Thursday, November 16, 2017

Thirunanthikarai Cave Temple – Murals & Paintings

Thirunanthikarai Cave Temple – Murals & Paintings
The murals & Paintings of Thirunanthikarai Cave Temple (now ceded to Tamilnadu) and Tiruvanchikulam are considered the oldest relics of Kerala’s own style of murals. In the 9th - 10th c. AD cave was decorated with paintings. Hindu painters first sketched outlines and then colored powders were sprinkled. Now only hazy outlines of once beautiful frescoes remain. Drawings are considered to represent perfect early example of typical Kerala (earlier this cave was located in Kerala) style which later has been applied in numerous temples and palaces. At the same time drawings resemble the famous drawings in Sittanavasal Cave. Technique of drawing resembles Buddhist tradition.

The hall of the cave is conjectured to have had richly decorated paintings. The frescoes show scenes from the epic stories Ramayana and Mahabharata. The frescoes or murals in this cave are reported to be the oldest antiquaries of Kerala style of murals. Natural pigments and vegetable colours were used in the earlier traditional style of mural art form which is the Fresco-secco style unlike the Buon Fresco technique. This art is being revived by a new generation of artists who are involved in researching and teaching mural art at the Sree Sankara Sanskrit College in Kalady and also at a school supported by the Guruvayoor Temple