Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v2.c8.s2: Arhats, Kinnaras, and Other Mythical Beings Adoring the Bodhisattva

Ajanta: The Colour and Monochrome Reproductions of the Ajanta Frescoes Based on Photography v2.c8.s2

Language: English

Arhats, Kinnaras, and Other Mythical Beings Adoring the Bodhisattva

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*The subject is painted on the back wall of the veranda, to the left of the door. The reproduction is in colour.*

THE fresco is much damaged, but the portions which are intact show an exquisite sense of colour and a highly developed technique in the rendering of natural objects and human figures. Commencing from the left top corner, we see two celestial Sādhus (*Arhats*), apparently in the act of adoration before the Bodhisattva, whose colossal head is delineated below. The face of the *Arhat* at the extreme end shows great calm, which expression is confirmed by the position of his hand on his breast. The lobe of the left ear is elongated in a conventional fashion, an elongation apparently due to the Sādhus wearing large heavy ear-rings. In the right ear of this *Arhat* also, a large ear-ring may be seen. He is dressed in a light-green robe with stripes which have been indicated by fine white brush lines. The complexion is dark brown with a golden tinge, and the shading on the right shoulder and hand is prominent. The high lights on the nose and chin are also very marked, and a close observation of the original fresco shows that this effect has been gained by putting a whitish-yellow tint on the otherwise dark-brown colour of the face.

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The other *Arhat* has his hands joined in the customary attitude of adoration, and his hair is gathered in a tuft on the top of the head, in the style of the Sādhus of the present day. He is dressed in a whitish robe, but the right arm and breast are bare. The head of this figure is too much damaged to indicate the expression of the face. The white and blue wreaths of conventional clouds will interest the artist as showing a close affinity to the Chinese and Persian renderings.

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Below the figures of the *Arhats*, the fresco has almost perished, but a discerning eye may trace the outline of two heads. They are, however, too fragmentary for purposes of study.

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To the right of the *Arhats*, amidst conventional hills, represented by red, green, and white blocks, are a *Yaksha* and *Yakshiṇī*, bringing offerings of lotus flowers to the Bodhisattva. These two figures have been painted with great care and feeling. The head of the *Yaksha* is unfortunately damaged, but the treatment of the other limbs, particularly of the fingers, is extremely artistic. The pose is also most graceful; he has placed one hand on the shoulder of his consort, and with the other has made a loop indicating the mystery of life or the wheel of faith, *dharmacakra*. In the delineation of the hair and the pearl jewellery the artist's skill is marvellous, the brush lines showing a fineness peculiar to Eastern art. The effect of the body being painted in the round has been produced by dark-brown washes along the outline, and a deep-green background has enhanced the perspective. On the golden-brown skin of the *Yaksha* the pearl-white jewellery looks very beautiful, and the ribbons of the hair knot flying at the back suggest an idea of movement.

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The *Yakshiṇī's* face shows amazement, evidently resulting from the vision of the Bodhisattva or the devout teaching of her consort, and it may also be noticed that a tremor has caused the fall of the blue lotus flowers from her tray of offerings and the sudden parting of her fingers. She is wearing a tight bodice (*cholī*) of blue silk, the short sleeves of which are edged with strings of pearls. In the Deccan it is still a fashion among ladies to attach strings of gold beads to the short sleeves of their *cholīs*. The coiffure of the *Yakshiṇī* is most artistic, and an aigrette resembling a *jhūmar* of modern times adorns her forehead.

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To the right of the *Yakshiṇī* in the background, the beautiful clusters of *aśoka* (*Saraca indica*) leaves and flowers in various tints show the artist's fondness for the study of Nature. The pale brown of the decayed leaves with the light green of the young shoots and splashes of white flowers in different stages of bloom delineate admirably the variety of colour which this tree offers in spring.

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Below the pair of the *Yaksha* and *Yakshiṇī*, two heavenly musicians (*kinnaras*) may be seen. They are dwarfish in size, and have the bust of a human being and the wings and tail of a bird. One of these is playing on a blue flute, while the other is apparently beating time with cymbals. The hair of the flute-player, cut short on the forehead and dressed with a matted effect, is extremely charming. The head of this figure also represents a fine piece of drawing. The wings of these quaint creatures are rather conventional, and are shown by whitish dots, but the tails are quite realistic, resembling those of the male birds of the domestic fowl.

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The fresco continues towards the right, and the portion shown as part *b* of this plate is painted there.

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Commencing again from the left, we see the head of a Bodhisattva whose figure was originally delineated on a colossal scale, but almost the whole of it, excepting the few fragments of the head, has perished. The richly bejewelled diadem with its fine pearl strings shows considerable artistic skill, but the subject must have become quite common so as to require no originality, as it is repeated in every representation of a prince. The eyebrows of the Bodhisattva are raised in the conventional style, and the eyes would have been meditative, but they cannot be seen in this fresco because of its damaged condition.

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PLATE VIIa-b

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To the right of the Bodhisattva the artist has painted another *aśoka* tree, the enthusiasm and care shown in its delineation being the same as shown in the depiction of the previous tree. The branches of this tree spread behind rocks which are shown conventionally by whitish blocks. On the rocks, two male figures of a different type of features may be seen, perhaps representing aboriginal inhabitants of India. The head of one figure is badly damaged, but that of the other, which is more or less preserved, shows sunken temples, prominent cheek-bones, a dumpy nose, and a thin moustache. The hair of the head seems to be lanky, but as it is adorned with a band of flowers, it cannot be studied closely. The stature is short, and the muscle of the left arm, in which a bow and some arrows are held, shows a developed physique.¹ The wooden plug placed in the hole in the lobe of the ear to prevent its closing up is interesting.

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¹ This figure resembles very much the figure of the Bhil studied in Part I (Text, p. 33, Plate XXX).

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To the right of these semi-barbarous people (*Kirātas*), whom, as shown by the sculptures of Sāñchī and Amarāvatī and the early paintings of Ajanta,² Buddhism embraced in its fold, is a pair of flying figures. The female is gracefully held in the arms of her companion, who has a broader frame, and both are floating in the air, judging by the movement of their pearl jewellery. The female is wearing a long skirt of striped silk, but the upper part of her body is almost nude, the *cholī* (bodice) being of transparent material. The artist has, however, adorned the bust with an abundance of pearl jewellery, splashes of which on the golden-brown skin look charming. The coal-black hair is similarly decorated with jewellery and white flowers.

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² Frescoes of the Chaitya Caves, Nos. 9 and 10.

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Below these flying figures, along the green band, are two more figures, one of which represents an old monk. The head of the monk is bald, except for thin grey hair on the back of the skull. The body is bare to the waist, and the drawing of the shoulder and the curved back is excellent. Of the other figure, only a part of the head and a portion of the torso are visible; the rest has perished.

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The artistic merits of this fresco do not fall much below those shown in the paintings of Cave I. The colour taste of the artist is exquisite, and the several groups of figures are charming, not only when judged separately, but as forming an impressive ensemble in depicting the ecstasies of the pious Buddhist.