Copy of painting in the caves of Ajanta by John Griffiths and students of the Bombay School of Art.

On the right hand side there is a court scene in which the much damaged figure of a raja is seen listening to a figure in the foreground. The raja’s head is no longer visible but his body is adorned with jewellery and is leaning against a blue striped pillow.

In the foreground in the bottom right hand corner a snake charmer has lifted the lid from a basked out of which a snake is seen rising. In between the snake charmer and the raja are a group of people, the raja is in a stance which suggests that he is listening to the man and woman in front of him as are the other people in the group. There are four further figure standing behind the raja.

On the left hand side of the painting is a palace setting with a raja seated inside and four female figures around him.

IS.6-1885 links to the right hand side of this painting and illustrates the beginning of the narrative. The left hand side of this painting joins to IS.11-1885 – but not linked through narrative.

Historical significance: The paintings inside these caves tell stories from the lives of the Buddha. This painting depicts scenes from the Champaka Jataka.

Narrative:
This story involves the pious Naga king, Campaka who has been captured by a snake charmer and is being exhibited to the royal court. The images shows the wife of the Naga king entering the royal court with her child . The king asks the snake charmer to release the Naga king. In the next scene to left, the king is contemplating whether he should accept an invitation by the Naga king to his underground palace.

He does accept the invite and he is shown seated with the Naga King and his retinue in his palace. The Naga king talks to him about the value of reincarnation as a human being.
(This scene is not depicted in this painting but comes immediately below it in the cave).

Thebeginning of this narrative which shows the king instructing his household on asceticism is illustrated in painting IS.6-1885.

The cave paintings of Ajanta are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They depict scenes from the lives of the Buddha and date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480. The cave complex was discovered in 1819 and since then attempts have been made to document the paintings inside them. In 1844 Major Robert Gill was commissioned to make copies. Unfortunately most of the paintings he completed were destroyed in a fire in 1866. To make up for this loss, from 1872, John Griffiths from the Bombay school of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter for the following 13 years at the caves producing approximately 300 paintings, of which this is one.

Painted by John Griffiths and students from the Bombay School of Art

This is a copy of a painting in cave 1 at Ajanta. These paintings date from the 1st century BC to about AD 480 and are the oldest surviving examples of painting in India. They depict stories from the lives of the Buddha (the Jatakas). The scenes here are from the Champaka Jataka.

The Ajanta cave complex was discovered in 1819 and since then attempts have been made to document the paintings inside them. In 1844 Major Robert Gill was commissioned to make copies. Unfortunately most of the paintings he completed were destroyed in a fire in 1866. To replace them, from 1872 to 1885 John Griffiths from the Bombay School of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter at the caves producing approximately 300 paintings. This is one of them.

IS.10-1885