Technique of the painting process in the cave temple at Sittannavasal

Abstract

As an extension of my studies on Indian paintings, I have had recently an opportunity of investigating the technique of the painting process adopted in the cave temple at Sittannavasal in the Pudukottah State, South India, situated at a distance of about 42 miles by road from Tanjore. This cave temple is very small, being about 24 feet long, 12 feet wide and 11 feet high. The interior was at one time fully painted, but at present the paintings are visible only on the ceilings, the capitals and the upper parts of the pillars. These paintings, which can be assigned to the time of the great Pallava king, Mahendravar-man I (c. 600-625 A.D.), represent the best specimens of Jain mural paintings of the classical or Ajanta school extant in India, and there can be no doubt about their æsthetic merit or high importance from the point of view of history.