Book Review: 10 Indian Art Mysteries That Have Never Been Solved

If you are interested in art, history and sleuthing, Mamta Nainy’s new book 10 Indian Art Mysteries That Have Never Been Solved (2022) is right up your alley. She is a Delhi-based author who likes exploring museums, caves and monuments apart from writing. She has 30 children’s books to her credit, and a few of these are about art – A Brush with Indian Art: From Cave to Contemporary Paintings (2018), Bioscope (2020) and Rainbow Hands (2022). You might have guessed from the title of her latest book that it is divided into 10 chapters. Each begins with a question that sets the tone for the rest of the chapter. Some of these are: What do the riddles of Bhimbetka hide? Who was Bani Thani? Why was the Kailasanatha temple built top to bottom? What did the Buddha look like? Are Pithora paintings actually maps? Why are women artists missing in Mughal art? Who painted the Ajanta caves? The author opens every chapter by stating the time period and location so that readers are mentally prepared to enter the world that she wants to transport them to. What follows reads more like a fascinating story than a history lesson threatening to put people to sleep. While the content itself is serious, she brings in her affable sense of humour to lighten the mood. All the chapters end with art activities, which can be done independently or with someone else. This is good news for parents and teachers who are always looking for engaging activities. In the chapter on prehistoric cave paintings found in Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh, Nainy throws light on the “art supplies” that the painters had access to. She writes, “Prehistoric people only had a few minerals to use: red iron-rich rock (ochre), white chalk and black manganese. From these, they were able to create different powders, ranging from yellow to brown to black. These pigments were then mixed with liquids like water, animal fat, vegetable juices and egg white to form a paste.” The art activity in this chapter encourages readers to make natural colours using leaves, clay, turmeric, lamp soot, indigo, and water. Books written for younger readers often skip the citation of sources. Thankfully, Nainy is diligent with her footnotes, and attribution within the main text. Introducing readers to this practice early in life can serve as a deterrent against plagiarism, and also emphasize that whatever is known about the past is based on sources such as inscriptions, coins, official records, first-hand testimonies, oral histories, manuscripts, paintings, archives, etc. As additional sources come to light, this knowledge can be enriched, updated or challenged. Learning to assess the credibility of sources can train readers to be vigilant about fake news. In the chapter on the Kailasanatha temple at Ellora near Aurangabad, Nainy writes, “Some researchers argue that it is beyond human capacity to make a structure of this scale and engineering. Ancient alien theorists argue that the ancient architects and engineers had help from a much-advanced civilization – some go as far as to say extraterrestrial help – and that’s how this temple was created.” The author discusses many other theories that have been floated as plausible explanations, and eventually concludes, “For now, all these are speculation as no real evidence has been found by the archaeologists to support this claim.” Nainy also cautions readers against taking historical information at face value. In her chapter on women artists under the Mughal rule in India, she points out that a lack of documentation does not mean that women made few contributions. She writes, “History can never be the whole picture – it’s always from the point of view of the person who’s writing it…people who record history might have overlooked (or have skewed views of) certain groups or individuals due to their gender, ethnicity or social standing.” Sahifa Banu, Ruqaiya Banu, and Nadira Banu are the only three women artists from that period mentioned in Nainy’s book. The author celebrates people who have dedicated much time and effort to unlock secrets. In the chapter on miniature painter Manaku of Guler, she describes how art historian Dr. B.N. Goswamy “travelled across the Kangra hills and acquainted himself with the folklore, myths and the language of the region”. The hunger to learn about Manaku took him to Haridwar, Varanasi, Gaya and Kurukshetra. He wanted to look up the bahi khatas or genealogical registers maintained by pandas or priests to keep track of pilgrims. Dr. Goswamy eventually found an 18th century entry in Manaku’s own handwriting in one such register in Haridwar. Nainy adopts a conversational tone and brings in playful contemporary references to keep readers involved in her book. In the chapter on what Shakyamuni Buddha looked like, she writes, “Prince Siddhartha gave up his royal life and travelled around the country on foot to find the answer to the causes of human suffering. And after years of pursuing this quest, training his mind, learning to focus his energies (and not checking WhatsApp or Instagram every two seconds), Siddhartha Gautama formulated an answer to this eternal question.” Duckbill Books has produced a well-researched resource but it is quite surprising that the publisher has not included any photographs or illustrations in a book on art. Does this absence have to do with the cost of printing, copyright issues, or something else? It is hard to tell. Images would have added immensely to the experience of reading this fabulous book. Chintan Girish Modi is a Mumbai-based journalist and book reviewer. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.