Book Title: Lord Mahavira and His Times
Author(s): Kailashchandra Jain
Publisher: Motilal Banarasidas

View full book text
Previous | Next

Page 349
________________ Art and Architecture 331 told that in the picture-gallery of prince Malladina, the pictures were imbued with coquettish sentiments and feelings. (Havabhāva), the play of the eyes (Vilāsa) and amorous gestures (Bibboya).1 Jiyasattu is mentioned as another king who owned a picture-gallery. We are told that when the construction of this gallery was in progress, a painter's daughter formed the design of a peacock feather in the inosaic floor. The king, under a false impression of its being natural, was tempted to pick it up but in this attempt, the nails of his fingers scraped against the floor, and he hurt his hand.? Dummuha is mentioned as still another king to have a picture-gallery.3 Besides portraiture and mural paintings, we also find mention of such widely-known practices as Lepa-chitras, Lekhya-chitras, Dhüli-chitras, etc. Lepya-chitras are nothing but continuous narratives in lines and colour on textiles, and partook of the nature of pata-chitras of later tradition. Lekhyachitras are probably line-drawings of a decorative nature like Alimpanas or Alpanās of later tradition, while Dhūli-chitras arc also of the same nature and character, but the material used is powdered rice, white or coloured. Trees, mountains, rivers, seas, houses, crecpers, full vessel and Sovatthiya etc. were painted. The Rāyapasaniza Sutla4 describes that the Vimāna of Sūryābha Deva was decorated with many kinds of figures and motifs (Bhatti-chitra), c.g. fabulous animals (īhāmiga), bulls (Usabha), horses (Turaya), Yakshas or Atlantes figures (Nara), crocodiles (Magara), birds (Vihaga), serpents or dragons (Vālaga), Kinnaras (Centaurs), dcer (Rurul), Sarabha (lion-like figures), Yak (Chamara), clephants (Kunjara), wild creepers (Vanalaja) and lotus-creepers (Paumalaya). Some of these figures as listed in Jaina iexts arc almost the same as we find elsewherc, from the stone railings and gateways of Bharhut and Sānchi painting to pre-existing wooden prototypes. An interesting list of motifs illustrating scenes from 1. Visu, 8, p. 106 [T. 2. Ullara, Ti, , p. 111, 3. Ibid, p. 135. 4. Rosa. Su 97 f.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427