Mural Paintings of Ajanta - Prof. Benoy K. Behl - Art Historian
This Video is presentation of Ajanta Murals. Class one of five by Prof. Benoy K. Behl for Hindu Temple of Minnesota audience, Professor Benoy K Behl is an award-winning Art Historian, Photographer, Filmmaker, Author, Buddhist Scholar and World Traveler. Over the past 46 years, Mr. Behl has taken over 53,000 photographs of Asian monuments and art heritage, and made 145 documentaries which are regularly screened at major cultural institutions worldwide. His photographic exhibitions have been warmly received in 74 countries around the world. These have been inaugurated by ministers of the governments from various countries, ambassadors, archbishops and other dignitaries. He holds the Limca Book Record for being the most traveled photographer and art historian. Mr. Behl is most well known for photographing the scarcely-seen Buddhist painting of Ajanta for the first time, in their true color and detail. His books, The Ajanta Caves and The Art of India: Sculpture and Mural Paintings in two volumes, are some of the most widely read books in Indian Art History in the world. His films, including 26 documentaries on ‘The Paintings of India’, 26 documentaries on ‘The Sculpture of India’ and 26 documentaries on ‘Spectacular India’ have been nationally telecast on prime time in India, as well as repeat telecasts. These have also been screened at scores of universities and museums in several countries around the world. In January, 2008, National Geographic magazine carried an 18-page story about ancient Indian art revealed through Behl’s photography to the world. He is the first Indian whose work was featured in National Geographic magazine. Furthermore, BBC World News carried 3 major stories about Behl’s pioneering work in India and Vietnam. As we embark on this five-week course, Mr. Behl will take us on a remarkable journey that explores mural painting, the birth of deities and the expansion of Indian art and appreciation over the course of ancient and medieval times. Mr. Behl has selected specific films for this course from his series of 52 documentary films on Indian paintings, sculpture and the development of Buddhism. Early Indian art embodies deep philosophical concepts and a deeply ethical vision of life. As members of the Indian community, it is both an enriching and important experience for us all to learn of our great heritage.
