Story of Indian Art

The Story of Indian Art by S. K. Bhattacharya, first published in 1966 by Atma Ram & Sons, is a broad historical survey of Indian art intended primarily as an introductory guide for students and general readers. In his preface, Bhattacharya explains that the book grew out of his teaching of Indian art history and was designed to provide a continuous overview of the subject rather than a narrowly specialized study. He presents the work as a guide to the general history of Indian art from its earliest beginnings into the modern period. The volume begins with the social roots of art and the prehistoric background before turning to the Indus Valley Civilization and the development of Indian religious traditions. It then follows the major historical phases of Indian art through Buddhist art, Sāñcī, Bodhgayā, Gandhāra, Mathurā, the Kuṣāṇa period, the Gupta age, the Deccan, South India, and the Pāla period. The later chapters extend the survey to Amarāvatī, Kārli, Elephanta, Bhaja, Ajantā, manuscript painting, Rajput and Mughal miniature traditions, folk art, and the rise of modern Indian art. Buddhist art occupies an important place in the book. Bhattacharya discusses the development of early Buddhist symbolism, the stupas of Bharhut and Sāñcī, the sacred site of Bodhgayā, the emergence of anthropomorphic Buddha images, and the distinctive artistic traditions of Gandhāra and Mathurā. His treatment of Gandhāran art pays particular attention to the interaction between Indian religious ideas and Hellenistic-Roman artistic forms, while the Gupta chapters emphasize the refinement and idealization of the human form that came to characterize classical Indian sculpture. The book is also richly illustrated, with more than a hundred examples ranging from prehistoric and Indus material to Buddhist sculpture, Hindu temples, miniature painting, and modern Indian artists. As a result, The Story of Indian Art serves as a useful introductory reference for readers interested in Indian art history, Buddhist and Hindu visual culture, architecture, sculpture, painting, iconography, and the historical development of artistic styles in South Asia.