Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v1.c5.s8.20

v1.c5.s8.20

Below the royal pavilion we notice a shed supported on four wooden posts (Plate XII). The roof of this shed is of small rectangular wooden planks which resemble brickwork in the painting. In this shed a woman is pounding spices. Her features are exquisite. The curry-stone and the pose of the woman remind one of the Indian habits of to-day. By the side of the curry-stone there are four utensils: a brass pot, a drum-like earthen vessel (or basket?), an urn-shaped vessel similar to that in the royal pavilion above, and a circular dish (chaṅger) with a ring at the bottom. At the other end of the curry-stone there is another woman, who holds a conch in her left hand and whose right hand is raised to her ear, as if to catch the words of some one who is speaking to her. The gesture is natural, but the hand is clumsily drawn. At the back of this woman is another who holds a rectangular frame. The scene represents very well the domestic life of early India.