Paintings at Bagh Caves

Which Style of Art Has Influenced The Paintings Of Bagh Caves?

In the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, close to Bagh in the Dhar district, are nine rock-cut monuments known as the Bagh Caves. They emerged in the sixth century A.D. These are renowned for having mural paintings by master Indian artisans from antiquity. The name “cave” is misleading because these are specimens of Indian rock-cut architecture rather than actual caves. The influence of Buddhism and art pieces help to create these monuments. Five of the nine caravans have become monks’ monasteries known as ‘viharas,’ which emerged in the 5th and 6th Centuries. Its origins can be traced back to when ancient Indian artisans were thought to have cut these caverns out of granite....

Style of Art that Influenced The Paintings Of Bagh Caves

The mural paintings at Bagh Cave are well-known. The Varaha of Bagh’s walls and ceilings are covered in magnificent mural paintings. This style of painting was created using the Tempera Technique. In this technique, the area to be painted is covered with a thick mud plaster in a brownish-orange tint, followed by a lime priming coat, and finally, the paints are laid. This approach is for a permanent fast-drying painting medium made of colored pigment and a water-soluble binder to smoothen out the Varaha of Bagh’s walls and ceilings. This painting style is widely seen in the Ajanta caves....

Artwork of  the Caves

A total of nine caves are discovered to date. These are:...

Features of Bagh Caves

These all caves are quadrangular-shaped “viharas,”. A small room known as the “chaitya,” or prayer hall is typically placed in the back. The most significant of the five caves that still exist is Cave 4, popularly referred to as the Rang Mahal. On the walls and ceilings, a thick layer of reddish-brown, gritty, mud plaster was applied. The murals at Bagh represent the ‘Golden Age‘ of Indian classical art. The walls and ceilings of the Viharas of Bagh were painted with tempera, and fragments of it can still be seen in Caves 3 and 4.  The best-preserved cave is Cave 2, also referred to as “Pandava Cave.” The nature of these pieces of art is more materialistic than spiritual....

Paintings at Bagh Caves

Varaha of Bagh’s walls and ceilings are covered in murals. Many of these paintings may be found in the Rang Mahal cave. Furthermore, the caverns’ pillars are adorned with bracket capitals portraying various images, usually animals, some with riders and others without. Many murals adorn the walls, including depictions of the Bodhisattva Padmapani, Mushroom, and others. Cave 3 also revealed signs of life through its paintings, and remains can be seen in caves 2, 5, and 7. The paintings from the collapsing caverns have been conserved in Gwalior’s Archaeological Museum and Bagh’s on-site museum. These pieces are more earthy than spiritualistic. These paintings’ qualities can also be found in the Ajanta cave paintings....

Conclusion

According to legends, these caves were excavated by the Buddhist monk Jataka, although some claim they were excavated by Satavahana. These caverns are not natural wonders but rather the work of an Indian rock-cut architect. To prevent the paintings from deteriorating further, ASI initiated a 17-year conservation initiative in 1979-80. It entailed moving the frescoes to a more secure location. The paintings were stripped using two techniques: the Strappo method, which removed only the paint layer, and the De-Stacco method, which removed the paint layer with a portion of the original mud plaster and was conserved as a heritage of Indian paintings in museums....

Frequently Asked Questions

Q 1. Where is Bagh Cave located?...