INDIAN CULTURE AND HERITAGE

Painting as an art form has flourished in India from very early periods as is evident from literary sources and also from the remnants that have been discovered.
Indian Paintings can be broadly classified as the murals & miniatures. Murals are huge works executed on the walls of solid structures. Classic examples are the paintings in Ajantha & Kailasantaha temple.
Miniature paintings are those executed on a very small scale on perishable material such as paper, cloth, etc., Though this style had been perfected by artisans under the various rules, not many remain today. Prime examples are the Rajasthani & Mughal miniatures.
Contemporary artists have kept up to the times & excel in their modern works, giving free expression to their imagination & artistic liberty.

MINIATURE PAINTINGS

The miniatures, as the name indicates were small works, which were made on perishable material & hence no definite proof of their birth & development can be traced.
In Bengal, Bihar & Orissa, Buddhist manuscripts were illustrated, mostly paintings of Buddha on palm leaves. They resemble the Ajantha style but on a miniature scale.
In Gujarat, illustrations in Jaina manuscripts can be seen. The style of the Jaina caves at Ellora were followed. Some illustrations were done on paper. In the later stages the fine application of colour diminished. There was also some Persian influence which spread from here to other places such as Mandu & Jaunpur.
The Mughal emperors introduced their own style of miniature paintings with Persian inspiration. Court scenes were depicted in grandeur. The background was usually hilly landscapes. Flowers & animals were also vastly depicted & in these the Indian artists applied their own skill to develop on the Persian ideas. The Rajput paintings can be put under two broad groups, the Rajasthani style & the Pahari style. The subject matter of the paintings were mostly religious & love subjects, based on Lord Rama & Lord Krishna. Court scenes were depicted as also royal portraits. Bold outlines & brilliant colours are characteristic of Rajasthani paintings.