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Pallava Paintings Lost Treasures Kailasanatha Temple KANCHIPURAM
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“Harasya Hara Haasa Roopam” ( “The temple resembles the beatific smile of Shiva’) gushes a poem found inscribed in the magnificent Rajasimha Pallveshvaram , aka Kailasanatha Temple of Kanchi . The boast is fully justified as this monument is a peerless specimen of high Art patronised by the Pallavas . • Much is known about the charm and exquisite beauty of the sculptures wrought by artisans under Pallava Patronage . • But , unfortunately, we do not have enough surviving material to create similar universal appreciation for their painting skills . • Very few scraps of painted surfaces remain in the Kailasanatha Temple , which is a pity , because the magnificent temple, reportedly, was a fully painted marvel at its consecration, with colourfully decorated walls and painted sculptures all over . • The temple is built of sandstone , a material which does not have the hardiness of granite , hence prone to weathering and crumbling . On such a base , lime plaster too cannot last , unless very well cared for . Unfortunately , the temple did not have such care in the past and consequently , lost almost all its painted surfaces . Additionally , in early 1900s , thick coats of cement plaster was also applied unscientifically in a bid to save the crumbling sculptures and that was death to the Pallava paintwork. • The only other samples of the precious Pallava Paintings can be found in Panamalai and a small scrap in Vaikunta Perumal temple of Kanchi. • The Paintings : • The colors used were natural pigments : Yellow and red ochre , lime , terre verte and carbon black . The standard technique for murals of the era was to apply two layers of plaster over the base stone . The first layer was a rough mixture of sand and lime which clung well to the sandstone . The second layer was a finer plaster of ground lime , smoothened over with polishing pebbles . The pigments were laid on this wet plaster , making the mural structurally a part of the wall itself . • The Art is in “Ajanta Style” , full of poise and grace . • During the time of Vijayanagara Empire , repainting over the Pallava art was undertaken . But this too has not survived . • Today , smudges and scraps of painted jewelry , fabrics and other details can be seen on the sculptures and patches of painted images on the inner walls of the niches . • But they are also fast disappearing . Figures seen recorded in some old journals are no longer visible clearly. • Reference : “ The Pallava Paintings at Conjeevaram- an investigation into the methods” ( 1939) by S.Paramasivan , Archeological Chemist . • Kailasanatha temple -Kanchipuram : Kanchipuram District , Tamil Nadu . • 74 Kms from Chennai . • • #templesoftamilnadu ,#indiantemplearchitecture ,#archeologicalsurveyofindia ,#murals ,#pallavas ,#kanchipuram
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