Art and History: Texts, Contexts and Visual Representations in Ancient and Early Medieval India

Talk by Prof. R. Mahalakshmi, Professor, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Editor of the book of the same title

Discussants: Prof. Shyam Narayan Lal, Professor and Director, Centre for History and Culture for Jammu and Ladakh, University of Jammu; and Prof. Prabhat K. Basant, Professor,  Department of History & Culture, Faculty of Humanities and Languages, Jamia Millia Islamia

Moderator: Dr. Swapna Liddle, historian and Convener, Delhi Chapter of INTACH

The discussion will examine the historical contexts of premodern Indian art traditions and engage with questions of what were the purposes served by art? How were religious and political ideas and philosophies conveyed through visual representation; how central were prescription, technique and style to the production of art; and who were the makers and patron of art?