There
are several references to the tools and materials of the painter in general
Sanskrit literature, wherever there is a reference to painting, in addition to
their description in the Silpa texts. Adequate material thus exists to know how
and with what aids the artist could produce his beautiful pictures.
It has
already been seen that as mentioned in Vatsyayana's Kamasutra the nagaralca has
a samudgaka or box full of brushes, a board and an easel. The Mrichchhakatika
similarly gives the picture of an artist surrounded by a number of pans
containing colours, from which to manipulate his brushes.
Even the window-sill
of the painter has colour pans as described in the Padataditaka. Alabus or
gourds to contain brushes, attached to picture-boards, are mentioned by Bana in
his Harshacharita. Kalidasa refers to a box full of colours varnika karanda
samudgakas. In the Dasakurnaracharita and the Ratnavali, there is similar
mention of boxes of brushes.
The
Abhilashitarthachintamani and other Silpa texts describe brushes and vartikas.
Vartikas are variously called tinduvarti or kittavarti, 'stumps' for sketching.
The brushes called kurchakas, lekhinis and tulikas are described at length. The
vartika also called kittalakhini is prepared out of the sweet-smelling root
khachora mixed with boiled rice rolled into a pointed stump. Brick powder mixed
with dry cowdung, finely ground, by adding water, was made into a paste to
devise similar stump-shaped rolls from sketching. A thin bamboo rod with a
copper pin and a small feather attached was known as the tulika. 
The
tool for applying colours was the lekhini. It was also called a tulika but was
composed of soft hair from the ear of a calf fixed with lac. Its thickness
varied from broad and light strokes; and a large variety of brushes, large,
medium and fine, could be distinguished from the quantity of soft hair
composing them. Hair from the squirrel's tail and the belly of the sheep was
also used.
The
Abhdashitarthachintamani and other texts give an interesting account of the use
of these different materials for colour outlines and wash. The wash or
akshalana was with the kurchakas, a big brush. The finer tool tulika or salaka
was used for unmilana, the final touches to "open the eyes" of the
figure.
The
painting when executed on a pata or canvas could be rolled and preserved in
silken and other covers. The phalaka or board with cloth mounted on it was also
used. But the surface most preferred for painting was the wall, bhitti, and
bhittichitra was the term for murals.
The
colours, either of vegetable or mineral origin, were gairika, red, nil, blue,
sudha, white, kajjala, black and haritala, yellow. Vajralepa and nirjasakallca
were, respectively, animal and vegetable binding media for the colours.
Writer
-C.SIVARAMAMURTI
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