The Paintings Of Bagh Caves

Bagh caves refer to the collection of nine rock-cut monuments which are located in the southern part of Vindhyas which is near Bagh, Dhar District of Madhya Pradesh in  India. Around 6 th century they were integrated and known as mural paintings by ancient Indian artists. These are examples of Indian rock-cut construction.

The Paintings Of Bagh Caves

Which Style of Art Has Influenced The Paintings Of Bagh Caves?

In the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, close to Bagh in the Dhar district, are nine rock-cut monuments known as the Bagh Caves. They emerged in the sixth century A.D. These are renowned for having mural paintings by master Indian artisans from antiquity. The name “cave” is misleading because these are specimens of Indian rock-cut architecture rather than actual caves. The influence of Buddhism and art pieces help to create these monuments. Five of the nine caravans have become monks’ monasteries known as ‘viharas,’ which emerged in the 5th and 6th Centuries. Its origins can be traced back to when ancient Indian artisans were thought to have cut these caverns out of granite. 

Style of Art that Influenced The Paintings Of Bagh Caves

The mural paintings at Bagh Cave are well-known. The Varaha of Bagh’s walls and ceilings are covered in magnificent mural paintings. This style of painting was created using the Tempera Technique. In this technique, the area to be painted is covered with a thick mud plaster in a brownish-orange tint, followed by a lime priming coat, and finally, the paints are laid. This approach is for a permanent fast-drying painting medium made of colored pigment and a water-soluble binder to smoothen out the Varaha of Bagh’s walls and ceilings. This painting style is widely seen in the Ajanta caves.

Artwork of  the Caves

A total of nine caves are discovered to date. These are:

• The first cave, known as Griha, contained Shivling and Dwicharan, which served as the residence of the cave’s chief priest.
• The second cave, Pandavonki Gumpha / Gonsai Gumpha, was built only for residential use and featured a statue of Buddha standing on a lotus.
• The third one, Hathikhana, was built for the society’s elite, with two halls, one with a row of cells on each side and the other without a single cell. 
• The fourth cave, Rang Mahal, is the largest in the group. On each hall’s three sides are cells, with a stupa at the far end.  T-shaped terminals were built in this cave to accommodate river Goddesses on either side of the Ganga, and Jamuna at the bottom of the door are jambs.
• The fifth cave was used as a meeting place. The hall is divided into three sections by two rows of pillars.
• A large corridor connects caves 6 and 5 to form the sixth cave. There are five cells in the cave’s hall. Three of these can be found at the back of the hall.
• The seventh, eighth, and ninth caves collapsed over time and are no longer accessible. However, by researching the remaining caves, the state and purpose of these caverns can be deduced.

Features of Bagh Caves

• These all caves are quadrangular-shaped “viharas,”. A small room known as the “chaitya,” or prayer hall is typically placed in the back.
• The most significant of the five caves that still exist is Cave 4, popularly referred to as the Rang Mahal.
• On the walls and ceilings, a thick layer of reddish-brown, gritty, mud plaster was applied.
• The murals at Bagh represent the ‘Golden Age‘ of Indian classical art.
• The walls and ceilings of the Viharas of Bagh were painted with tempera, and fragments of it can still be seen in Caves 3 and 4. 
• The best-preserved cave is Cave 2, also referred to as “Pandava Cave.”
• The nature of these pieces of art is more materialistic than spiritual.

Paintings at Bagh Caves

Varaha of Bagh’s walls and ceilings are covered in murals. Many of these paintings may be found in the Rang Mahal cave. Furthermore, the caverns’ pillars are adorned with bracket capitals portraying various images, usually animals, some with riders and others without. Many murals adorn the walls, including depictions of the Bodhisattva Padmapani, Mushroom, and others. Cave 3 also revealed signs of life through its paintings, and remains can be seen in caves 2, 5, and 7. The paintings from the collapsing caverns have been conserved in Gwalior’s Archaeological Museum and Bagh’s on-site museum. These pieces are more earthy than spiritualistic. These paintings’ qualities can also be found in the Ajanta cave paintings.

Conclusion

According to legends, these caves were excavated by the Buddhist monk Jataka, although some claim they were excavated by Satavahana. These caverns are not natural wonders but rather the work of an Indian rock-cut architect. To prevent the paintings from deteriorating further, ASI initiated a 17-year conservation initiative in 1979-80. It entailed moving the frescoes to a more secure location. The paintings were stripped using two techniques: the Strappo method, which removed only the paint layer, and the De-Stacco method, which removed the paint layer with a portion of the original mud plaster and was conserved as a heritage of Indian paintings in museums.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q 1. Where is Bagh Cave located?

Answer-

The Bagh cave is located in Madhya Pradesh in Dhar district.

Q 2. What is Rang Mahal?

Answer-

Rang Mahal is Cave 4, is one of the most important of five caves and is also known as the Palace of Colors.

Q 3. Who built Bagh Caves?

Answer-

Bagh Caves was built by the Satavahana dynasty in the 5- 7th century CE.