Logo

Chitramantapa Unlike the manuscript painting tradition in medieval India, the Indian wall painting tradition, except for the celebrated murals of Ajanta and a few more chosen sites, has not been extensively studied by the art historians. India has an uninterrupted tradition of mural painting that goes back to Ajanta and continues till the colonial period. The regional schools of mural tradition are as enthusing as the schools of manuscript painting. Unfortunately, many of these schools have yet to catch the attention of scholars. Prof. Raghavendra Rao Kulkarni's 'Chitramantapa' fills up the lacunae to an extent. Apparently, it is a monograph on a nondescript tiny mural  gallery perhaps unfamiliar even to the regular visitors, on the terrace of Sri Prasanna Venkataramanaswamy temple, a modest shrine not far away from the Mysore palace and the better-known Sri Shveta Varaha and Sri Prasanna Krishna temples. It was th built in the second quarter of 19
century by a Madhwa saint, Sri Subbarayadasa who enjoyed the privileged patronage of the Wadeyar court. This small gallery is studded with paintings rendering  Subbarayadasa's kshetra darshana – his pilgrimage to the holy places all over India , scenes from Srimadbhagwat, Krishna Lila, Dashavatara and also portraits of holy men as well as the Wadeyar rulers. Kulkarni has examined them from various perspectives and has presented this comprehensive compendium to the art lovers.