The Manuscript Painting Tradition in India

Source Text: The third Khanda of the $5th$ century text Vishnudharmottara Purana contains the Chitrasutra, a foundational source for Indian painting.
Pratima Lakshana: Canons for image making covering techniques, tools, perspective, and three-dimensionality.
The Six Limbs of Painting: * Roopbheda: Looks and appearance. * Pramana: Measurements, proportion, and structure. * Bhava: Expressions. * Lavanya Yojana: Aesthetic composition. * Sadrishya: Resemblance. * Varnikabhanga: Use of brush and colors.

Miniature Paintings: Hand-held, small-scale works viewed closely due to their minutiae; never intended for wall display.
Manuscript Illustrations: Pictorial translations of verses from epics (Ramayana, Mahabharata) or religious texts (Bhagavata Purana, Gita Govinda).
Structure: Created in thematic sets of loose folios wrapped in cloth; text is usually inscribed in a demarcated box at the top or on the reverse.
Colophon Page: The most vital folio, providing names of patrons, artists, scribes, dates, and locations of commission.
Dissemination: Portable artworks traveled via pilgrims, monks, traders, and as dowry gifts, leading to style cross-pollination (e.g., Mewar paintings found with Bundi kings).

Geography: Centered in Gujarat, southern Rajasthan, and western Central India.
Patronage: Wealthy merchant classes, particularly the Jain community.
Shaastradaan: The tradition of donating illustrated books to monastery libraries called bhandars.
Key Jain Texts: * Kalpasutra: Biographical narratives of the $24$ Tirthankaras. * Kalakacharyakatha: The adventures of Acharya Kalaka rescuing his sister. * Sangrahini Sutra: A $12th$ century cosmological text. * Uttaradhyana Sutra: Code of conduct for monks.
Evolution of Style: * Shifted from palm leaf to paper in the $14th$ century. * Features include bright colors, wiry lines, "further eye" to suggest three-dimensionality, and the use of gold and lapis lazuli. * Creative peak occurred between $1350$ and $1450$ .

Indigenous Style: Pre-Mughal/Pre-Rajasthani phase portraying Hindu and Jain subjects like Chaurpanchashika and Gita Govinda. Features "ballooned" odhnis and specific hatchings for water.
Sultanate School of Painting: Hybrid style combining Persian, Turkic, and Afghan influences with indigenous traditions in centers like Malwa, Jaunpur, and Patan.
Nimatnama: The "Book of Delicacies," a recipe book painted at Mandu during the reign of Nasir Shah Khalji ( $1500$ – $1510$ CE).

Context: Flourished in eastern India (monasteries of Nalanda and Vikramsila) between $750$ CE and the mid- $12th$ century.
Themes: Vajrayana Buddhist deities painted on palm leaves.
Stylistic Features: Sinuous, flowing lines and subdued color tones, similar to the sculptural styles of Ajanta.
Primary Work: Astasahasrika Prajnaparamita (Perfection of Wisdom) in $8000$ lines, painted during the reign of King Ramapala.
Decline: The tradition ended in the first half of the $13th$ century following destruction by invaders.

Question: What are manuscript paintings? Name two places, where the tradition of manuscript painting was prevalent?
Prompt/Response: The text asks the student to take a chapter from a language textbook and create an illustrated folio with selected text consisting of at least $5$ pages.