Vishnudharmottara Purana
Also called: Chitrasutra · Topic: Early Indian Art and Architecture: Stupas, Rock-cut Caves, Temples · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Vishnudharmottara Purana is a Sanskrit text, probably compiled c. 6th–7th century CE (scholars differ on the date). One of its sections, the Chitrasutra, is the oldest known Indian treatise on painting. It explains how to show figures, proportions, moods and shading. It also covers sculpture and iconography, the rules for how gods should look and what they should hold. It helps us understand the ideas behind classical Indian art.
Example
The Chitrasutra teaches shading to make figures look solid and three-dimensional. This is the same skill seen in the Ajanta murals, which were painted with Gupta-Vakataka support.
Related concepts
- Gupta art
- Sarnath school of art
- Mudras
- Abhaya mudra
- Bhumisparsha mudra
- Dharmachakra mudra
- Dhyana mudra
- Varada mudra
- Vitarka mudra
- Anjali mudra