Tradition of Manuscript Painting in India

KALAAMANCH अगस्त 16, 2025

 

Tradition of Manuscript Painting in India

The history of Indian painting is extremely rich, and manuscript painting forms a vital part of it.

1. General Tradition of Indian Painting

Chitrasutra – The Foundational Text

  • Source: Third section of Vishnudharmottara Purana (5th century CE).

  • Importance: Considered the fundamental treatise of Indian painting.

  • Content: Techniques of painting, rules of iconography (pratima lakshana), required tools, use of colors, painting surfaces, and human anatomy.

  • Impact: Followed by artists for centuries; forms the base of almost all Indian painting traditions.

Miniature Painting

  • Definition: Small-scale paintings made to be seen closely by hand, unlike large wall frescoes.

Manuscript Illustration

  • Form: Majority of miniatures are found in illustrated manuscripts (e.g., Ramayana, Mahabharata, Gita Govinda).

  • Purpose: Served to visually enrich religious, literary, or musical texts.

Folio & Collection System

  • Folio: Each page with illustration was called a patra or folio.

  • Storage: Wrapped in cloth bundles (potli) and kept in royal or private libraries.

  • Colophon Pages: Carried details like artist’s name, scribe, date, and place, though many have been lost.

Fragility & Usage

  • Fragile: Easily destroyed by moisture, fire, or insects → hence very precious.

  • Usage: Exchanged as royal gifts, dowries, and carried by pilgrims, merchants, and monks—leading to cultural exchanges (e.g., Mewar, Bundi paintings).

Reconstruction of History

  • Challenge: Very few dated works; difficult to establish chronology.

  • Current State: Scattered across museums and private collections worldwide.

  • Scholarly Effort: Art historians classify them through style and available evidence.

2. Western Indian Style

Location & Patronage

  • Region: Gujarat, southern Rajasthan, western Madhya Pradesh.

  • Patronage: Wealthy Jain merchants and feudal lords.

Jain Painting Tradition

  • Sacred Donation (Shastra Daan): Donating illustrated manuscripts to monastery libraries was a revered practice.

Major Illustrated Texts:

  1. Kalpasutra – Life stories of 24 Tirthankaras (conception, birth, renunciation, enlightenment, preaching, nirvana).

  2. Kalakacharya Katha – Rescue story of Kalakacharya’s sister.

  3. Uttaradhyayana Sutra – Monastic rules.

  4. Sangrahini Sutra (12th century) – Cosmological and astronomical knowledge.

Manuscript Structure

  • Form: Illustrated on palm-leaves (pothis) and later paper folios.

  • Protection: Covered with wooden boards (patlis) and tied with cords.

  • Material: Initially palm-leaves (11th c.), replaced by paper from 14th c.

Features of Style

  • Colors: Bright pigments with use of gold and lapis lazuli.

  • Composition: Divided into compartments, often depicting multiple episodes in one frame.

  • Lines: Thin, flowing outlines.

  • Human Figures: Stylized faces with “third eye” drawn.

  • Architecture: Influenced by Sultanate domes and arches.

  • Local Influence: Everyday attire, objects, and folk motifs included.

Decorative Elements

  • Borders often filled with gods, dancing maidens, and musicians.

Golden Age

  • 1350–1450 CE is regarded as the peak of Jain manuscript painting.

Beyond Religious Themes

  • Illustrated cosmological charts (Tirtha-pata), mandalas, and secular stories too.

Pre-Mughal / Indigenous Style

  • Before Mughal influence: Called “Pre-Rajasthani” or “Indigenous” style.

  • Subjects: Mahapurana, Chaurapanchashika, Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, Gita Govinda.

  • Figures: Women with balloon-like veils, pointed ends, and transparent drapery.

  • Detailing: Fine lines used for water, plants, and animals.

Sultanate & Persian Influence

  • From 12th century onwards: Persian, Turkish, and Afghan styles mixed with indigenous art.

  • Development: Schools emerged in Malwa, Gujarat, Jaunpur.

  • Fusion Example: Nimatnama (Book of Delights, c. 1500 CE, Mandu) – illustrated text on food, medicines, cosmetics, and hunting.

3. Pala School of Painting

Period & Location

  • Time: Pala dynasty (750 CE – 12th century CE).

  • Region: Eastern India – Bihar and Bengal.

Centers

  • Nalanda & Vikramshila: Great centers of knowledge, religion, and art.

  • Medium: Illustrated Buddhist palm-leaf manuscripts, especially Vajrayana texts.

Features

  • Lines: Rhythmic and flowing (contrast to sharp Jain style).

  • Colors: Soft, subdued palette.

  • Influence: Stylistically close to Ajanta murals.

Important Manuscript

  • Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita (“Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Verses”).

    • Painted palm-leaf manuscript.

    • Created at Nalanda under Pala ruler Ramapala (late 11th century).

    • Contained 6 painted folios with illustrated wooden covers.

Preservation & Spread

  • Bound with cloth and cords for safety.

  • Students and pilgrims carried copies to Nepal, Tibet, Burma, Sri Lanka, Java—spreading Pala art internationally.

Decline

  • Cause: Destruction of Nalanda & Vikramshila by Muslim invaders in 13th century.

  • Result: End of the Pala painting tradition and palm-leaf manuscript culture.

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