The British and a few Europeans, who came to India as part of the colonial expansion, began to take interest in India’s cultural heritage. Their works brought to light the greatness of Indian culture, particularly the arts. However, this positive development was offset when many scholarly works on Indian art were judged on the basis of the theory and technique developed in the western world. The appreciation was done wearing the glasses of realism that was the cornerstone of Western art. Even for the fundamental description, they had to use unsuitable English words instead of correct terms from Indian languages. Several unfounded theories were proposed. Many learned Indians also accepted these as facts.

Fortunately, the early decades of the 20th century witnessed a different attitude among the Indian scholars specialising in interpreting several aspects of ancient Indian culture. Many realised the limitations of the scientific approach of western scholars. They began to emphasise the sensitivity portrayed in ancient Indian art with the approach laid out by ancient Indian scholars and thinkers. Since ancient Indian artists had their theoretical roots in contemporary literature and thought, intensive research on Indian literature helped in understanding ancient art in a different perspective.

Even though a few criticised this movement as “nationalist”, it turned out to be the right approach. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, the genius, led this school of thought. His writings not only influenced but also convinced many Indian scholars that the ancient Indian literature is the prism through which the artistic heritage of India should be viewed.

Many Europeans, freed from the 19th century colonial influence, also accepted this approach and began to explore India’s architecture and art in that perspective.

In this context, it is very appropriate on the part of the editor, to include at the beginning of this volume a seminal essay of Coomaraswamy on the theory of art as propounded in the ancient literature. Art, according to him, “begins in a potentiality of all unuttered things, proceeds to expression, and ends in an understanding of the absolute simplicity or sameness of all things; ours is a beginning and a promise.” This thought is exactly reflected in all the essays that follow in which eminent scholars like Amita Ray, Michael Meister, K.R.Srinivasan, R.Nath and Z.A.Desai discuss India’s art and architecture, and underline the fact that Indian art is not confined to an “austere” style and understanding it lies in understanding its “absolute simplicity or sameness.”

It is needless to review the relative merits of each article, as all of them are seminal in nature. Every scholar would have desired to write a comprehensive volume on the topic he has dealt with. But the limitations imposed by the scope of the volume made him survey the spectrum in a condensed format. Equally, the editor had showed her exemplary vision in including the art and architecture of neighbouring regions such as Nepal, Central Asia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka and those Far East areas where Indian art had wielded a great influence.

She has been frank enough to accept the difficulties in illustrating a volume of this magnitude. In fact, many specimens that were featured in the original text of contributors may well be either improperly stacked in the collections of museums and institutions or untraceable.

This scholarly volume, with proper diacritical marks for the text, will remain a standard work in the years to come.

The editor has once again demonstrated her erudition in the field of Indian fine arts and her much-deserved status among contemporary art historians.

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