Some Wall‑Paintings from Kelaniya

Summary

The wall-paintings from Kelaniya's Viharas preserve early Indian art traditions up to the 19th century, featuring Buddhist narratives and decorative motifs. The Jataka tales, such as the *Sama-jataka* (depicting a blind ascetic's miraculous survival), *Mahakaya-jataka* (Indra's Dharma proclamation via a hound), and *Vessantara-jataka* (the Bodhisattva's generosity), are arranged in horizontal bands along the walls. Scenes from Buddha's life, including his enlightenment and the Earth goddess's testimony, are also illustrated. The paintings blend myth and history, with figures dressed in contemporary Ceylonese or English attire, reflecting local and colonial influences. The artistic style retains Sunga-period influences, seen in Barhut reliefs and Jogimara cave paintings, with intricate floral patterns, lotus rosettes, and *picce mala* (scattered rotating circles). Ceylonese innovations include the *nart lata bhela* (flower merging into a female figure) and the "life-tree" motif with birds and deer. The technique involves tempera on plaster, with black outlines, white infill, crimson background touches, and yellow highlights. The paintings juxtapose myth and history, confirmed by rhythmic designs and color schemes. Colossal *Dvarapalas* (guardian figures) and Nagas with floral offerings flank doorways, while zodiac signs and directional deities adorn ceiling panels. The work exemplifies a fusion of Indian and local traditions, with persistent surface-filling patterns and ornamental devices like festoons and leafy creepers.