Vastu-shastra (Vol. I: Hindu Science of Architecture; Vol. II: Hindu Canons of Iconography and Painting) v2.c76.194

v2.c76.194

“At Ajaṇtā, our earliest source of information about Indian fresco paintings, the ground was prepared by a mixture of clay, cowdung and pulverised traprock applied to the walls and thoroughly pressed in. Rice-husk was also added to the above mixture. The thickness of this first layer varied from one-eighth of an inch to three-quarters of an inch. Over this a coating of cunam was applied (cf. Griffiths, the Paintings in the Buddhist Cave Temple of Ajanta Vol. I p. 18). This method was also followed at Bagh (cf. Asit Kumar Haldar “The Paintings of Bagh Cave” Rupam 1st October, 1921 pp. 13-15).