In the Indian tradition, art has not just been decorative. It has had a deep and valuable function to serve in society. The Chitrasutra of the Vishnudharmottara (the oldest treatise on art in the world), states that fine paintings are meant to have a deep effect upon the lives of the people. We see this clearly reflected in all ancient paintings of India, whether it is the paintings of Ajanta , the exquisite Pala manuscript paintings or the finest paintings of Bijapur and Kangra.

The most sublime art of the world is a balm on the troubled brow of mankind. It helps man to see himself deeply connected to the rest of creation. This great sense of harmony between all that exists in the world has been the special quality of the Indian vision and one of its important contribution to the philosophy of the world.

From Ajanta till today, the deep study of Indian art reveals that Indian paintings are one of the greatest traditions of the art of the world. Indeed, it is an art which takes us to the greatest heights of aesthetics and artistic experience ever achieved in the world.

In 1930, Lawrence Binyon of the British Museum wrote, " Whoever studies the art of China and Japan, at whatever point he begins, starts on a long road which ultimately leads him to Ajanta".

Ajanta (2^nd century BC -5^th century AD) which is what remains of the earliest period of Indian paintings, is indeed the fountainhead of the marvellous paintings which developed all over India.

Alongwith Buddhism, Hinduism, the Sanskrit language and script and other treasures of Indian culture, the art of painting travelled from India and took deep roots in all the countries of Asia. For the first time, the fine mural paintings of many Asian countries have been filmed and will be presented in their close relationship with paintings on the Indian subcontinent, in this series of documentaries. This will provide a clear and new perspective on Asian and Indian art for the first time and may be very valuable for the true, broader study of Asian art.