paintings in ancient india

Paintings have also drifted from one area to anotherarea. The paintings of Ajanta by the Satavahanas, Vakatakas and theChalukyas had given an idea to the early Pandyas to paint the walls of therock cut cave at Sittannavasal. The idea of colouring, technique of painting and other anatomical features of Sittannavasal is as same asAjanta but the theme is different.The Sittannavasal pattern is more or less followed by theRashtrakutas at Ellora.

The image of Nataraja and the demi Gods aresimilar to Thanjavur temple paintings.
The paintings of Vijayanagara isentirely different in Character. The idea of telling a story throughpaintings was originally introduced by the Vijayanagar rulers inTamilnadu.

This technique is adopted from Andra Pradesh. Nayaks alsofollowed the pattern of Andhra style in their paintings. Thus the elementof painting never exempted from the characteristics of migration.Art in India has been an aesthetic expression as a matter of delightand enjoyment leading to nothing beyond that.

This has to be taken as amere statement of fact and neither complementary nor derogatory to theculture. With very rare exceptions because of the inevitable professionalinstincts of artist most of the art in India seeks and attains if appropriateplace in the religious arrangement be it sculpture, architecture,iconography, or poetry, music and paintings.

South India art is known as Dravidian style, as there areGarbhagraha, the sanctum of the main deity, with a vimana, over it withan additional corresponding one in many cases for the Goddess. Themandapams or pillared halls are infront of the garbhagraha. Within theinner compound wall are the kitchen, the prakara walls with (gopurarns)or enterance towers. Tirtha, Subsidiary shrines to the main gods.Tiruvaludisvarar temple has massive structure with lofty mandapas.Its present form was constructed by the early and later pandyas. So thistemple has the architectural impact of early pandyas and the pandyas ofsecond empire.

The correct date and the year of construction of this temple is notable to be fixed but at various time, by various rulers this temple isconstructed. Generally the temples are constructed facing the eastaccording to Hindu Agamas. Tiruvaludisvarar Temple was alsoconstructed facing the east. This temple was exclusively constructed bystones.The lay out in the beginning stage for art of construction of temple.This is the first stage inaccordance with the principles, laid down by theSiva Agamas.

This temple situates an area of (2 Acres 8 cents), two acresand eight cents .Compound walls (330) three hundred and thirty thirty feet length(220) two hundred and twenty feet in width. The entrance is of (10) tenfeet. This temple has (5) five prakarams namely, Karuvarai Prakaram,Thalavarisai Prakaram, Seevili Prakaram, Nadavana Prakaram and OuterPrakaram.

They are representing the five elements of Nature Earth,Water, Fire, Sky and Air.In it Garbagriham, inner Prakaram Arthamandapam,Mahamandapam, Thalavarisai Prakaram, Mukamandapam, Seeviliprakaram, Madapalli, well, Kasivishvanatha shrine, Suradever, Sixtythree Nayanmars, Saptha mathas Dakshinamoorthy, Nagar shrine,Kannimula Vinayakar shrine, Murugan shrine, Sandikeswara shrine,Vishnu Durga shrine, Kalabiravar shrine, Sivachandra shrine,Adikaranandhi shrine, Siva suryar shrine.

Second entrance NanthavanaPrakaram Vinayaga shrine, Murugan shrine, Nanthi mandapam,Palipedam, Thiruvathiraimandapam, Thayar shrine, Theppakulam.Compound wall situates at main entrance, outer wall prakaram, Panda!mandapam, Sastha shrine and administrative office are all main featuresof the temple.

The main enterance leads to the outer prakara. Duvajasthampapalipeda and Nanthi mandapa which are placed in axile lines. Theeastern outer prakaram has a pandal mandapam sastha shrine andadministrative office are found in north.