Ajanta - Darkness Conquered by Benoy K Behl

Episode 1 of Podcast
Unveiling Ancient Art
“You have conquered the darkness”: DG, ASI to Behl

Prof. Benoy K Behl had photographed the Ajanta paintings with their true colours and details for the first time in 1991, with his pioneering technique of low-light photography. The then Director General of the Archeological Survey of India Mr. M. C. Joshi wrote to Behl saying “You have conquered the darkness”!

World’s Earliest Buddhist Paintings were Unseen
The earliest Buddhist paintings of the world are of the 2nd century BCE. Shrouded in the darkness of the Ajanta caves, these did not get the attention of the world, despite their very sophisticated quality. They could hardly be seen owing to the darkness and owing to much 20th century graffiti on them. Benoy K Behl has thrown a magical light which shows these paintings for the first time, by photographing them in darkness and by removing the graffiti through painstaking digital restoration.

Importance of the Ajanta Paintings:
My Documentation
In 1930, Laurence Binyon, Director of the British Museum and a leading authority on Asian art, wrote, “In the art of Asia what a supreme and central position Ajanta owns! Whoever studies the art of China and Japan, at whatever time he begins, starts on a long road which will lead him ultimately to Ajanta”.

Early British Response
In the 19th century, the British Government sponsored three major attempts to make reproductions of the Ajanta paintings so that they could be brought before the world.

The British Government gave enormous importance to making the reproductions of the Ajanta paintings, which were considered masterpieces of art: “In a national undertaking of this nature the Secretary of State should make it his special business to see that no pains and no money are spared for the initial outlay. The panels and decorative work alone will render the book indispensable to every important art school in Europe”, Times of India -- April 6, 1886.

However, each time the reproductions were made and were exhibited in England, fires broke out and most of the work was destroyed. It seemed that the beauty of the Ajanta paintings was not destined to be seen by the world.

Revelation of True Colours of Ajanta
In 1991 and in 1992, I had the privilege of documenting the glorious paintings of Ajanta of around the 2nd century BCE and of the 5th-6th centuries CE. Scholars and institutions around the world responded to state that this was the first time that they were able to see the true details and colors of the Ajanta paintings, which were considered to be the fountainhead of the classic traditions of painting in Asia.

Worldwide Response to my Work
Scores of the most prestigious universities and museums around the world invited me to speak on Ajanta and to show my photographs of the paintings. National Geographic Magazine were among the hundreds of journals and newspapers around the world and in India, who immediately hailed my photography as path-breaking. In 2008, National Geographic Magazine went on to publish an 18-page story about Indian art as reveled to the world through my photographs. It was the cover story in some of the European editions of the magazine.

In the meantime, many noted international book publishers offered to publish my book on the Ajanta paintings. I went ahead with Thames & Hudson, London as I believed that these fine publishers would have a worldwide reach and would offer the large-format book to the public at a reasonable price. The first edition of the book came out in 1998, with an American Edition by Harry N Abrams. The book was sold out soon and there have been several print runs, as well as a revised paperback edition and an American Edition by Thames & Hudson, New York. A new edition of the book was published in 2024 and this book remains the only book on Indian art history which has been in continuous print for 27 years now.