Wall Paintings of The Western Himalayas

Description

With 32 color plates and 86 Black & White illustration and explanatory text, this work is the result of years of painstaking research.

Fresco and wall paintings is an ancient Indian art, the classical examples of which are extant in the world-famous caves of Ajanta and Ellora and at some other places. This art from was revived in the seventeenth century in the sylvan surroundings of the North Indian Hills and the arid deserts of Rajasthan. The walls of the temples and palaces in these regions were enchantingly painted with themes which were predominantly religious, but at the same time, indicative of a life of leisure. Created by dedicated minds and deft hands, these paintings have a fascination all their own. Many of these have been discovered and brought to light for the first time.

The study of these remarkable works of art, presented here with erudition and skill, is as revealing as it is interesting. The author takes the reader through the various political cultural and religious influences which combined to produce this rich heritage. The myths and legends, the heroes and heroines of Hinduism as well as those of the region come alive in these pages.

The technique, form and style of these paintings have for the first time been analyzed and explained and put in the proper context of the Indian wall painting tradition. There is also a scholarly comparison with another well-known art-form of the region - that of miniature painting. The influence of the Hindu tradition of iconography on these paintings has also been examined.

The explanatory text is meticulously authenticated and documented and at the end, is a comprehensive bibliography. A product of years of painstaking research, this effort will attract the scholar and the general reader alike.