Chaurapanchasika

Introduction:
The term Chaurapanchasika is generally used to a particular
style of painting, which emerged in the 15th and 16th century.
The dynamic brushwork and the vigorous symbolism of this
idiom found widespread expression, with subtle regional
variations in the 16th century.
Continuation of the style of Jain miniature painting but the
'protruding further eye‘ profile figures is discontinued
It was centered mainly in the Delhi- Jaunpur belt but possibly
extented to other regions, viz. Rajasthan, Malwa and the
Punjab hills.
It is to be noted here that there was also a late 11 or early 12
century poem named as Churapanchasika by the Kashmir
poet Bilhana.
 Chaurapanchasika means Fifty stanzas of the Thief
Also known as Bilhana Panchasika and Sasikalapanchasika.
It was a favorite theme of Rajput painters.
It deals with a thief's nostalgic reminiscences of his secret
love for a princess whom he is eventually allowed to marry
The basic story line:
Three recessions of Chaurapanchasika (a.k.a Chaurapanchashika
and Chorapanchashika) exist, with the same story but different
names of the heroine viz, Champavati, Shashikala and Vidya.
According to tradition, the love-lyric consisting of fifty verses
(panchashika), is based on the incident of poet Bilhana himself.
The story, perhaps a legend, was that the talented Kashmiri Pandit,
Bilhana himself was appointed a tutor to instruct the princess.
But, according to the southern recession, the father, in order to
safeguard against the possible developments of the young persons of
a poetic and romantic bent of mind, resorted to a naïve subterfuge.
The basic story line:
He told the princess that her tutor was but a terrible leper, and the
Pandit was told that his talented disciple was blind and could not see.
But the ruse was soon discovered by the Pandit and the princess, and
the inevitable happened.
Their illicit love was discovered and the Pandit was sentenced to
death.
When the latter was taken to the gallows amidst thronging crowds of
popular sympathizers, and when he was asked to repent of his
misdeeds, Bilhana had nothing but the fifty verses to recite, detailing
his amours with his beloved, each verse beginning with the refrain, "I
still remember her".
This style contains many elements of the central Indian style which resulted
from the fusion of western lndian Jaina manuscript style with Persian influences.
The colour of the painting remain bold, the features angular and the proportion
seems to be awkward.
The paintings are still in a single plane,
with backgrounds in brilliant primary colours
the page is often compartmented into squares and rectangles but
The figures stand out distinctly from the background.
Champavati the heroine wears a diaphanous odhani (veil
fringed with tassels) over a tight choli and skirt.
Her hair is plated long -and the jewellery is profuse.
The man wears a Kulah (conical cap), a long four- pointed muslin coat,
churidar pyjamas and pointed shoes, and his stance bespeaks sheer vanity.
The same type of cap and coat appear in several other medieval paintings-
but it has not been definitely established whether Mughals set the fashion
or whether they adopted it from a pre-Mughal culture.
The faces are all standardized profiles with prominent
wide-open eyes.
Emotions are conveyed through the movement of limbs
and lively hand gestures.
Gestures remain remarkably sharp, inviting the eye to
travel in given directions. The device of continuous
pictorial narration, the same figure/s appearing freely
within the same frame, remains a constant.
She presents a picture of coquetry advancing with her feet but turning her held away
in coy retreat.
the expressiveness of the Chaurapanchasika style, its elegance and often its
impassioned lyricism, far exceed the achievements of the old western Indian
manner.
This Chaurapanchasika style are adopted in many other
illustrated manuscripts with slight variation in its
usage.
The best example for the above mentioned are,
 Bhagavat Purana Ms. Mewar C. 1500,
 Mirgavat C. 1560 Gita Govinda Ms. C. 1570; Laurchandhya
Ms. C. 1450.

 The same style can also be seen in the earliest Ragamala

series made in Chawand (earlier capital of Mewar in 1605) by
Nasiradi or Nasiruddin.
Manuscript illustration from the Bhagavata Purana, 1525. Museum no. IS.2-1977
Bhagavata Purana Manuscript: Lord Krishna Distributes
Butter to the Monkeys. North India. ca. 1525-50
The Infant Krishna Spirited Away by Vasudev, page from the Dispersed Bhagavatapurana
manuscript. Opaque watercolor on paper, Delhi-Agra region, possibly Mathura, c. 1520-
30
 · Another leaf from dispersed
manuscript of the Bhagvata Puran
of 1520 represents indegenous
Indian tradition as its best
· Single plane broken up by simple
architectural structure and
different coloured backgrounds,
spaces separated with a tree.
· Notice the landscape with
flowering plants
· The bright skyline= silver border of
clouds.
· Swan is the Brahma’s vahana

Brahma Prostrates Himself Before Krishna.Unknown

Artist. Delhi/Agra, ca.1520-1530
 · Representation of animal in
Chaurapanchasika Style
· Theatrical presentation of
war
· The usual use of primary
colours- red, blue, yellow,
black and white
· The style is a extensively
used narrative tradition

Krishna Battles The Armies of the Demon

Naraka.Unknown Artist.Delhi/Agra,
ca.1520-1530
The Gopis Beseech
Krishna to Return Their
Clothing: Page from the
Dispersed "Isarda"
Bhagavata Purana
(Ancient Stories of Lord
Vishnu), ca. 1560–65

• Hieratic scale, Krishna

the biggest, then the
Gopis and
comparatively smaller
plants and animals
Another small group of paintings which exhibit stylistic
similarities with a series of illustrations to a Gujarati
manuscript dated A.D. 1591. The most important from this
point of view are some pictures illustrating the Gita
Govinda (in the N. C. Mehta collection, and described and
illustrated by him in J.I.S.O.A. XIII). They are extremely
simple compositions showing figures practically all in the
same register, almost in silhouette, this effect being
increased by the dark backgrounds. They have a strong
rhythmic movement absent from the Gujarati paintings.
They have a strong rhythmic movement absent from the
Gujarati paintings. In brilliance of colouring and decisive
draughtsmanship nearer to the older Gujarati school of the
fifteenth and early sixteenth century are some illustrations
to the love story Chaura-panchasika of the poet Bilhana.
These show a more skilful hand and a greater range both of
colour and of composition. They have to the full the old
western Indian liking for textile designs and pleasure in
transparent drapery. But they have a dance rhythm
unknown in Gujarat.