This is the ‘earliest surviving Hindu painting’

In a historical event marking the revelation of the lost tradition of ancient Indian art and the earliest surviving painting from the Hindu tradition (photographed and digitally restored by Benoy K Behl), dignitaries from across the world came together to celebrate the power of Indian culture.

This is said to be the oldest surviving painting of Hindu tradition. The painting named- ‘Queen and Attendants’ is from cave no 3 of Badami Caves. This 6^th century cave is located in Bagalkote district of Karnataka. Painting was photographed and then digitally restored by well known photographer and documentary film maker Benoy K Behl in 2001. It will later be preserved in Arctic World Archives by Sapio Analytics.

At a virtual event presented by Sapio Heritage Restoration Division, a division of government advisory firm Sapio Analytics, the global significance of the earliest surviving painting in a Hindu temple, as well as the lost tradition of ancient Indian mural painting revealed to the world by Benoy K Behl, was established in the presence of representatives of countries from across the world.

The event presented the pathbreaking work of Behl which clearly establishes the fact that India has a continuous tradition of paintings, coming through ancient and medieval times.  Behl has clearly documented Indian paintings from the 2^nd century BCE till the 13^th century CE. He has shown that the ancient murals are the foundations of the manuscript paintings and miniatures of the medieval period. This is extremely important because, till now, the world has been studying the tradition of Indian painting, beginning with the medieval period.

The paintings of Ajanta have been known but have been regarded as a flash in the pan, as other Indian paintings have not been generally known. Behl’s work has dispelled this darkness and shown the ancient Indian tradition of painting in a clear light.

This was revealed at the event through the 6^th century painting from the  Badami Caves, photographed and restored by Behl. This is the earliest surviving painting in a Hindu Temple.

At the event, Behl also showed and spoke of other ancient Indian paintings which he has been the first to clearly photograph.

“Besides the great technical virtuosity of the ancient Indian murals, what is even more important is the vision of life which they contain. It is a deep and philosophic vision of great compassion. This is what makes the ancient paintings of India to be among the finest art of humankind”, said Behl about the significance of this revelation.

Behl also released a paper- ‘Earliest Surviving Hindu Painting & Tradition of Ancient Indian Painting’ on his work during the event.

In the paper, Behl says, that- “This early tradition is not generally known, as many of these paintings are hidden in dark recesses in ancient temples and caves. These had not been clearly photographed or sufficiently represented to the world before.  It was generally believed that India did not have a continuous tradition of painting, which came from ancient times.

The photography of the early Indian murals has helped to place the Indian tradition of paintings in a new perspective. These photographs have clearly established the fact of the continuous tradition of painting, since ancient times, in India. The murals of India have also been established as one of the greatest and most sublime traditions of the art of the world.”

The event was also attended by India’s Sherpa to the G20 and G7, Suresh Prabhu, who spoke about the dependence of the progress of a nation on its culture and art being the manifestation of the culture.

“It’s time that cities should not be like melting pots but like salad bowls, maintaining their identities while co-existing. One can know who we are through ancient Indian art”, added Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Member of Parliament and President of ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations). He also spoke about the need for the creation of academic courses for preparing experts in digitization and preservation of ancient art. 

The event was attended by the Cabinet Minister of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, who announced the creation of a cultural center in Guinea Bissau honoring Indian ancient art, particularly the works of Benoy K Behl. Author and diplomat Amish Tripathi spoke about the enormous importance of the work of Behl, in establishing the true knowledge of Indian art and culture before the world.  The Ambassador of Italy to India Vincenzo De Luca expressed the support of Italy in promoting Indian artworks. He said that India and Italy represented the pinnacle of the art of the world. He also mentioned that Italy has held exhibitions of Behl’s work in the past.

Ashwin Srivastava, CEO of Sapio Analytics and Balkrishna Choolun, Director of Ajanta HC in London, announced the preservation of the restored and unrestored photograph Behl at the Arctic World Archive, in Svalbard, Norway, and a series of global exhibitions in different cities of the world. “For generations to come, we shall preserve this artform as a reminder to the power of Indian art in elevating human consciousness”, added Srivastava.

Sapio Analytics will show these path-breaking photographs & their digital restoration by Behl in an exhibition around the world, to mark 75 years of India’s Independence in the year 2022. Sapio Analytics are already in talks with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to show these exhibitions at their Cultural Centres at various places around the world. The Nehru Centre, London has kindly agreed to launch this exhibition and the event will be scheduled when the pandemic restrictions are lifted in London.