History of

Indian
Paintings and
Architecture
Indian
Paintings
• Indian traditions were transmitted
orally until paper was introduced
through trade on the15th century, as
well as growth of vernacular language.
This made it possible for them to put
into writing the many tales of heroes,
gods and romantic lovers that were so
much part of their tradition.
• Sanskrit, the classical
Indian language was
restricted to the Brahmin
caste. At the same time, it
does not employ the kind of
subjects of the vernacular
literature. Hence, a native
• Indian Paintings can be
broadly classified as the
murals and miniatures.
Murals are huge works
executed on the walls of
solid structures and
miniature paintings are
• They provide an aesthetic
continuum that extends
from the early civilization to
the present day. From being
essentially religious in
purpose in the beginning,
Indian painting has evolved
• The Indian painting was exposed
to Greco-Roman as well as Iranian
and Chinese influences. Cave
paintings in different parts of
India bear testimony to these
influences and a continuous
evolution of new idioms is evident.
Meister_des_Mahâjana
ka_Jâtaka
Mughal
•Mughal painting is a particular style of
Indian painting, generally confined to
illustrations on the book and done in
miniatures, and which emerged, developed
and took shape during the period of
the Mughal Empire16th -19th centuries. It
is a unique blend of Indian, Persian and
Islamic styles.
• Because the Mughal kings
wanted visual records of their
deeds as hunters and
conquerors, their artists
accompanied them on military
expeditions or missions of
state, or recorded their
Meister_des_Rasikapriyâ-
Manuskripts_001
Rajput
• Rajput painting is a highly
abstract art, simplifying
shapes and flattening out
volumes. It is
fundamentally conceptual
and less concern with the
imitation of objects than
• Therefore, it conceives the
idea to be conveyed, then
invents the clearest style or
form to express it,
unfettered by any
requirement to imitate a
subject outside the space of
• The most prominent theme
of Rajput painting is the
love of Krishna and Radha
- the divine love tale of
Krishna and Radha.
Krishna and
Radha
Interrelated
Arts
• The sensuous style or theme
of horoes and heroines,
which is interrelated with
musical modes were further
elaborated in various moods
and sensations associated
with love, called Ragamala.
• Since musical modes and
the paintings are closely
interrelated, and intensely
sensuous, clearly show the
rich sensuous nature of life
in traditional India, where
sound, color, ritual, and
Ragamala
•Ragamala paintings are based on the
Indian classical music system of Raga or
musical modes. Each Ragamala
paintings is associated with a specific
melodic movement and has the same
effect on the viewer as the Raga when
sung, has on the listener.
• In Ragamala painting each
raga is personified by a
color, mood, a verse
describing a story of a hero
and heroine (nayaka and
nayika). It also elucidates
the season and the time of
 and finally most paintings also
demarcate the specific Hindu deities
attached with the raga. The paintings
depict not just the Ragas, but also their
wives, (raginis), their numerous sons
(ragaputra) and daughters (ragaputri).
• Six principal ragas present in the
Ragamala are Bhairava, Dipika,
Sri, Malkaunsa, Megha and
Hindola and these are meant to be
sung during the six seasons of the
year: summer, monsoon, autumn,
early winter, winter and spring.
• Ragmala painting is a
tradition exclusive to India
and has given to India art
some of its greatest
masterpieces. 
Hindola_Raga,_Ragamala,_17t
h_century
Malasri_Ragini,_Ragamala,_Rajasth
an._1620
Varari_ragini,_Ragamala,_17t
h_century
Pancham_Ragini,_Ragamala,_168
0-1690
Sri_Raga_recital_to_Krishna-
Radha,_19th_century
Asavari_Ragini,_Ragamala,_1610
Sahibdin
Alhaiya_raga,_Ragamala,
_c1720
Bhairava_raga,_Ragamala,_Chun
ar,_1591
Goda_raga,_Ragamala,_c
a_1710
 Radha-
Krishna,_a_depiction_of_Bhairava_Raga,_Ragamala._c
a_1770
Sarang_ragini,_Ragamala,
_ca1605
Indischer_Maler_um_159
5_001
Kuntala_Raga,_'son'_of_Dip
akeda_Raga,_Ragamala,_171
0
Myscore
•Mysore painting is an important form of
classical South Indian painting that originated in
the town of Mysore in Karnataka. These paintings
are known for their elegance, muted colours, and
attention to detail. The themes for most of these
paintings are Hindu Gods and Goddesses and
scenes from Hindu mythology. In modern times,
these paintings have become a much sought after
souvenir during festive occasions in South India.
Laxmi
Tanjore
• Tanjore painting is an
important form of
classical South
Indian painting native to
the town
of Tanjore in Tamil Nadu.
The art form dates back to
• These paintings are known for
their elegance, rich colors, and
attention to detail. The themes
for most of these paintings
are Hindu Gods and Goddesses
and scenes from Hindu
mythology. In modern times,
Sikh_Gurus_with_Bh
ai_Bala_and_Bhai_M
ardana
Madhubani
•Madhubani painting is a style of uttradi mutt
painting, practiced in the Mithila region of Bihar
state, India. The origins of Madhubani painting are
shrouded in antiquity, and a tradition states that
this style of painting originated at the time of
the Ramayana, when King Janak commissioned
artists to do paintings at the time of marriage of his
daughter, Sita, with Sri Rama who is considered to
be an incarnation of the Hindu god lord Vishnu.
Pattachitra
• Pattachitra refers to the folk
painting of the state of Orissa,
in the eastern region of
India.'Patta' in Sanskrit means
'Vastra' or 'clothings' and
'chitra' means paintings.The
tradition of Pattachitra is
• Apart from the fragmentary evidence
of paintings on the caves
of Khandagiri and Udayagiri and
Sitabhinji murals of the Sixth century
A.D., the earliest indigenous paintings
from Odisha are the Pattachitra done
by the Chitrakars (the painters are
called Chitrakars).
• The theme of Odishan
painting centres round
the Vaishnava cult. Since
beginning of Pattachitra
culture Lord Jagannath who
was an incarnation of Lord
Krishna was the major source
•Themes are chiefly on Lord Jagannath
andRadha-Krishna, different "Vesas“
of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra,
temple activities, the
ten incarnations of Vishnu basing on the 'Gita
Govinda' of Jayadev, Kama Kujara Naba
Gunjara, Ramayana, Mahabharata. The
individual paintings of gods and goddesses are
also being painted.
Patta_Chitra
• Indian paintings in modern
times follow the same
scenarios. There were
attempts at revival led back
to Mogul styles and to the
primitive village arts. The
modern Indian art has seen
• Eventually have been
influenced by Europeans
especially the post
impressionist and
expressionist schools of
paintings were accepted as
compatible with the Indian
• In the aftermath of India's
independence, many new
genres of art developed by
important artists like Jamini
Roy, MF Husain, FN Souza,
and Gaitonde. With the
progress of the economy, the
• Several schools of art in
India provided access to
modern techniques and
ideas. Galleries were
established to showcase
these artists. Modern Indian
art typically shows the
• Major artists are beginning
to gain international
recognition, initially among
the Indian diaspora, but
also among non-Indian
audiences. More recently a
group of painters identified
Indian Architecture

• The hours in the cycle of

days and the seasons of the
year were fundamental
considerations in a culture
based upon a cosmological
system that employed
astrology and the zodiac to
 including the proper times and places
for the major ritual events of life. The
orientation of cities and structures were
also governed by these considerations :
comfort, beauty and convenience. When
they could, rulers build more than one
palace, especially to escape the dry heat
of North India.
•These were always built near water
to take advantage of its cooling
effect.
•One structure that depicts the
various considerations in ancient
Indian architecture is The Lake
Palace.
 The Lake Palace (Jag-
Mandir)
• The Lake Palace is the
loveliest small palace in
India , constructed
primarily of white marble.
It was built and rebuilt in
several stages from the
early 17th century into the
The Lake Palace (Jag-
Mandir)
• In South India, the tradition
where color, imagery, scent and
sound are vibrant is preserved in
the great temples, where the
temples are both home for the
god and haven for the people.
• The last manifestation of
Indian temple architecture
should remind one of the
earliest architectural plans
was that of the Aryan
Village. Both village and
temple share the
• In both plans the most
sacred spot was at the very
center, where the main
roads crossed in the village
and where the shrine houses
the image of the god in the
temple.
 Minakshi Temple
• Minakshi Temple is an example of a
typical plan - immense rectangle
enclosed by two high stone walls. Both
walls pierced by gates at the cardinal
points. These gates are topped by
gigantic rectangular stone towers and
overlaid with multitudes of carved and
painted deities.
Elephant Headed
Yali
Dog-headedYali
Five - headed
Shiva
Goddess with
Attendant
• Early temples were rock-cut
then later structural
temples evolved. The
Kailasanatha temple at
Ellora is a good example of
the former, excavated from
top to bottom out of a
Kailasanatha Temple -
Ellora Cave
• Granite temple panel shows
Indian temple architecture
• Buddhist , Jain ,Hindu and
Islam elements and motifs have
influenced temple architecture
to a considerable extent.
Granite Temple
Panel
Hindu Temple
 Famous Hindu
Akshardham Temple in
South Delhi
Taj Mahal
Delwada Temple
Delwada Door
Delwada Ceiling
Delwada Archs
Delawada Corridors
and Pillars
• With colonization, a new
chapter began. Though the
Dutch, Portuguese and the
French made substantial
forays, it was the English
who had a lasting impact.
• When Queen Victoria
became the Empress of
India, when British
tradesmen were in India for
200 years, European
influence in India was more
profound.
•The architecture of the colonial period
varied from the beginning attempts at
creating authority through classical
prototypes to the later approach of
producing a supposedly more responsive
image through what is now termed Indo-
Saracenic architecture- a mixture of
Hindu, Islamic and Western elements.
• Institutional, civic and
utilitarian buildings such as
post offices, railway stations,
etc., began to be built in large
numbers over the whole
empire.
• Late 19th and early 20th
centuries paved way to
European styles in
architecture and other arts.
Buildings designed by
European architects were to
be found in many Indian
 Mubarak Mahal
• Mubarak Mahal, meaning the 'Auspicious
Palace', was built with a fusion of
the Islamic, Rajput and European
architectural styles in the late 19th century
by Maharaja Madho Singh II as reception
center.
• For all its native beauty, the Mubarak
Palace is in a way a British inspiration.
Mubarak Outside
View
Mubarak Palace
Archs
Inside Mubarak
Palace
Mubarak Pillars
 Viceroy’s House
• The Official Residence of the Head
of the State is the official
residence of the President of India,
located in New Delhi, India. Until
1950 it was known as "Viceroy's
House" and served as the residence
of the Viceroy of India. It is at the
heart of an area known as Lutyens'
Viceroy’s House
Outside Wall of
Viceroy’s House