Indian Knowledge Systems and the Indigenous Art of Jammu Wall Paintings: Epistemic Repositories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata

Abstract

This study presents an exhaustive Indological and art-historical investigation into the nineteenth-century wall paintings and temple frescoes of the Jammu region, historically designated as Duggar Desh.[1, 2] Situated within the broader paradigm of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), these visual assets represent far more than decorative vernacular architecture.[1] They function as critical, non-textual repositories of classical Sanskrit epic literature, specifically the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, translating highly complex metaphysical, ethical, and cosmological treatises into a public-facing visual medium.[3, 4]

By examining the historical transition of classical Pahari and miniature painting schools to the monumental wall spaces of Jammu, this paper explores how regional master artists localized the transcendent concepts of Dharma, Karma, and Moksha.[5, 6] The report traces the sacred geography of Jammu’s temple networks, focusing on the Vaishnava shrines of Sui Simbli and Burj in the Marh block, the central Raghunath Temple of Jammu city, the Shaivite pilgrimage center of Purmandal, and the secular-divine spaces of the Ramnagar Palace.[5, 7, 8, 9]

Through an analysis of classical aesthetic theories, particularly the J&K’s Shaivite formulations of Rasa by Abhinavagupta, the study demonstrates how the visual triggers of the murals activate distilled emotional states in the viewer (rasika).[1] It investigates the geometric organization of narrative space, illustrating how compositions mirror the sacred grids of the Vastu-Purusha Mandala.[1]

Additionally, this paper examines the physical creation of these works, detailing the chemistry of natural mineral pigments—such as hurmachi, singharfi, and peorhi—and the chemical-mechanical bonding of the true fresco (buon fresco) method unique to the western Himalayas.[5]

Finally, the research article addresses the socio-political dimensions of Dogra patronage under Maharajas Gulab Singh and Ranbir Singh.[11] It reveals how the integration of Indian epic Literatures with religious syncretic traditional motifs in Jammu served to practically implement sarva dharma sambhava over a diverse, multi-religious population almost a century before Gandhi conceptualised it.

Ultimately, this research underscores the vulnerability of these living monuments to environmental and human threats, advocating for a postcolonial conservation framework that treats indigenous art as an active, living component of regional identity and intellectual history. [3, 6, 12]