Image title: Plate 28: Yudhishthira’s coronation

[Full title: Yudhishthira’s coronation, Nayaka, Madras Museum, 17th century]

The Nāyakas of Vellore, the Wodeyars of Mysore and the viceroys from Penukoṇḍa, Śrīraṅgam and Chandragiri also fostered art. The patron of the famous scholar-philosopher-polymath, Appayya Dīkṣita, Chinnabomma Nāyaka and his son Liṅgama Nāyaka, have given the world such famous monuments as the exquisitely carved Jalakaṇṭheśvara temple at Vellore and the Mārgasahāyeśvara temple at Virinchipuram [Viriñcipura].

The paintings from the temple at Tāḍpatri, the later murals from Kāñcīpuram [Kanchipuram] area, the miniature paintings from the Āndhra and Tamil districts, like the Coronation of Yudhiṣṭhira and the Yamapaṭa scene from Cuddapah [Kadapa], and the long series of Rāmāyaṇa episodes, with explanatory labels, as is usual in such paintings, both in murals and miniatures, are all typical examples of this phase.

Gallery information:

This plate is contained in the book “Vijayanagara Paintings”, a valuable aid to the understanding of Indian iconography (also known as śilpaśāstra). The Vijayanagara empire was established in 1335 by Harihara, Harihara, Kaṃpa and Bukka (sons of Saṅgama) and grew to be a dominant power in the South. Painting has been considered in the Citrasūtra of the Viṣṇudharmottara, the early standard text on painting, as the premier art.