Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v2.c8.s10: Votaries Bringing Offerings
Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v2.c8.s10
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Votaries Bringing Offerings
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Plate XXIV
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The scene is painted on the left wall of the chapel to the left of the antechamber. As the colours are dull, the subject is reproduced in monochrome only.
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AT the great shrines of India assemble votaries of different walks and stations of life and of different ages, the variety of their moods, features, and dresses giving a kaleidoscopic effect. In this fresco the artist has painted a motley group of such characters, and his success in the display of a keen sense of humour may well be appreciated. The drawing, on the other hand, is somewhat poor, and the colours insipid.
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The scene lies in a building containing several apartments, which are separated from each other by slender pillars. Commencing from the left apartment, we notice a dark figure standing near the pillar at the extreme end. The style of his dress is strange. The upper garment consists of a long coat, which is very loose, and although held together by a girdle, its middle part falls far below the waist line.¹ Below this garment he is wearing either a *dhoti*² or a pair of trousers which are visible on and below his knees. The feet are covered by striped stockings, and the queer part is that there are no shoes. His face also has a serio-comic expression, and the forefinger of the left hand is raised as if to stop people from laughing at him.
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¹ The material of this garment has a star-pattern design.
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² White cloth covering the loins.
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In this apartment the figures of the four dwarfs in the foreground also provoke laughter. They have long trunks, short legs, and very funny features. The dwarf at the extreme left end has contorted his features in looking up, and his circular eyes, dumpy nose, and round chin look most comic. His dress also adds to this impression. The scarf (*aṅgochhā*), which is too long for his size, is worn on the shoulders and round the arms in the typical Brāhman fashion.
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The features of the two middle dwarfs are equally ludicrous, and the legs of the one who is carrying a tray are so short that they are almost lost in the extraordinary length of the trunk. The fourth dwarf, who is in front, carries a round vessel. It is hung from his shoulder by a string which he holds in his right hand. The swollen cheeks and Punch-like nose and chin of this figure also show a deep sense of humour.
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Above the dwarfs are three ladies, the one at the extreme left end holding a tray of flowers, among which the lotus is prominent. The complexion of the lady is brick-red, perhaps showing her humble rank in life. The coiffure of this figure is, however, most elaborate, but people who are familiar with the habits and styles of different classes of women of the Deccan know that the coiffure of a *Dhed* (menial class) or a *Kunbi* (peasant) woman at the present time is as elaborate as that of a high-class Hindu lady. The arm and the breast of this figure are considerably exaggerated, and may appear inartistic to a European critic, but the delineation of the fingers and waist shows much tender feeling, and must be admired.
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The complexion of the lady in the middle is dark, but the artist has given her most refined features, and the high lights placed on the forehead, nose, and chin indicate apparently the effulgence of youth or the nobility of her position.³ A close study of the fresco shows that the effect of high lights has been produced by adding splashes of white paint on the general dark hue of the skin.
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³ During the Buddhist period of Indian history there was no colour prejudice. See *Ajanta*, i. 48 (footnote 4).
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The complexion of the third lady of this group is pinkish-white, but the expression of her
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inscription is painted (*vide* Appendix). Proceeding farther to the right, the wall between the second and third cell-doors is entirely covered with figures of the Buddhas, one hundred and ten altogether, arranged in eleven rows, ten figures in each row. The workmanship of these figures is very poor, and they have been drawn in such large numbers simply to add sanctity to the site.
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face is rather sad. She is wearing a *cholī* (bodice)¹ of dark material and holds a purse with long strings, or a flower with a long stalk, in her hand. The artist’s love of variety and fondness for pretty detail may be judged from the different styles of the coiffures of these three ladies.
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¹ *Ajanta*, i. 17, footnote 1.
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In the middle apartment are four female figures, and if an infant is also to be included, they become five. The child is held in the arms of the lady at the extreme right end, but it is almost on the point of falling from her arms in its excitement at the sight of the small duckling, either living or a toy, in the hand of the lady at the extreme left end of the apartment. The delineation of the infant is very vivacious, and the heads of these two ladies also are admirably drawn, though their arms, like those of the ladies in the left apartment, are somewhat spoilt by exaggeration.
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Below these two ladies there is a third, who has raised the forefinger of her right hand, apparently to warn the child not to be so restless at the sight of things belonging to others. Below this figure is a girl, whose elaborate neck ornaments and large ear-rings are prominent. She is also looking at the lady holding the duckling. The nose of the girl is rather large, which defect has been accentuated by the artist placing a high light on it. The face is, however, full of expression, and exhibits the power of the artist in giving life to his creations.
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The lady holding the bird has fastened her skirts (or the *sārī*) in such a manner that on one side a great deal of her beautiful waist is exposed, a good example of the caprice of the artist.
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Proceeding towards the right, near a door, there are three figures, the most comic of which represents a *Bhikshu* with a bald head. A fringe of hair is to be seen on the forehead and some growth on the back of the skull, but the crown is absolutely bald. It is interesting to note the twisted tail-like tuft just in the middle of the hair on the back of the *Bhikshu’s* head. This tuft is still in fashion among the religious classes of Hindus. The *Bhikshu* has placed a striped scarf across his breast and round his shoulders, which are otherwise bare. The figure is rather heavy, but the hands have been delicately drawn; this style of treatment, it appears, had become almost conventional. The gesture of the hand and the pose of the head suggest that he is saying something to the people in front.
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Below him is a dwarf, apparently a girl, as shown by her coiffure. The features of this figure are somewhat obliterated, and the expression cannot be studied with certainty. Between the *Bhikshu* and the right pillar of the middle apartment, and to the left of the door, is another female figure, whose hair falls dishevelled on her neck and shoulders. She has placed her arm on her breast, apparently to soothe her emotion, but the head being damaged, the expression cannot be gathered from her face. The delineation of the hand and fingers is beautiful.
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Above the left apartment is a balcony in which six women may be seen. Two of these figures have become somewhat indistinct on account of the blackening of the fresco. Of the remaining four figures, the gesture of the lady at the extreme left end may suggest the *abhaya mudrā* (attitude of assurance). The next lady has made a loop with the fingers of her right hand, and this gesture may suggest the *dharmacakra* (teaching) attitude. The third lady, whose figure is rather dim, has exposed the palm of her right hand in the *dhyāna* (meditative)
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mood. The fourth, at the extreme right end of the balcony, has clasped the pillar with both hands, and is looking at the people below.
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Farther to the right the artist has painted clouds in piles of dark green with silvery outlines. The delineation, in spite of its conventionality, is quite effective. Among these clouds the bust of a *Yaksha* is seen, holding a sword in his right hand and a shield in his left. In front of him is a pair of flying figures. The female figure is gracefully held in the arm of her consort, and both are gently floating in the air. The male carries an upright sword in his right hand.