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Legacy of Ajanta unfolds in Delhi

Mandira Nayar

NEW DELHI: There will now be one reason less to go all the way to Aurangabad to watch the good old Ajanta caves. With the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) here holding an exhibition of photographs of the historic wall paintings in Delhi, people will get a chance to see an up-close and personal look at these colourful murals.

Bringing alive the tradition of Ajanta wall paintings through huge photographs taken by acclaimed art historian and photographer Benoy K. Behl, the exhibition showcases these famous paintings - but it does not only stop there. Going a step ahead, the exhibition attempts to place the shared heritage of the Ajanta paintings in the Asian context and also highlights the links these paintings had with other places in India and countries of the world.

Titled "The Legacy of Ajanta -- The Classical Murals of India and South Asia", the exhibition in a way shows up the common connection the paintings tradition in India had with other places.

While scholars have always linked the similarity of classical murals of all the countries in South Asia, these pictures help give their theories a concrete foundation.

With art being more than just a decorative feature in ancient times, paintings have often been closely associated with a spiritual purpose. Moving from walls to manuscripts, the art and technique of paintings form a basis for manuscript paintings and miniatures that India has inherited from medieval times.

Having spent over a decade and a half setting up the camera in front of wall murals and reading about them, Behl's exhibition is really worth visiting for anyone remotely interested in history, art or photography. Bringing alive the spirit of this cosmopolitan culture in ancient India in a different way, Behl has just come back from a whirlwind world tour talking about early murals. With many universities and museums abroad interested in learning more about scarcely seen, forgotten 1,000 years of mural paintings in India, his pictures and his knowledge have found many takers.

However, Behl's research firmly establishes that paintings in India that are famous for their vivid colours and details have more to offer than just good aesthetics.

"The purpose of art in early India was very much a part of philosophic life. It played an important part in the search for the meaning of life and the truth beyond the mundane world," he says.

Apart from the pictures of Ajanta, the exhibition also has pictures of murals in monasteries in Ladakh, Spiti and Kinnaur.

There are also pictures of Padmanabhapuram Palace, Kerala as well as of murals in Kota Palace in Rajasthan.

Travelling overseas, there are also pictures of murals in Cambodia, Myanamar and Sri Lanka. The exhibition, opening at the Mati Ghar of IGNCA this Thursday, will be on up to December 10.

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