somapalle Pillalmari

The fragile nature of the material

Only a fraction of the pictorial heritage of this period survives owning mainly to the fragile nature of the plaster, cotton or paper on which the paintings were made all of which are adverse sally affected by light, heat and humidity.

Temple ceilings are generally incomplete and in poor condition , some are irrevocably lost.

With the exception of the residence of the Setupatis at Ramanathpuram all palace murals have disappeared.

Only ceilings in the Virbhadra temple in lepakshi has been restored.

Cloth is even more fragile and hardly any has survived from tempe or palace store rooms. Only few are preserved in private collections and museums outside India.

Restoration of the paintings

Hence many of these have vanished and  the others are weathering with time.

But, at onetime the paintings were covered under thick layer of soot.

Thanks to the efforts of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) , a number of panels on the ceilings of the ranga-mantapa and the natya mantapa have been restored.

Shri S. Subbaraman, who retired as Superintending Archaeological Chemist from the ASI says that he was thrilled when “A ten-handed, highly ornamented figure of Veerabhadra, 16 feet in length, all but invisible under the thick layer of soot, made a spectacular reappearance in all its details and bright color”.

Lepakshi

Lepakshi is 3 hours drive (120 Kms) from Bangalore.

It is a delightful synthesis of architecture, sculpture and painting.

The Virabhadra Temple at Lepakshi was built in the mid-16th century in the regime of King Achuta Deva Raya, by Viranna and Virupanna, Vijayanagara governors of Penukonda.

It contains some of the finest sculpture of the period and has the earliest preserved cycle of mural paintings in the Vijayanagara style.

Lepakshi TempleThe temple is made up of three sections

Mukha Mandapa for dance and other cultural activities.

Artha Mandapa for worship and the Garbha Griha housing the deity.

Kalyana Mandapa, or Wedding Hall made from grey sandstone with 38 carved monolithic pillars.

The Murals The tradition of paintings again continues its course in the murals of the Vijayanagara period.

These murals are found depicting scenes from the epics and the Indian Puranas.

The murals are found in the high ceilings of the huge gateways of the Veerabhadra temple. The ceiling is divided into a number of strips, and the individual strips are broken into square or rectangular panels

Each one of the panels depicts a particular scene, or part of one, in keeping with the theme of representation in the central panel.

Unique style The paintings of Lepakshi follow a unique style with elegant line-work set against an orange-red background.

Most of the paintings highlight rich textile patterns, detailed hairstyles of people and exquisite jewelry.

The most spectacular painting is the depiction of the wedding of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

Some of the elements of the painting that stand out are the costumes and jewelry worn by the guests attending the Wedding.

Figures of Mythology There are found a number of panels here depicting the Gods- Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, as well as other mythological characters like Arjuna etc.

There are also murals dedicated to figures yet unknown, probably Kings and Queens of the time.

The panels are bordered with decorative margins on four sides, which go very well with the central panel. A rather decorative style has been adopted in executing these works. The figures in front are well captured due to the light shade of the background.

The nature of line work is rather different from what is usually seen in folk paintings, in that it is not continuous.

Sometimes the facial profiles or some dark costumes may not have a line at all at the edges. It may be noted that the costumes are never left blank and without any design, and all of them are shown with decorative patterns.

A rather prominent aspect of the figures is that the profile figures are shown tilting backwards, from the feet upwards till the waist, and then again forward from the waist to the neck. The head stands erect. In terms of both the brush work and the lines, the parts do not attain unity with the total figure.

Features

A comparison of paintings on the ceilings, cloths and manuscripts reveal a host of common features certifying to several related pictorial traditions.

In spite of obvious difference in scale and techniques there appears to be a fairly limited range of compositional devices and colour schemes.

Paintings seems to be divided into narrow strips crowded with figures.

Registers are combined in rows one above the other, with a narrow often proceeding in alternating directions, from left to right and then right to left.

Painting methodsPainting methods on plaster, cloth and paper follow a standardized procedure.

Preliminary outlines were made in a light colour, such as yellow or red and then flat tones are added, the most common being yellow, brown or ochre accents were created in blue, red or green.

White was rarely applied, the plaster, cloth or paper merely being left exposed.

Backgrounds were usually filled with flat hues, especially brilliant red or ochre, shading in modulated tones is not known before 18th century.

Black outlines and white highlights were sometimes added at the last stage to give the composition an obviously linear quality.

Paintings in Temples

• All these paintings are seen mainly on the ceilings of the mandapas and in the corridors of the temple.

• In most of the Vijayanagar paintings, human faces usually appear in the profile, figures stand with a slight slant with both feet pointing in the same direction.

• Some of these paintings depict the scenes depict Draupadi`s wedding and Kiratarjunya (Arjuna`s penance).

• Few other pictures show Viruppanna and Viranna with their sons and guards. They are shown wearing long white robes with a printed cloth round their waist.

Sages at the wedding

Shiva in court and Shiva as a groom

Virupaksha Temple at Hampi

• The Vijayanagar paintings have covered the ceiling of the great Virupaksha temple at Hampi and the themes of them are generally religious.

• There is simplicity and vigour in the style of the paintings with a sense of movement and energy caught in the figures, which represent a linear style.

• The ceiling of the Virupaksha temple mandapa has a painting, which depicts Vidyaranya, the guru of Harihara and Bukka, being carried in a palanquin.

• These paintings show a rhythmic forward movement and do not look overcrowded.

• They also show the episodes from the life of King Manunitikanda Chola, who granted justice to a cow whose calf was run over by his son`s chariot.

• In these paintings the king is shown sacrificing the prince under the chariot`s wheels, but God Siva is restoring life to both the victims and praising the king`s sense of justice. Most of these Vijayanagar paintings depict the mythological legends of Siva and stories from the epics but they also represent the life and customs of the Vijayanagar Empire.

Virupaksha Temple at Hampi

ASPECT OF DANCING IN PAINTING

We find celestial ladies as well as Nautch girl performing dances in frescoes painting.

In the case of celestial women, some are performing the Kolata or stick-play, an entertainment popular in Karnataka among common people.

Dangerous and risky type of dance by holding a double-edged sword can be seen.

Kirata storyThis slightly damaged panel continues the Kirata story. The sages, still terrified, are shown reporting to Shiva (on the right).

Siva slays AndhakasuraSiva slays Andhakasura, while dieties and worshippers watch, worship, and appreciate in amazement.

The floral borders are particularly elaborate and well-preserved on this panel.

Lepakshi temple

The ceiling of the natya-mantapa have eight panels depicting themes from mythology , such as the manifestations of Shiva- Shiva as Kiratha ( boar hunter), Dakshinamurthy and scenes from Shiva’s wedding with Girija; the scenes from Krishna’s childhood; and the legend of the compassionate King Manu-neethi-cholan who dispensed justice even to animals.

Kirta StoryMost panels illustrate legends from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Siva Purana.

This animated scene narrates the hunting episode from the Kirata story.

The boar is charging through the forest. A sage is shown fleeing together with antelopes, rabbit, and birds (above). On the right are hunters with bows and arrows.

Fashions and Textile designs

Brigitte Khan Majlis, Cologne, has done a wonderful study of, The Fashions and Textile designs in the Murals of lepakshi.

She says, “The costumes worn by the figures in the paintings demonstrate that distinct costume pieces and headgear were worn according to gender and status.

The textiles show a wide spectrum of patterns. Some of them bear a close similarity to extant cotton textiles, produced along the Coromandel Coast for export to Indonesia in the 17th and 18th century”.

Murals The paintings that have survived, are some of the most outstanding murals in India. They are also the best among the Vijayanagara style of pictorial art.

 The drawings are eloquent, natural and full of vitality.

The sense of liveliness is enhanced by the depiction of the protruding eye, the angular features and by the peaked corners of clothes.

The beauty of line and form; grace and movement too are delightful.

Palm Leaves Books

Textiles

Brigitte Khan Majlis says she was overwhelmed by the abundantly decorated textiles gracing the figures of the narrative panels.

She was also impressed by their display a wealth of garments, jewelry and accessories of fashion.

She remarks that the textile patterns in the pictures seem to be sufficiently detailed to take them as examples of real textiles; and connect them with possible textile techniques.

Women at the wedding

The narrative panels are framed and structured by bands and beams with textile patterns.

They depict not merely the themes from the epics but also from the contemporary life, bringing to life a variety of costumes, textile patterns, jewelry, headgears etc. 

The Sari

The women’s upper body is bare except for jewellery or in one case a breast band worn by Parvati.

Sometimes the upper part of the fabric is draped in such a way, that it conceals the bosom.

The lower end of the fabric is pleated and tucked in at the waist.

Like this it fans out in a “fishtail” manner and in fact this appearance has given this kind of sari wrap its name.

Stripes and chek in sareesMost of the sari fabrics appear to be white with stripes or chequers as ornamentation or a band of blossoms along the borders.

Some of the material is very fine displaying the outlines of the legs.

Male AttireThe paintings reveal quite accurately how the pleated part of dhoti was pulled between the legs and tucked in at the back.

The dhotis are usually rather plain, -white with stripes, tiny dots or of a chequered material. 

Ways of tying the dhoti A second more ornate hip cloth was worn atop of the dhoti, encircling the hips at least twice, with the ends flowing gracefully in the air or one part tucked in under one arm in a big loop. A third cloth could be wrapped diagonally across the upper body or around the neck.

However there are some personages among the paintings which represent actual people of political status.

Head gearThis famous scene shows patrons and architects of the temple worshipping Siva and Parvati. Patrons are identified by the tall, conical and patterned brocade caps.

Other sources identify this type of headgear with nobility or royalty.

These are also identifies as the brothers Viranna and Virupanna

Muslim InfluenceWagnor points out that the tunics and conical caps worn by the nobility in Vijaynagara period is from the Islamic dress styles.

The conical caps depicted in paintings are called Kullayi in Telugu( Culaes by Nuniz). This word and form is derived from the Persian Kulah,a type of high cloth cap known in Persian paintings from 15th century onwards.

Kulavi – men's headgear that was popular during the Vijayanagar period

The headgears are Queer.

In the Krishna painting, they were headgears like Maratha Pagota, a cap covering the entire head with a turf or tassel in the centre.

Women of LepakshiLepakshi, Hindupur District, A.P.

Shrungi & Hayavadana performing a dance sequence - Lepakshi

Sarees in Lepakshi Paintings

PAINTING AT TIRUPARUTTIKUNRAM

The frescoes are found in Sangita mandapa, build by Irrugappa, general and minister of Bukka Raya in 1387-88.

The frescoes in the Sangita mandapa depict a series of life stories of the twenty four jaina Tirthankaras, a Tirthankara being one free from action and desire.

The painting are arrange in convenient groups; two running from north to south and two from the east to west in the ceiling while another group of painting runs from north to south in the ceiling.

The theme is Jain and includes scenes from the nativity of Vardhamana.

PAINTING AT HAMPI

The Virupaksha Temple in Hampi has fifteen century painting on dynastic history, episode from Ramayana and the Mahabharata and the exploits of Shiva.

The episode has been pictorialised in a symmetrical and decorative composition.

PAINTING AT LEPAKSHI

In Lepakshi painting at Veerabhadraswamy Temple was famous.

The ceiling has a painting of an extraordinary large figure of Virbhadra with his devotees, Virupanna and Viranna beside him.

The painting have large sized scene from the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the Puranas.

Jewellery

Ruin Of Lepakshi Painting

Mural painting, Veerabadhra Temple, Lepakshi.Veeranna& Virupanna (Donor Brothers of Temple)

Mural painting, Veerabadhra Temple, Lepakshi. Maids in attendance on

Parvathi

ANEGUNDI PAINTING

In Anegundi, paintings have survived on the ceiling of the Uchayappa Matha.

The painting shows the medieval tendency to prefer emaciated contours.

There is well rounded figure which recall the classical traditions.

Paintings in Kanchipuram

• The temple of Varadaraja in Kanchipuram has many paintings.

• In a small Mandapa, known as Andal Unjal Mandapa, the ceiling is covered with painting on the sculptured surface.

• There are dancing figures, Vidyadhara rides on Palanquins compose of female figures, along with elephant and horses as vehicles of Rati and manmatha.

Paintings in Somapalle

The famous Chennakesava Temple in Sompalle was built during the last quarter of sixteenth century.

Paintings were found in the ceiling of the Mukhamandapa (Colonaded chamber in front of the Shrine) and illustrate themes drawn from the Ramayana.

Conclusion

The Vijaynagara Empire was so far-flung that in the different part composing it that one can see a variety of modulation or variation in details of styles in the treatment of identical subjects.

There is a distinct Vijaynagara influence in the Deccani Kalm of miniature.

There is a reflection of Vijaynagara pictorial form and techniques even in Orissa, where the mighty arm of Krishnadevraya penetrate by his triumph over the Gajapati.

The Lepakshi paintings have continued to influence generation of artists.

It is practiced , even today, as a craft. The birds, beasts and foliage depicted in its paintings and sculptures have spawned a style that decorates the  block-printed Indian textiles and rugs; popularly referred to as the Lepakshi motifs.

Bibliography

Carla M. Sinopoli, 2003, The Political Economy of Craft Production: Crafting Empire in South India, C. 1350-1650Cambridge University Press.

Anila Verghese and Anna L. Dallapiccola ( ed), 2010, South India Under Vijayanagara: Art and Archaeology, Oxford University Press.

Thank You