Memorandum on the making of

reconstructive copies of the Ajanta paintings

DIETER SCHLINGLOFF

The wall paintings in the Buddhist cave monasteries of Ajanta are of equal significance for
the history of Ancient Indian culture as the frescos of Pompeii for Graeco-Roman antiquity: they
are almost the sole preserved records of an art which belonged to the greatest achievements
of its time. The Ajanta paintings are not just a milestone in the history of the development of
world art, they also convey unique insights into the life of the Ancient Indians and their culture.
The painted Buddhist legends proclaim ethics, in which help for beings in distress is valued
higher than one's own personal welfare, and is often even worth more than one's own life.
If the Ajanta paintings until now have not received the attention that they deserve, then
this is very much due to their poor state of preservation and the resulting unsatisfactory
publications.
About 2000 years have passed since the creation of the oldest wall paintings and about 1500
years of the more recent ones, and the ravages of time have left their scars on the pictures.
Many paintings have fallen off the walls with the layer of plaster on which they were painted
and have thus been irretrievably lost; parts that are preserved are often faded or worn off,
darkened by soot from lamps or washed out by bats' urine, badly scratched by visitors' graffiti or
discoloured by amateur attempts at restoration. This is the reason why the books representing
Ajanta paintings almost always reproduce the same excerpts from the pictures, which' purely by
chance happened to be better preserved. It is as impossible to do justice to the character and
quality of the paintings with such reproductions of details, as it would be if one were to extract
one single small figure from a huge Baroque painting on canvas and reproduce it as a full-page
picture plate. In Ajanta too, it is not small, isolated genre pictures which form the contents of
the paintings' depictions, but extensive narrative representations which are composed of
numerous individual scenes and interwoven. A comprehension of the contents and appreciation
of their artistic merit is only possible if the extensive compositions can be viewed in their
entirety. The eye of the beholder first takes in the scenery of the town and country landscapes
in their harmonious alternation, and then proceeds, step by step, to recognise the narrative
actions imbedded in these landscapes - an aesthetic and intellectual sensation which can never
be conveyed by photographs of details.
The emphasis on details which are mostly of little significance for the contents and often of
inferior quality not only impedes an adequate artistic assessment, it can sometimes lead to
grotesque misinterpretations. Thus, for example, in one frequently published painting fragment
a woman is depicted, behind whose left arm a man's arm can be discerned. The usual
interpretation of this picture as a loving caress appears to be impossible for the mere reason

that this arm reaches so far down, that the whole weight of the man's body is on the woman's
shoulders. A study of the picture in its context reveals unambiguously that this arm does not
belong to a lover, but to a shipwrecked man, close to death from exhaustion,, who is being
dragged by the woman from the coast of the island through the city gate to her house. In the
houses inside the city the shipwrecked merchants really do sit together cosy companionship
with the charming island women, who are in reality man-eating witches (Appendix 1).
The fact that for the most part only excerpts of the paintings are shown, is also due to the
fact that the pillars located a short distance away from the walls make it impossible to take
photographs of the paintings in their entirety.
Thus, extensive copies, made by artists, are the reproductions most suitable to do justice
to the character of the paintings. The most important of these copies are still the old oil
paintings made between 1872 and 1885 under the supervision of John GRIFFITHS by the students
of the Bombay School of Arts, which today are kept in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
The reason for their importance is that they reproduce the paintings in a far superior state of
preservation to the present state. Details are visible, which today, due to the progressive
deterioration of the paintings, either no longer exist or are no longer discernible. However,
these copies also demonstrate that, even a century ago, the paintings were already in a
deplorable state. All the discolourations and damage, even the tiniest scratches and the graffiti
of modern visitors are reproduced in the copies with the meticulous precision of photography
(Appendix 2). Any other procedure, like the attempt to bridge over small gaps or to correct
discolourations would probably not have been possible at the time. In the meantime, the
composition of the paints and binders used by the artists in Ajanta, unknown at the time the
old copies were made, has been clarified by chemical analyses. The outlines of the paintings
were copied in as much as they were discernible and were completed, where the original
could be reconstructed with certainty. The identification of almost all the narrative contents
was performed at the same time and allows us to understand even parts of pictures that are
almost completely destroyed or are difficult to comprehend (Appendix 3). An index of the
pictorial elements was compiled, which contains in hundreds of illustrations all the objects
depicted in the paintings, and which makes it possible to recognise their cliched basic forms
and the spectrum of variations (Appendix 4). All published colour reproductions of all the
paintings were registered. In connection with the chemical paint analyses, this material
provides a trustworthy basis for the creation of copies which conform with the original forms
and colour values.
Paintings of other cultures have been copied successfully several times on the basis of the
original colour values, e.g. wall decorations in the houses of Pompeii (Appendix 5). However,
the copies of these paintings are certainly not of the same significance as the copies of the
Ajanta paintings would be, as for the most part, the paintings in Pompeii are in a much better
state of preservation, making their pictorial contents clearly discernible in photographs too.
There are no serious difficulties which speak against the making of reconstructive copies of
the Ajanta paintings. The colour values are known and the outlines are documented, so the
main artistic challenge for the copier would be bringing out the body shading, - a challenge which
was already mastered by the earlier copiers without problems.

The time required for the making of the copies and the ensuing costs should remain within
reasonable limits. The artist who made the colour reconstruction of the Syma legend (Appendix
6) required ca. 9 hours for this task. This painting has an area equal to approx. 0.45 % of the total
area of all the paintings which are published in line drawings in the Guide to the Ajanta
Paintings, so that a total time of 1980 working hours = 330 six-hour days would be required. To
this must be added, on the one hand, the considerable difficulties posed by some paintings; on
the other hand, the reduction of working time due to increasing routine must be deducted. Thus
we can assume, under consideration of all these reservations, that the total time required for
the whole project would be one and a half years, even with an element of uncertainty of 100 %,
no more than three years.
The copies made by this procedure could be exhibited in displays in archaeological museums
and, of course, in Ajanta itself. For tourists visiting Ajanta, viewing the copies would be an
impressive ^addition to visiting the caves. At present, the visitors do get a lasting impression of
the fascination of the cave architecture, but they are only shown some remains of paintings,
which chanced to be in a better state of preservation and can hardly allow a real appreciation
of the true value of this paintings.
The increasing interest of the world in the caves of Ajanta as part of the world heritage is
more than justified. In contrast to the Mediterranean area, where tourists encounter the
monuments of ancient Graeco-Roman culture wherever they go, in India the cave monasteries,
especially those in Ajanta, are, together with the stpa complexes, the sole monumental
records of the classical Buddhist culture, a culture, which has influenced the culture of Asian
countries no less than the Graeco-Roman antiquity the culture of Europe.
The copies should be printed in a volume with approx. 30 colour plates, analogue to the
plates with the line drawings in the Guide to the Ajanta Paintings. Such a publication could gain
international recognition for the artistic merits of ancient Indian, painting, for - in contrast to
the aesthetic attraction of ancient Indian poetry, which can be appreciated only by the few
who understand the language - the beauty of visual art is open to everyone. In addition, the
paintings can help to understand literature better, by means of adding significant pictures to
translated texts as historic-cultural illustrations. This would be a unique opportunity for
everyone who is interested in ancient India and early Buddhism to grasp the phenomenal
worlds of this past epoch both mentally and visually. The gain for Indological studies which
would result from this is to be discussed in Appendix 7.
German Summary: Die Wandmalereien in den buddhistischen Hhlenklostern von Ajanta aus dem 2./1.
vorchristlichen sowie dem 5. nachchristlichen Jahrhundert sind - den Fresken von Pompeji vergleichbar die fast einzigen, durch einen glcklichen Umstand erhalten gebliebenen Zeugnisse einer Malkunst, die
zu den grten kulturellen Leistungen ihrer Zeit gehrte. Leider wurde das inhaltliche Verstndnis und
die sthetische Wrdigung dieser Malereien durch ihre weitgehende Zerstrung und den daraus
resultierenden sachlich und knstlerisch unbefriedigenden Publikationen wesentlich blockiert. Die
Forschungen des Unterzeichneten und die Rekonstruktionszeichnungen seiner Mitarbeiter erffnen
nun in Verbindung mit den bisher durchgefhrten Farbanalysen die Mglichkeit, den Originalzustand
der erhaltenen Malereien auch farblich exakt zu rekonstruieren. Solche Farbrekonstruktionen, deren
Kosten sich in berschaubaren Grenzen halten drften, waren geeignet, die Schnheit und die ethische
Botschaft der ltesten buddhistischen Malerei weltweit bekannt zu machen und darber hinaus der
Erforschung der altindischen Kultur neue Impulse zu geben.

APPENDIX 1
A 'loving caress' scene in the painting of the Simhala-Avadna in Cave XVII

GHOSH, A. (ed.): Ajanta Murals, An Album of eighty-five Reproductions in

Colour, New Delhi 1967;

repr. 1987:

PLATE LXXX

Part of the story of

the Simhalvadna.

For the story see explanations of pl. LXXVIII. Of

immense charm, the lady, perhaps an ogress feigning
love, languidly relaxes under the fondling touch of
the hand of a lover (figure damaged) placed around
her neck.
30 x 25 cm.
Cave 17.

The real meaning of the scene in the context of the wall-painting

(3) The demonesses are sitting in their houses in cosy companionship with the
merchants, whose every wish they grant; they have, however, forbidden them to
go to the south of the island.

(2) (In the guise of beautiful women, the demonesses lead the
shipwrecked men,) one of whom has laid his arm around a woman's neck
in exhaustion, through the city gate to their palaces.

(1) The ships of a merchant called Simhala are stranded on

the Coral shore

(SCHLINGLOFF, D., Ajanta-Handbook of the Paintings, p. 269; id., Guide to the Ajanta Paintings, Pl.58)

APPENDIX 2
GRIFFITHS' copy of a painting of the old period in Cave X

(Victoria & Albert Museum, 33-1885)

Line-drawing of the painting

(Ajanta-Handbook, p. 36; Guide, p. 27)

APPENDIX

Photo of the painting of the Ksntivdin-legend in the left chapel of Cave II

Line-drawing and interpretation of the painting

(1) A king (is amusing

himself with his female
attendants) in the park.

(2) After the king has fallen

asleep
exhausted,
his
attendants listen to the
instruction of an ascetic
called Ksntivdin,Preacher
of Meekness`.

(3) (Having awoken and

furious to find his women
with the preacher, the king
rushes over and threatens)
the ascetic (with his sword,
accusing him of hypocrisy).

(Ajanta-Handbook, p. 155)
GuidrGuide, p. 15)

(4) With a gesture of

astonishment, (one of the
king's attendants notes that
the ascetic does not deviate
from his principle of
meekness and lets the king
maim
him
without
resisting.)

APPENDIX 4
Index of pictorial elements; catchword: Royal Elephants (2nd Period)

APPENDIX 5
Photo and reconstructive copy of a wall-painting in Pompeii

(FRHLICH, Th., Casa delta Fontana piccola,=

Huser in Pompeji, Bd. 8, Mnchen 1996, 365,
370)

Tablinum 19, west wall, copy

LORIAS

APPENDIX 6
Photos and reconstructive copy of the painting of the Syma-legend in Cave XVII

APPENDIX 7
The significance of reconstructive colour copies of the Ajanta paintings
for Indological research
Thirty years of the author's research on the narrative wall paintings found their conclusion in
the edition of the treatise:
Ajanta-Handbuch der Malereien / Handbook of the Paintings, 1: Dieter SCHLINGLOFF:
Erzhlende Wandmalereien / Narrative Wall-Paintings:
Vol. I, Interpretation (517pp.; 94 Nos.): Preliminary Remarks, Summaries of Contents,
Picture Descriptions, with 514 figs.; Critical Apparatus, with 5580 quotations; Commentary (Summaries, Descriptions and Commentary in German);
Vol. II, Supplement: Parallels in Reliefs and Paintings (105 pp., 543 figs.); Index of Pictorial
Elements (50 pp.; 279 figs.); Bibliography (172pp., 1234 Titles, Index); Vol. Ill, Plates,
Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz, 2000. English Edition New Delhi, Aryan Books Ltd. 2013.
A summary of the results condensed to short interpretations of the scenes in combination with
the complete reproduction of the line-drawings of the narrative paintings is published in India:
Guide to the Ajanta-Paintings, 1: Dieter SCHLINGLOFF: Narrative Wall-Paintings, V pp., 58 Plates,
New Delhi, Munshiram Manoharlal, 1999.
A continuation volume of each of these publications is containing the interpretation of the
devotional and ornamental paintings by Monika ZIN.
The picture analyses presented in the Handbook are meant to provide a basis for further
studies on the paintings, the themes of which could be the following:
-

Comparison of the forms of depiction in Ajanta with the remains of paintings of the
same period found at other sites; the question of regional styles;
The forms of depiction in the paintings in their relationship to the representation of the
same themes in relief art of the same period;
Typological comparison of the pictorial presentation of narrative topics in the Ajanta
paintings with narrative depictions in other cultures;
Possible outside influences on the design of the Ajanta paintings; the consequences for
historical research;
The influence of Ajanta on Buddhist paintings in Central, East and Southeast Asia; ethnic
influences in the conditions of regional style development;
Comparison of the pictorial expressions in Ajanta with the literary cliches of poetry; the
possibilities and limits of mutual influence;
The paintings as independent sources for the development of legends alongside the
literary tradition of the legends;
The significance of the paintings for the comprehension of monks' religion and lay piety in
Buddhism;
The paintings as pictorial sources of material culture in ancient India in comparison to liter
ary sources and excavation finds;

- The paintings with respect to the hints on pictures and pictorial art which are to be
found scattered throughout literature.
This by no means exhaustive list of possible topics is meant to demonstrate that the Handbook
is certainly not the conclusion of the research on the paintings of Ajanta, but instead - just like
the annotated critical edition of a literary text-it should provide a basis for any further work on
this topic.
The research on the paintings - first the discernment of lines, forms and figures, then the
identification of pictorial compositions and individual scenes, and, finally, the comprehension of
the contents depicted in their various contexts - was accompanied by the tracing of the
outlines. The work of the copier and that of the interpreter had to go hand-in-hand; often the
contents could only be discerned when such lines as were still visible had been drawn; just as
often the lines could only be drawn correctly after the figures and contents had been
recognised.
These line-drawings, represented in reduced size in the Handbook and the Guide, contain all
the fragments of narrative paintings. Without these drawings, the publication of these books
would not have been possible in the present form. Nevertheless, anyone looking through these
volumes will sense that tracing outlines is by no means the best possible method of reproducing
paintings. In contrast to relief art, paintings live through their colour and only a colour reproduction can do justice to the paintings. This is true, not just with respect to the aesthetic aspect but
also with respect to the scientific meaning. It is only in the case of better preserved pictures
that the outlines on their own are enough to make the contents depicted intelligible; in the
case of larger gaps, the lines will often remain incomprehensible for the outsider:

Only a person who is most familiar with the design is capable of discerning the figures portrayed
in such incomplete outlines and can thus penetrate to the pictorial contents. Thus, the
simplest method to facilitate easier comprehension of the pictures would seem at first glance
to be to complete all the missing parts of figures as broken lines:

This method, however, is restricted by the fact that in the original paintings the figures are
only rarely shown in full, but instead are usually overlapped by other figures. Therefore, the
completion of figures by means of broken lines can only be carried out with extreme caution,
even in cases where the figures themselves can be reconstructed with certainty. Thus, the problem of recognising fragmentary figures can hardly be solved satisfactorily by means of broken line.
A reproduction in the original colours on the other hand would allow any beholder to understand
the meaning of the portrayals immediately. Thus, in the examples given above, the dark blue
colour of the elephants and the brown colour of the horses allows one to recognise the figures at
once, even though their forms are not fully preserved.
The value of colour reproductions results also from the fact, that a number of pictorial
expressions are conveyed solely by means of the colours. The investigation of colours leads to
questions which could not even arise in the case of line drawings: What is the significance for the
history of religion when, for example, one of the Bodhisatva figures flanking the entrances to a cave
is coloured dark green like the Yaksas or Rksasas? Does the choice of colour for the Buddha's
body have a symbolic or meditative meaning, as is expressed, e.g., in the Buddhist Yoga Treatise,
where the Buddhas appearing before the eyes of the visionary make the regions of the world light
up in various different colours: sapphire-blue through their usnsas, white like the moon through
their rns, golden through their limbs and ruby-red through their nails? What shade of colour had
the monks' robes in Ajanta, which according to the old monastic rules should be ksya, a colour
designation which today is understood to be a bright yellow in southern Buddhist countries, earthbrown in the north? The fact that recognising flowers and tree blossoms depends not only on
their shape but also very much on their colour, is as obvious as the fact that the species of certain
animals can be ascertained by the colour of their fur. Whereas in the Rksa legend, for example, in
Central Asia a brown bear is always depicted, the black fur and the white snout portrayed in
the Ajanta painting point to an Indian sloth bear (No. 23/XVII,22,4). Skin colour can be
significant even for humans' appearance. We know from literature that in ancient India dark skin
was considered beautiful - one needs only to think of the famous description of the Yaks in
Klidsa's Meghadta (79): tanv s y a m sikhara-dasan pakva-bimbdharausthi ... In keeping
with this, not only the Yakss in the mythical mountain landscapes, but also the wives of the
Bodhisatva kings guarding the doors are painted as having dark skin; the clear differences in skin
colour to the paler skin of the queens' ladies-in-waiting proves that this is no accident. The fact
that skin colour can even contribute to the ascertainment of the contents of a narrative depiction is
demonstrated by the painting of the story of Klodyin, "Black" Udyin, in the verandah of Cave
XVII (No. 69/XVII,20,5), where the protagonist's black skin is a clue for identification, even if not
the most important one.