Mural painting

Published on 12 Oct 2025

Mural paintings have been an integral part of Indian art and culture for centuries, adorning the walls of temples, palaces, caves and public spaces. Some features of mural paintings found in India are

Religious themes: Mural paintings often depict religious and mythological themes like scenes from Mahabharata, Ramayana or themes related to Buddha.

Example: The Ajanta cave paintings are renowned for the Buddhist murals.

Iconography: Paintings use motifs and symbols where each deity, character, or element in the painting carries symbolic significance, representing specific virtues, qualities, or cosmic forces.

Example: Symbols like lotus indicate purity, and peacock indicates divine beauty.

Vibrant colours: Mural paintings exhibit a vibrant colour palette, featuring bold and vivid hues that were largely derived from natural sources like minerals.

Example: The frescoes of the Shekhawati region in Rajasthan display rich colours, with intense blues, deep reds, vibrant yellows, and lush greens.

Technique: Murals use various painting techniques like tempera, fresco, fresco secco etc. which determine the quality of the paintings.

Example: Use of fresco technique in Lepakshi temple, Andhra Pradesh.

Narrative style: The paintings often follow a narrative style with a sequential arrangement of scenes that tell a story, thus creating a visual storytelling experience.

Example: Sequential storytelling can be witnessed in the paintings of Mattancherry Palace, Kerala

Evolution of Mural paintings under various empires

Mural paintings in India have evolved over time under the influence of various empires with each one contributing to the development of unique styles, themes and techniques in mural art.

Early Mural tradition

Mauryan: The early paintings of the period were more social than religious with animals and human figures dominating the paintings. Later there was a shift towards Buddhist themes which conveyed ethical messages to the people

Example: Jogimara cave paintings

Gupta period: This period witnessed rapid progress in the development of mural paintings which was also mostly centered around Buddhism. The fresco style of painting, emphasis on ornamentation, and centrality of images were some notable features.

Example: The paintings of Buddha and Bodhisattvas in the Ajanta caves

Later Mural tradition

Chalukya: The paintings at Badami are one of the earliest Brahminical paintings with Mangalesha being the major patron. These paintings were more sensitive in texture and expression when compared to the paintings at Ajanta and Bagh.

Example: Cave number 4 of the Badami caves shows an image of Vishnu

Pallava: The mural paintings of Pallavas were characterized by characters having rounded faces with wide and fully open eyes.

Example: Paintings at Kanchipuram temple which were patronized by Rajasimha.

Pandya: The paintings of the period have more allegiance to Hinduism and Jainism with an important facial feature being the slightly elongated eyes that protruded off the face

Example: Mural paintings in Sittanavasal caves which used fresco secco technique.

Chola: The themes were mainly associated with Shaivism with features like wide open eyes and stillness of the body marking the paintings of the period.

Example: The paintings at Brihadeeswarar temple, Tanjore

Vijayanagara: The painters of the period evolved a pictorial language with faces shown in profiles and figures being shown two-dimensionally.

Example: The paintings based on Mahabharata in Virupaksha temple, Hampi

Nayaka: These are an extension of Vijayanagara paintings with figures being profiled. Male figures are shown slim-waisted but with less heavy abdomen as those in Vijayanagara.

Example: Thiruparakundram paintings depicting the life of Vardhamana Mahavira.

Hence the mural paintings were popular across the country with almost all major empires contributing to the development of the artwork, the analysis of which could shed light on the artistic tradition of each empire.