There is a rich tradition of mural paintings in the southern part of India. In the post-Ajanta visual arts scenario, the Badami Chalukyas, Pallavas of Kanchipuram and Chola kings patronised mural paintings. The 12th century CE encyclopaedia Abhilashitartha Chintamani, also known as Manasollasa, compiled by the Kalyan Chalukya king Someshwara III, dedicated a complete chapter to the techniques and making of mural paintings (bhitti chitra). The Vijayanagara kings continued the patronisation of the mural painting tradition. Foreign travel accounts about Hampi say that many temples and palaces were decorated with paintings.
Hampi was an important religious centre even before the Vijayanagara period. God Virupaksha, a focal point of the Vijayanagara Hampi city, has been mentioned in Kalyan Chalukya inscriptions. The 12th century Kannada literary laureates Harihara and Raghavanka lived in Hampi. Harihara was responsible for composing the work on Girija Kalyana, the marriage of Lord Shiva and Girija, inspired by Kalidasa's Kumara Sambhavam.
Presently, the Virupaksha temple's maharangamantapa is the only Vijayanagara monument in Hampi with paintings that have survived till date. It was built by Vijayanagara Emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya in 1509 CE to commemorate his coronation. The paintings occupy the large ceiling of the maharangamantapa. They are divided according to subjects in a rectangular compositional frame. The Trimurtis along with their spouses and retinue are depicted in an individual composition. The other important themes like Girija Kalyana, Tripura Samhara Shiva and Kama disturbing Shiva's penance are composed in one row in the central space of the ceiling. In the subsequent scene, the wedding of Shiva and Girija is narrated and in the lower strata of this episode, the Dashavatara images of Vishnu are painted in a row. Other important themes are Rama breaking Shiva's bow to marry Sita and Arjuna shooting an arrow at the rotating fish to marry Draupadi. Both the themes are connected to swayamvars and culminate with the illustration of the respective wedding scenes. Besides the above, Kama and Rati are depicted as riding pancha nari turaga (horse composed of five women) and nava nari kunjara (elephant composed of nine women). The whole lintel of the hall has been covered with paintings depicting varied themes.
Thematic and stylistic depictions of these murals have interesting features. Starting from the Trimurti figures, all are composed in an artistically decorated arched design that has a rectangular structure and triple shrine motifs on the upper portion. The composition of these figures gives the feeling of enshrined images in a temple. The use of flora and fauna within these square compositions further enhances the artistic approach of the paintings. The Tripura Samhara, and Kama and Siva narrations are interesting from the point of mode of depiction. The theme of Tripura Samhara had already become a popular subject in Indian sculptures and paintings. The Thanjavur Brihadeeswara temple has a similar theme depicted on the outer walls of the garbagriha. Here at the maharangamantapa, the Tripurari theme is realistically depicted: Shiva standing on a chariot formed out of a serpent, driven by the seven horses of Surya; Surya and Chandra becoming the wheels of the mighty chariot; and Brahma becoming the charioteer. The three demon brothers Tarakaksha, Vidyunmali and Kamalaksha are symbolically represented in a circular form depicting their cities. The Mahabharata's Shalya Parva has a beautiful narration of this theme where Shiva's features are eulogised.
In the episode narrating the penance of Shiva with Kama disturbing it - popularly identified as Manmatha Vijaya - Manmatha and Rati are standing in a chariot driven by a parrot. Manmatha aims a flower arrow to disturb Shiva's penance and make his mind turn towards Girija; their marriage would lead to Kumara's birth. The most beautiful narration is the Girija Kalyana. All the figures are standing in a group. The central space has the narration of Shiva's marriage with Girija. Vishnu and Brahma with their spouses attend the marriage that is performed in front of a tree.
The last strata of the ceiling painting theme is that of the procession of a pontiff seated in a royal open palanquin. The narration of the procession culminates at the Virupaksha temple, giving an impression of it actually taking place in Virupaksha bazaar. The pontiff in the palanquin has been identified by this author in 2000 as Sri Vyasateertha, a Madhwa seer who was also the royal preceptor of Krishnadevaraya. In Vyasayogi Charita, a poetic composition of the same period, Vyasateertha is eulogised as removing an obstacle to Krishnadevaraya (Kuha Yoga). The records speak about Krishnadevaraya performing kanakabhisheka to his guru.
The paintings have been dated differently by scholars. The well-known art historian C Sivaramamurti dated these to the 15th century CE. But back then, the maharangamantapa itself was not yet constructed. Another scholar dated them to the 18th century CE. A thorough art historical study of these paintings, their style, form, mode of narration and contemporary stylistic affiliations confirm that they were executed during Krishnadevaraya's period. Since the emperor was a great patron of art and culture, the narration of the procession theme depicted here confirms the date of murals to the first quarter (before 1525 CE) of the 16th century CE.
(The writer is Professor, Dept of Art History, College of Fine Arts, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath)