SOAS - 10th Jaina Studies Workshop [15] The Jain Cave Paintings at Ellora

Friday, 7th March 2008
Brunei Gallery Lecture Theater

Jaina Art & Architecture
10th Jaina Studies Workshop at SOAS

Lecture: "The Jain Cave Paintings at Ellora", Prof. Olle Qvarnström & Niels Hammer, Department of History and Anthropology of Religion, Lund University, Sweden

Prof. Olle Qvarnström & Niels Hammer
Department of History and Anthropology of Religion, Lund University, Sweden

The Jain Cave Paintings at Ellora

In one of the compartments of the Jain cave, Indra Sabha, 34 paintings decorate the inner shrine (garbhagṛha) and the main hall. These paint­ings, primarily found on the ceilings, vary in style and motif and display distinct artistic quality on a par with those in the neighbouring Buddhist caves of Ajaṇṭā. In our presentation of some of these paintings, we at­tempt to illustrate the overall ideological theme uniting the different paintings as well as the overall emotional pattern of joy as articulated in facial expressions and bodily gestures of humans, vidyādharas and gods. The presentation is part of a larger project delineating the histori­cal background, rules and quality of craftsmanship, artistic and emo­tional aspects, religious motivations and interpretations of the Jain cave paintings at Ellora.

8 minutes on video:

Full SpeechAudio: