The soon to be aired 26 part documentary series "The Paintings of India" offers a new dimensions to the understanding of Indian art. India has the great tradition of art and paintings are an integral part of our culture and history. Many of the paintings in this series are a pioneering documentation work. By telecasting the "The Paintings of India" series Doordarshan hopes to take the specialized knowledge of art and culture, straight into the homes of millions of Indians. The telecast also underscores, Doordarshan's commitment to promoting programmes of public good, which more often than not, do not find a place of prominence in today's broadcasting world driven by commercial considerations.

"The Paintings of India" series offers a unique opportunity to view some of the rarest murals and paintings in great detail. The murals of several caves and temples have been recorded at a level of detail and luminosity not seen before.

"The Paintings of India" series is Doordarshan's treat to those discerning audience, who are carving for quality programmes on art and culture.

Twelve countries, 20 states, over seven months of travel and two years of research later, documentary filmmaker Benoy K Behl is ready with 26 half-hour films tracing the history of Indian painting from prehistoric times to present day. Called The Paintings Of India, the half-hour films commissioned by Doordarshan will be telecast on the National Channel.

Some travel the world, bit by the adventure bug; others like to soak in the unique cultural ambience of different countries. For art historian Benoy Behl and his four-member team, however, shooting The Paintings of India, is a rather offbeat odyssey covering 100 cities in India and around the world.

For the series Behl has shot the seventh century paintings of the Kailashnath Temple in Kanchipuram, the ceiling temples in the Virupaksha temple in Hampi, amongst others which have rarely been photographed before.

The series also shows that there were stylistic similarities between regions. For instance, the "protruding eye", an anatomical aggrandisement peculiar to western India, was also found, strangely enough, in the images of Ladakh, Myanmar and Orissa. And the Brhadisvara frescoes resemble those of Pollonnaruwa in Sri Lanka or Bagan in Myanmar. For making such comparisons and trashing the notion that subcontinental art was fragmented, the team travelled extensively (and enviably) around India and parts of Asia, Europe and the US on a seven-month-long shooting blitzkrieg.

The project would capture the surviving historic paintings in India besides works that have found their way into foreign lands over the centuries to be part of museums, temples and monasteries.

Shattering the myth that ajanta was a flash of genius and India did not have an ongoing painting tradition until the medieval period, art historian and photographer Benoy K Behl and his team have established the continuity of a vibrant culture that lies hidden in temples and in other ancient monuments.

One does not know how to describe Benoy Behl's 58,000 mile odyssey. Just travelling that much would be an education and acomplishment in itself. But Benoy's out to do more he's set out to chronicle the history of Indian painting.

Photographer-director Benoy Behl and researcher Latika Gupta scoured the globe to find rarely seen treasures of Indian art for the soon-to-be aired documentary series "The Paintings of India." Some exquisite examples were found in America.
That Benoy Behl is a votary of art is clear from his delicate sensitivity in documenting the treasure of Indian art in photographs. And he has a Knack of finding priceless art in out-of-the-way places, from remote Kinnauri monasteries to forgotten caves near Amritsar.

Over centuries, our country built a rich repository of art traditions that shape the Indian thoughts. Unfortunately, many of these exquisite pieces of art, today lie in a state of sheer negligence. These crumbling structures of India's history are sad reminders of every Indian's moral responsibility towards preserving their rich heritage. Benoy Behl is one of the rare few who understand that responsibility - and do something about it.

Though the serial will largely be shot in India, Behl and his team plan to travel around the world to meet those art lovers who have a large collection of Indian paintings.