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

On the left hand side of the painting is a palace setting with a raja and rani and a group of attendants seated within. The palace architecture is more structured and more elaborate than in other Ajanta paintings. The raja and rani and attendants are jewelled and dressed in fine clothes.

To the right of the palace is a gateway, departing through the gateway is the raja on horseback surrounded by his retinue. To the right of this scene are two boats on the sea. The first boat is seen in its entirety and has a raja with a group of people seated under a covering in the middle. Only part of the second boat is visible and it is at the top right hand corner of the painting.

On the far left and to the centre of the painting are two black outlines of the doorways inside the actual cave leading to the monk’s cell. A scene beneath the two boats and to the right hand side of the centre doorway shows a man with a blindfold around his eyes talking to the king, with attendants in the background. The other scene of note is what looks like a procession below the main palace scene.

This painting are preceded by the painting IS.53-1885 but is not linked to it in narrative.

Commissioned by the Government of India between 1872-1885 and deposited in the India Museum, London.

Historical significance: The paintings inside the Ajanta caves tell stories fromthe lives of the Buddha. This painting depicts the Kalyanakarin jataka.

Narrative.
A prince called Kalyanakarin which means ‘doing good’ has given all his wealth away to the poor. In order to find new treasures he goes on a voyage with his brother, Papakarin which means ‘Doing Evil’. Scene depicted in middle of painting above monk’s doorway.

They find some treasure on an island and load them onto the ship. But the ship is overloaded with treasures and begins to sink. Kalyanakarin pulls his brother out of the sea (Scene in top right hand corner, only partially visible). They divide the gems that have been rescued from the shipwreck between them.

Papakarin advises Kalyanakarin to rest himself after this ordeal. But as he sleeps Papakarin gouges out his brothers eyes so that he can keep all the treasure for himself.

The blind prince roams the city as a street musician. A princess out with her friends catches sight of him and falls in love with him.

The blind beggar is presented to the king, (depicted in the bottom right hand corner of the painting). The king grants permission for them to marry.

The Prince miraculously regains his sight as a result of a spell of truth. In the top left hand corner is a scene which shows the princess telling her father and the people gathered in the court about this miracle. The king visits Kalyanakarin to see the miracle for himself.

Kalyanakarin reveals his true identity and after being endowed with riches by the King, he leaves the palace and returns to his own father’s kingdom. Scene depicted in centre. Just below this is a scene which shows the princess being carried out of her palace on a palanquin in order to follow her husband.

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. Of the 30 or so paintings he completed most were displayed at the Crystal Palace in Sydenham. Unfortunately those that were displayed were destroyed in a fire there in 1866. To make up for this loss, from 1872 John Griffiths, the principle of the Bombay school of Art and seven Indian students spent 13 years producing approximately 300 paintings, of which this is one.

John Griffiths and students from the Bombay School of Art. Note by James Burgess that Gills painting IS.53-1885 only extended to the edge of third cell door and that 'as the rest is still pretty entire, it is hoped it will be copied soon.' This gives us a dating for IS.31-1885 which follows on from IS.53-1885, in that it will have been painted near or after 1879 after Burgess published his book.

This is a copy of a painting in cave 1 at Ajanta. These cave 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). This one depicts a scene from the Kalyanakarin Jataka.

The cave complex was discovered in 1819 and attempts were 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 to 1885 John Griffiths from the Bombay School of Art and seven Indian students spent every winter at the caves. This is one of the approximately 300 paintings they produced.

IS.31-1885