Culture and Colors of India: History and Development

Volume 04, No. 07, July 2018
Page
87
Culture and Colours of India: History and Development of
Miniature Paintings
Aditi Deka*, Guptajit Pathak**, & Dr. Jasminder Kaur***
*MFA Painting, 3rd
Semester, Narmada College of Fine Arts, Bhopal (Affiliated to Raja Mansingh Tomar Music
& Arts University, Gwalior)
**Assistant Professor, Department of History, Kanya Mahavidyalaya (Affiliated to Gauhati University),
Geetanagar, Guwahati – 781021, Assam, India
***Associate Professor, Department of Painting, Textile Design Section, Faculty of Visual Arts,
Banaras Hindu University (Central), Varanasi-221005, India
ABSTRACT:
‘Miniature’ generally stands for a painting or illumination, minute in size, meticulous in
detailing and delicate in brushwork. Indian Miniature Painting has its widespread history of
over thousand years and highlights a wide-ranging documentation of the spiritual and emotional
images of the Indian people. Fundamentally, miniatures artists applied bright colours with
tempera effect and exhibit an extraordinary perceptive of colour combinations. Indian
miniatures are in the art world class art.
KEY WORDS: Culture, Colours, India, History, Development, Miniature, Paintings.
INTRODUCTION:
Miniature art traditions made its presentation in the 10th
century. The very earliest of miniatures
are found painted on palm-leaves and their themes connecting to Jainism and Buddhism. The
palm-leaf paintings seem to have progressed flanked by 10th
to 12th
centuries. In the 14th
century,
palm leaf was restored by paper and to previous colours were added novel mineral colours and
pigments. The identity towards Indian miniature paintings at different echelons is an important
study for research.
INDIAN ART PERSPECTIVE:
Indian Art is the art shaped on the Indian subcontinent starting in relation to the 3rd millennium
BC to modern times. A well-built cleverness of drawing is a trait of Indian art and can be
experimented in its contemporary and traditional forms. Indian art can be classified into specific
periods which reflecting particular regions, religions, political and cultural developments.
1. The Ancient Period (3500 BCE-1200 CE)
2. The Islamic Ascendancy (1192-1757)
3. The Colonial Period (1757–1947) 28
4. Independence and the Postcolonial Period (Post-1947)

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PERCEPTION OF MINIATURE PAINTING:
1. Factual miniature art is a genre that highlights on art particularly painting and sculpture with
its extended history.
2. A proper miniature art glorifies the identity of the medieval ages.
3. Miniature painting is a traditional method of art that is extremely comprehensive, over and
over again referred to as painting or functioning “in miniature”.
Statement of the Research Problem:
Indian Miniature Paintings have its significant components and wide identity for socio-cultural
identity. It is also the colour of identity. Since there is different research on Indian Miniature
paintings, but the study is based on the different phases and levels of Indian miniature paintings
and in its historical development.
Justification of the Study:
The variegated Indian culture and colours are of great value. Hence, the History and
Development of Miniature Paintings occupies a vital part in Indian cultural identity and its
heritage.
OVERVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE:
A lot of literature on Indian Miniature Paintings has been carried out. A number of studies have
been presented on the particular topics for the Indian Miniature paintings. In order to justify the
statement of the problem the following literature reviews have been done.
(i) The Mughal Emperors and their candid contribution are of great value for historical
developments on Miniature paintings. Hence, The Great Moghuls by Pringle Kennedy, 1933;
The Grand Mogul Imperial Paintings in India by M.C. Beach, 1978, etc. are the important
literature in this arena.
(ii) The History of Indian Costumes has its significant value relating the book Indian Costumes
and Textiles from the Calico Museum of textiles by B.N. Goswamy, 1993.
(iii) Relating to the Marwar Miniature painting, book Marwar Painting by R. Crill, 1996 and its
comparable sources from the journal Marg by H. Goetz, 1958, Vo. XI are of immense value.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:
1. To study about the concept of Indian Miniature Paintings.
2. To be familiar with the impact of Indian Miniature Paintings.
3. To highlight the different levels of miniature paintings in India.

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
1. What were the history and historicity of Indian Miniature Paintings?
2. Is there any Impact on Indian Miniature Paintings?
3. What were the different echelons or position of Miniature Paintings in India?
HYPOTHESES:
4. There are history and historicity of Indian Miniature Paintings.
5. There is valuable historical impact on Indian Miniature Paintings.
6. There are different echelons or position of Miniature Paintings in India.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
The research paper is based on descriptive and analytical study and is based on secondary
sources like books, research papers, research articles, news papers, paper clips, periodicals and
journals.
RESEARCH DESIGN:
(i) Study Type: Descriptive cum analytical study.
(ii) Locale of the Study: The study is based on India.
(iii) Study Sample: Different phases of Indian Miniature paintings.
OBSERVATIONS:
The very objects for the study cover the importance and visions of the Indian Miniature Paintings
at different levels which are of huge value of historical developments. The results of the present
study have been presented under following headings:
1. Mughal Miniature Paintings: The Mughal paintings were void of eroticism. In actual fact,
when Islam reached India by the twelfth century, Muslim administrators made it their
precedence to spoil erotic representations from the walls of Hindu Temples. Most of the
Mughal paintings display the portraits of administrators, rulers and dignified men wearing
tailored garments. The Mughal painting is a scrupulous method of South Asian painting,
commonly restricted to miniatures either as book illustrations or as single works to be kept in
albums.
Women’s symbols and identity in the Mughal paintings were negligible, and ultimately
misplaced. The theme became more highlighted on men’s depictions, stressing the rulers and
the court topics in addition to hunting prospects and heroic actions.

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2. Deccani Miniature Paintings: The Deccani paintings with Ahmednagar, Golkonda, Bijapur
and consequently Hyderabad as its hubs, developed during the later half of the 16th
century.
A good number of the painters working at these courts were migrants of Turkey, Iran and
Europe and had carried with them their art facets and cultures that their lands had acquired by
then. In reality, the Deccani art achieved its substantial development of form with the Mughal
paintings.
3. Rajput or Rajasthani Miniature Paintings: Rajput painting furthermore recognized as
Rajasthani Painting is an approach of Indian painting which developed and flourished
throughout the 18th
century in the imperial courts of Rajputana, India. It is without a doubt
that the Rajput paintings represent a number of images, themes and events of epics in the
vein of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The cultures and colors were extracted from
minerals, plant sources, conch shells, and were even derived by processing precious stones.
That's why, Gold and silver were used. The grounding of preferred colors was a long-lasting
procedure, occasionally taking weeks. Brushes used were very superior and excellent in
quality. Rajasthani paintings have a number of artistic styles and sub-styles.
4. Golconda and Hyderabad Schools of Miniature Paintings: An exploration of miniature
paintings in Golconda and Hyderabad School of paintings throughout 17th
and 18th
Centuries
provides source on how they were historically developed under the support of Qutb Shahis
and Nizams. This ideological, nature based, instructive and metaphorical traditions are
forever comparative to the times focusing a variety of traits, skills and facets.
5. Pahari Miniature Paintings: The central idea of Pahari paintings is figure based. Though
Pahari art thrive at places of immense natural backdrop, the performers were not enthused to
paint the sceneries just for the sake of representing the loveliness of environment. In the
time-honored Indian art and paintings counting Pahari paintings, environment provides as a
background for creature sentiments and delicate changes of moods were often focused from
side to side natural world as the surroundings.
6. South Indian Miniature Paintings: The Miniature paintings are the paintings made on tiny
canvasses of cloth and paper. Dash of Colour, complicated plan and delicate brushwork
scratchs the miniature painting, a descriptive identity of the Indian painting. The variety
Indian miniatures schools in the vein of the Pala, Orissa, Jain, Mughal, Rajasthani and Nepali
did not cultivate after segregation. The 11th
century Pala miniatures were the first to arrive.
This category of art mostly developed in the medieval age principally describing the imperial
and majestic existence and this form of art is well-liked till date.
7. Bengali Miniature Paintings: The patachitras of Bengal similar to Midnapur, Murshidabad,
ground paintings are of great value. The conventional Bengal art of alpana, raising Gods with
finger-painted designs are of immense importance. Handed down from side to side ages of
women, Bengal folk art, where the finger is the brush and a paste encompassing mostly rice
powder is the paint, once adorned the walls and floors of houses. The gorgeous and beautiful
designs are based on ritualistic images from legends, folklores and scriptures.
8. Assamese Miniature Paintings: The manuscripts paintings of Assam are of great value.
Consequently, we have to talk about the importance of Sankari age paintings. The significant
facets of the paintings of Bhagavata-purana, Gita-govinda and Hasthividyarnabva

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91
manuscripts are the cornerstones of historical developments. The Manuscripts of Assam like
Kirtana and Anadi-patana manuscripts are really vital for historical research.
HYPOTHESES TESTING:
(i) In case of the first hypothesis (H1), we have history and historical writings of Indian
Miniature Paintings. Therefore, the hypothesis is accepted.
(ii) In case of the second hypothesis (H2), the valuable historical impact of Indian Miniature
paintings are of great value. That's why, hypothesis is accepted.
(iii)In case of the third hypothesis (H3), regarding the different echelons or position of miniature
paintings in India have its historical, artistic and cultural images. For this reason, the
hypothesis is accepted.
CONCLUSIONS:
(i) The research paper has highlighted the Culture and Colours of India on the background of
Indian Miniature paintings because the sources of Indian Miniature at different levels are
immensely indispensable.
(ii) Special treatments for judgment of Indian Miniature of different communities are
undoubtedly huge impact.
REFERENCES :
i. Chakraverty, A, Indian Miniature Painting, Lustre Press (1996)
ii. Daljeet & Mathur, V.K., Fragrance in Colour, National Museum (2003)
iii. Pramanik, P, My views on Pahari Paintings
iv. Randhawa, M.S., & Galbraith, J.K., Indian Painting: The Scene, Themes and Legends,
(1980 )
v. Chaitanya, K, A History of Indian Painting: Pahari Traditions (1984)
vi. Archer, W.G., Indian Paintings from the Punjab Hills, Vol.I Sotheby Parke Bernet
Publications Limited, 34 New Bond Street, London WIA2AA (1973).
vii. Pathak, G, (Edited) Indian Art and Culture, ISBN 9789381839331, Avon Publications,
New Delhi, 2018

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