Frozen Frames in Frescoes of Jainism

Waheeda Bi khan

Frozen Frames in Frescoes of Jainism

How true was John Keats when he graced this world with his eternal words: "Sylvan historian, who canst thus express / A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme..." Time never stops, but there are monuments and works of art found across our Indian sub-continent that have defied the erasure in the sands of time. They have frozen time in exquisite and indescribable pieces of historical legacy. The frescoes of Sittanavasal Rock-cut caves in Pudukottai are one such adornment that has etched the memoirs of Jainism for us to cherish and preserve.

Sitanavassal Cave Entrance; Source: Prepp By Collegedunia

Long, long ago, in the spiced lands of the Indian peninsula, the mighty Jain King Mahendravarma of the early medieval Pallava kingdom showcased his reverence and piety towards his faith by excavating natural rocks into rock-cut monasteries. These caves served as resting places for travelling eastern monks and were adorned with carved stones and devotional murals, symbolising their lives of penance and asceticism.

Among the remarkable rock-cut caves, akin to the Ajanta caves that have captivated people with their artistic masterpieces, are the caves nestled on the hill of Sittanavasal village in Tamil Nadu, situated on the banks of the Cauvery river. Although King Mahendravarma later converted to Hinduism, his tribute to the monks and their Tirthankaras is immortalised in the paintings created using the fresco-secco technique, which involves painting on dry walls, unlike the European fresco-buono technique used on wet walls.

Unfortunately, with the decline of the Pallava dynasty, the Arival koil (cave temple/monastery) fell into disuse and suffered a period of neglect until a benevolent Pandyan king restored the caves to their original 3rd-century glory.

Remnant of a Floral Carpet Design Mural; Source: Indian Heritage

Despite the presence of 9th-century Tamil inscriptions found on one of the pillars of the verandah, crediting Ilan-Gautaman, an acharya from Madurai, as the renovator of the Sittanavasal caves, there is still some uncertainty. Historians believe that the renovator was the Pandya King Srimaran-srivallabhan (815-862 AD), also known in other texts as Avanipasekhara.

Due to his deep respect for ancestral culture, the Pandyan king not only reconstructed the collapsed garbhagriha and artha mandapam but also added the mukha mandapa. He took great care to preserve the frescoes without compromising their originality. This is evident from a patch of old conventional paintings in a carpet design that was overlaid with another layer of murals, which now covers the entire cave.

Unfortunately, acts of vandalism by socially irresponsible individuals have deprived us of the wealth of tales that these caves once carried, as they were originally adorned with frescoes on the entire plastered walls, painted with long-lasting mineral colours. Today, we can only admire the murals on the ceiling of the mandapa.

In the 20th century, a British administrator recognised the significance of the caves and urged the Maharaja of Pudukottai at that time to renovate the collapsed mukha mandapa. As a result, a pillared verandah was added at the entrance of the cave, and the original plinth was placed on the pillar, indicating the presence of an earlier mukha mandapa.

The frescoes themselves depict the grandeur of Indian classicism rooted in our culture through marvellous storytelling paintings. The Sittanavasal paintings illustrate the Jain concept of Samavasarana and the subject of khatika bhumi, which represents the region of the tank.

Jainism is a spiritual journey to liberate one's soul from the bondage of karma, and those who attain moksha become Tirthankaras after several births of penance. Jainism reveres twenty-four Tirthankaras or prophets, along with twelve Chakravartis or emperors, twenty-seven acharyas or heroes, and sixty-four Salaka purusha or great souls. Once a Jain becomes a Tirthankara, they must deliver a divine discourse at the Samavasarana or heavenly pavilion. The bhavyas, who are entitled to attend this divine discourse, must pass through seven regions or bhumis, with khatika bhumi being the second one.

The mural on the ceiling of Sittanavasal depicts the blissful tank region, teeming with birds, animals such as bulls or elephants, fishes, and people frolicking in its waters. Three bhavyas, wearing only loincloths, carry lotuses or bunches of lotuses in one hand and make a deer-mudra with the other. The remaining frescoes on the beam and canopy of the pillars also display beautiful paintings of reclining individuals, capturing the beholder's attention with their natural charm and intricate facial details.

It is disheartening to realise that only fragments of this treasure remain, still managing to enthral viewers with their depictions and techniques. This serves as a stark reminder of the profound loss incurred to the treasury of our heritage due to the lack of aesthetic appreciation by those responsible.

Within the archives of Indian archaeology and the myriad art forms, rock-cut caves constitute a part of the eternal wealth inherited from our ancestors. The local saying about these sibling caves states, "Ajanta is Buddhist, Sittannavasal is Jain, Thanjavur is Hindu." The cultural harmony transcending these words continues to make our land the world's largest democracy.

The age of Jainism, still resonating within these caves through their fading paintings, evokes a nostalgic thought that art has the power to immortalise the artists, but sometimes even art itself must fade with the passage of time and suffer the neglect of subsequent generations. The erasure of the frescoes on the sacred walls of the monastery caves, as seen in Pudukottai, leaves us bereft of the Sylvan historians who carried the heirloom of cultural threads, never to weave their silk again.

True to its name as the "home of the superior saints," Sittanavasal bears witness to the golden age of Jainism and its prominence in the southern peninsula. It offers a compelling destination for admirers of Indian heritage, with its deep ancestral legacy.

In addition to the cave temple dedicated to the sculpted Tirthankaras and Acharyas in the niches of the Artha mandapam, Sittanavasal boasts a lineage that can be traced through prehistoric megalithic cairn circles and stone beds, which served the Bhikshuk lifestyle at the top of the hill. Inscriptions even mention the names of some monks who rested on these ascetic beds, such as Tirunillan, Tiruppuranan, Tolakan Rattu Kadavulan, and others.

The underwater Shiva temple, known as Naaval Chunai, emerged in recent years when the water level receded, adding to the sacredness of this land.

Collage created in Canva — Frescoes and their Sketches, Top Samavasarana, Bottom One of the Bhavya with a bunch of Lotuses and a Lily in another hand; Source: Indian Heritage.