Lepakshi Paintings

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It is to assume that the perception varies from individual to individual, especially while judging the pictorial language of beautiful sculpture or mural painting. When a scientist in botany enters into a beautiful rocky garden, he certainly prefers to search for valuable medicinal plants rather than the aesthetics of the garden. If someone searches for samples from the rocks and soil, they are likely a geologist. If an archaeologist or historian sees that, he would start an inquiry about the historiography of the place or search for petroglyphs or any traces of the prehistoric age. If a poet gazed into that, he would get inspired and transform that beauty into words for a poem. If an artist sees that, he starts to respond in terms of pictorial elements and their composition and harmony of colors and articulation of vast space, ultimately leading him to paint on canvas or sculpt. This creative process is driven by his or her aesthetic sensibility. In this context we might notice that the subject 'garden' has been perceived in different ways by the different individuals. The Lepakshi temple in the Anantapur District in Andhra Pradesh have been studied by many historians, archaeologien, astheticians, and art historians from India and several foreigners have done Catene Mork. Each of them has derived their own interpretations of the magnificent murals and sculptural wealth of South Indian tradition at Lepakshi. A decade ago, during a short visit to Anantapur, the author visited the temple of Virabhadra at Lepakshi, a small village of Hindupur taluk. The temple has well-preserved ceiling paintings, and sculptural wealth stands as a token of the contribution. The Vijayanagara kings' dedication and contribution to art have fascinated the author strongly. The nature of its art and architecture is religious and florid, which has drawn the attention. Being an artist, the author wanted to pursue a study of the pictorial elements of those murals, sculptures, methods of execution, and decorative pillars of the temple. After reading the literature published on the aforementioned, the author had noticed its connection to earlier traditions and how the great themes repeats for centuries in Indian art. From the thirteenth century cz onwards, the Islamic kings began to press the south towards Deccan. In 1293, Allauddin captured Devagiri. In 1303 cx, there was a reduction of Warangal, In the period around 1330 cz, the whole of North India down to the Vindhya mountains came under Muslim rule. During this period, the entire region south of the Krishna River remained under Hindu domination. Suddenly, about 1336 ct, there appeared a resistance to this wave of Muslim kings caused by the combination of three small Hindu states: Warangal, Dwarasamudra, and Anegondi. Thus arose a solid wall of opposition, which protected southern India for almost 250 years. The Vijayanagara Empire was founded in 1336 cz. The founders of this empire were two Hindu princes named Hakkaraya and Bukkaraya, sons of Sangama. In their enterprise, they were aided by Vidyanarayana, the guru of Matha Sringeri. Vidyanarayana became the first minister of the state. This first dynasty of Vijayanagara was known as the Sangama dynasty, consisted of nine kings, and occupied the throne for one hundred forty. The period spanned two years, from 1336-1478 ca. Then the throne has passed to the Saļuva chief, who was succeeded by his son. Thus the Saļuva dynasty has only two kings. Then the Tuļuva dynasty ruled for seventy-one years from 1496-1567 cz. It was the flag end of the rule of this dynasty in 1565 CE at the Talikota War in the hands of Muslim kings. The city of Vijayanagara was sacked and destroyed. However, the last king of this dynasty shifted his capital to Penukonda and continued to rule the broken empire for a few years, then followed the fourth and final dynasty of the empire. This was the dynasty of Ramaraja, known as the Aravidu Dynasty, which was ruled by six kings. Hakkaraya, who assumed the name of Harihararaya, was the first king of this empire. The God Šiva was the family deity of Vijayanagara kings named as Virupakşa. Harihararăya did not achieve much during his life except founding this new empire, but Bukkarāya, who came after him, became famous. Harihara II Bukkaraya's son succeeded him to the throne from 1367-1404 CE. His domination extended from the Krishna River at Kurnool in the north to Kumbakonam or even further south. But during his period, several struggles were going on with the sultans of the Bahmani kingdom at Gulbarga. In 1404 cz, Harihara's son Immadi Bukkaraya assumed the throne and ruled for a year. His brother Prataparaya was the son of Harihara by another wife.

The present book gives a vivid description of the rich mural tradition of Lepakshi, one of the South India's most beautifully preserved pictorial ensembles, which has been gloriously flourishing for nearly five centuries. This richly illustrated study, featuring 84 colour plates and 39 black-and-white photographs and drawings, combines technical analysis, stylistic interpretation, and cultural history bringing the temple's paintings to life. Organized into eight concise chapters, the book traces the temple's history, explains mural materials and techniques; analyses pictorial elements such as line, colour, composition, & movement; compares murals with contemporary sculpture; and documents costume, ornaments, weapons, and domestic objects depicted in the art. The concluding chapter presents the author's findings and practical recommendations for conservation of paintings and public engagement in this pursuit. This book is accessible to students, researchers, conservators, and art lovers, this volume lends a panoramic Visual record and serves as a scholarly guide to Lepakshi's marvelous artistic history.

Dr. K. Mrutyunjaya Rao (b. 1972) is a founding faculty member and currently Associate Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa, since 2009. He has been working in both the private and public sectors in the both fields of art and design for the past 26 years. In 2020, Telugu University, Hyderabad, awarded him the B.S.L.. Hanumantha Rao Memorial Gold Medal for his rewarding research contribution on the Lepakshi mural paintings. In 2001, he received the S.L. Parasher Gold Medal from the University of Hyderabad for achieving the highest distinction in the Master of Fine Arts (Painting). In 2007, his artwork "Mask" received accolade from Telugu University, Hyderabad. He has extensive and varied experience as an artist and academician. He served as Chairman of the Board of Studies, as well as a member, convener, and paper setter for national and state-level recruitment examinations in fine arts. In 2014, the Government of Andhra Pradesh appointed him as an expert committee member for the proposed Cultural University in the state. He has organized 17 regional and national workshops and curated multiple art exhibitions. He has seventy research papers in national and international journals and five books to his credit.