In 1999, I read the Tamil historical novel Sivakaamiyin Sabatham. Set in the seventh century CE, the novel tells of the siege of Kanchipuram, the capital of the Pallavas, by their rivals, the Chalukyas.
It is still one of the most popular books in Tamil Nadu, 70 years after its first publication. At one point in the story, Aayanar — an artist and sculptor — tells the Pallava king, Mahendra Varma, that his deepest desire is to know the secret technology of Ajanta paintings, which have lasted a thousand years without fading. The paintings of Ajanta are still there, a 1,000 years after the Pallavas and Chalukyas have disappeared.
コメント