Indian civilization is one of the most distinctive civilizations of the East. Already in the ideas of the ancient Greeks, India was a magical and fabulous country. Of course, her contribution to the general culture of mankind is enormous. The most striking examples of outstanding achievements of Indians are considered to be monuments of architecture and fine arts. Many amazing stone structures have survived to this day, which people have not ceased to admire over the centuries.
How were the unique paintings of cave monasteries created?
There are tens of thousands of temples in India. And some of them are very unusual. For example, in the Vitala temple in the city of Hampi (Karnataka state) there are 56 granite columns that support the stone roof of a hall without external walls and emit sounds like a drum, wind or strings when struck with a hand or any light object. Musical sounds are also emitted by some of the columns at the grand Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. To get a sound effect, just press them with your hand.
Strange columns
In Halebid (Karnataka state), in one of the 12th century temples, there are several columns of Soapstone. They are notable for the fact that mirror-polished stripes appear on their roughly processed surface. Visitors always crowd around one of the columns. There, in the mirror surface, the beholder sees his own double reflection: one is direct, the other is turned upside down. Probably, the unknown master possessed the secret of a special stone polishing. She gave such an unusual optical effect. In some temples, among the dozens of columns, you will not find two identical, for each of them competes with the neighboring one in the beauty and complexity of carved ornaments.
But even more unique are the cave temples of India. So, in the central part of the country, in the state of Maharashtra, after several centuries of oblivion in the 19th century, a complex of cave monasteries of Ajanta was opened, one of the greatest monuments of Buddhism.
Ajanta was created by Buddhist monks for nine centuries, starting from the 2nd century BC. The first explorer of the cave city-monastery was the English archaeologist James Ferguson, who presented a scientific report to the Royal Asiatic Society in 1843. Then it became known that out of 29 caves, 24 are actually monasteries, and five are temples, many of which go 100 feet deep into the rock (more than 30 meters). According to the scientist, it took more labor to create a grandiose architectural complex than to build the Cheops pyramid. Indeed, it is impossible not to be surprised at what incredible work, skill and patience were expended in creating monolithic structures decorated with carvings and sculptures in the hardest basalt.
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Glowing murals
The Ajanta Caves are a unique art gallery. Murals take up all free space: walls, ceilings and even columns. The content of the frescoes is also very diverse. They contain everything that worried people of distant centuries: from the simple-minded legend of how the elephant, having fallen into captivity, touched the heart of the rajah, to the image of the presentation of credentials by the Persian ambassador to the ruler of the Vatapi principality.
However, it remains a mystery - how could the artists paint in the semi-darkness of the caves? And doing it so exceptionally well! If they used artificial lighting (candles or torches), traces of soot would inevitably remain on the walls, but they are not. There is an assumption that the craftsmen used light reflected with the help of metal mirrors.
The wonderful preservation of the painting is also surprising, despite the centuries-old age of the paintings and the humid climate. All this suggests that the ancient artists perfectly mastered the art of strengthening the soil, knew the secrets of persistent paints. They prepared the primer used for painting in two layers. Beeswax, molasses, stone were used for the bundle. It is also surprising that some of the paintings are filled with glowing colors!
Doctor of art history and laureate of the Jawaharlal Nehru Prize Semyon Tyulyaev told how, during a tour of the caves of the early 6th century in Ajanta, a guide who led a group of excursionists to the images of half-naked female figures said: nothing, since the light from the entrance does not reach this place of the cave at all. When your eyes get used to the darkness, these figures will gradually emerge from it, and they will resemble sculptures made of marble. This is exactly what happened. Ajanta's painting, although created by monks, is by no means religious. On the contrary, she possesses vitality, plasticity and charm.
Equal to the Parthenon
However, Ajanta is not the only place in India where cave monasteries and temple complexes have been preserved. Eluru (Ellora), a group of 34 Hindu temples carved into the rock, was discovered 30 miles from Ajanta. They were created between the 5th and 13th centuries.
The most significant and incredible structure of Eluru is the Kailasanatha temple. Carved out of solid rock in the 8th century, it is 80 meters long, 50 meters wide, 40 meters high. This majestic temple is almost equal to the Parthenon from the Athenian Acropolis in area and one and a half times its height. However, less labor was required for its construction, since there was no problem of transporting building materials. There was also no need for scaffolding: the temple was carved, starting from the top of the rock and gradually moving towards its foot.
Towers, galleries, bridges, giant elephants, propping platforms, statues of the god Shiva and demons, angry bulls and dancing girls - all this is carved out of one monolithic rock. Among other things, the walls of Eluru are decorated with paintings, and, according to some researchers, a number of drawings depict nothing more than … the air ships of the ancient Indians. They also believe that these drawings are illustrations of the great epic Ramayana, in which, as you know, a lot of space is devoted to air battles of gods and heroes. So, in part seven, it is told how the great god Brahma presented the hero Kubera with a wonderful chariot Pushpak. It was decorated with columns and arches, with staircases and terraces, and could fly excellently through the air. The villain Ra-wana, the brother of Kubera, took away Pushpaka and with its help not only participated in the "Star Wars",but also repeatedly descended into the underwater kingdom.
The magnificent cave complex was created at the very beginning of our era in Karli (near Mumbai). In the huge hall of the main temple there are two rows of columns, a Buddhist stupa and many different stone sculptures. The light enters through special holes with wooden grilles. A large number of reliefs are located along the facade. The whole complex is made in a rock monolith and amazes with its majesty. There are two more tiers carved into the rock above the main temple. Each of them has wide galleries with carved columns, from which one can enter large halls and corridors that have not yet been practically explored.
Another unique ancient cave complex is carved into the granite mountain of the Elephanta Island, located in the water area of the great Bombay harbor. From a distance, the island really looks like an elephant, hence its name. The temples were carved by the hands of Hindu monks in the 6th-7th centuries and are dedicated to Shiva. But sometimes it seems that they were built by the Cyclops. Everywhere reproduced numerous sculptural and pictorial images, glorifying the exploits of Shiva, the greatest deity - the creator of everything visible and invisible. In the center of one rocky temple is the main altar of Shiva - the sacred lingam: a stone one and a half meter cylinder, a symbol of life and immortality, the infinity of the world and life-giving energy.
Magazine: Mysteries of History No. 20, Irina Strekalova