Pleach India Foundation

About the Seminar

Indian art traditions reflect profound regional diversity shaped by geography, patronage, material & belief systems. From early sculptural centres to miniature painting ateliers, regional schools evolved distinctive artistic languages across centuries.

This seminar seeks to examine regional variations in sculptural and painting traditions and their continuing relevance in the study of Indian art heritage.

Seminar Themes

Early Regional Sculptural Traditions
Temple Sculpture & Architectural Ornamentation
Regional Schools of Miniature Painting
Iconography & Stylistic Variations
Revival Movements & Contemporary Relevance

Download Book of Abstracts

Best Research Paper will receive

Pleach Ananda Coomaraswamy
Award – 2026

Seminar Schedule

09:30 - 11:15 AM

Early Art & Stylistic Tradition

Session Chair

Dr. Emani Sivanagi Reddy CEO, Pleach India Foundation

Ravindranath C. Wase Co-author: Disha G Wankhede

"Iconographic and Stylistic Variations in Resemblance to the Pāli Suttas"

Dr. Pratishtha Mukherjee

"Between Resemblance and Refusal: Gandharan Buddha Images Beyond Hellenism"

Arindam Chaturvedi

"Idiomatic Brawls: Analyzing the Art-historical Idioms of the Mankuwar Buddha Image"

Antareepa Mandal

"Regional Aesthetics and Indigenous Continuity: Reinterpreting Yakshi Imagery from the Kushana-period Buddhist Site of Sanghol"

Kanan Ramkrishna Mistry

"Dikpala sculptures of Shiva Temple at Bavka, Dahod"

Tanya Srivastava

"Evolution in Sculptural finesse - From caves to temple in deccan region of India."

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11:30 - 01:15 PM

Regional Schools of Art

Session Chair

Dr. Manjil Hazarika Assistant Professor, Department of Archaeology, Cotton University, Guwahati

Shweta Kamleshwar Handigo

"Regional Schools of Temple Sculpture in North-Western Karnataka: Form, Iconography and Ornamentation"

Sanjay Sankar

"Terrific Forms and Regional Expressions: An Iconological Study of Bhairava Sculptures in the Hoysala School of Art"

Tori Chowdhury

"The Sculptural Heritage of Kamakhya Temple and the Regional Identity of Assamese Sacred Art"

Sriranjani Sriramajayam

"Heroes, Heads and Goddesses: An Analysis of Self-Sacrifice before KoRRavai- Durgā in the Pallava School of Art"

Dr. Pallabi Bagchi

"Prescribing the Goddess: Textual Iconography and Sculptural Practice of Tara in Pala Art"

Dr. Abhishek Chauhan

Dr. Krishna Gop Co-author

"Anthropology of Indigenous Expression: A Study of Cave Art Practices in Dadi Block of Hazaribagh"

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Coming Soon

02:00 - 03:15 PM

Regional variation in Temple Architecture & Decorative Elements

Session Chair

Raghavendra Kulkarni Professor & HOD, Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath

Rajshri Chowdhury

"Stone as Storyteller: A Comparative Study of Architectural Ornamentation in the Nagara and Dravida Temple Traditions"

Dr. Simmi Kapoor Meht

"Cave and Structural Temples of Chalukya of Vatapi (6th-8th Century CE)"

Dr. Tanisha Dutta

"The Sense of Geometry and Proportion in Art as Conditioned by Medieval Hindu Temples"

Chadalavada Venkatesh

"Art and Architecture of Bugga Ramalingeswara Temple Thadipatri"

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03:30 - 05:00 PM

Indian Art: Ornamentation, Jewellery & Material Nuances

Session Chair

Dr. Sandeep Sharma Deputy Director, Centre for Cultural Resources and Training

Ruhi Priya

"Regional Disparities and Material Nuances in Śuńgan Ornamentation: An Exegesis of the Gangetic and Central Indian Jewellery Repertoire"

Dr. Janak Gadhavi

Shivalika Khopka Co-author

"Aesthetics of the Lakshmi-Narayan sculptures from Hinglajgarh"

Nisha Vashishtha

Dr. Shilpi Gupta Co-author

"Art and Iconography of Ancient Kaman Region (Rajasthan)"

Akshatha Arumugam

"Carving Ascetic Landscapes: Iconography and Stylistic Variations of Jain Bas-Relief Sculptures in the Rock Beds of the Madurai Region"

Shreya Tripathi

"One Shakti and Seven Divine Powers: An Interpretation of the Saptamatrika in Tantric and Yogini Aspects"

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09:30 - 11:15 AM

Regional Schools of Miniature Painting

Session Chair

DR. RAJ KUMAR MAZINDER Associate Professor, Dept. of Visual Art, Assam University, Silchar

Tanushree Midha

"Patrons, Pantheons and Pictorial Piety: Tracing the Evolution of the Mandi School of Painting."

Prachi Petwal

"The Garhwal School of Painting in Context: A Comparative Study within the Pahari Tradition"

Abdur Rahman

"From Imperial Courts to Regional Aesthetics: Artistic Migration and the Transformation of Mughal Painting in Awadh"

Hitangi Brahmbhatt

"Rajput Paintings: A Re-appraisal"

Shraddha Sahib

"Ritualistic and Utilitarian Importance of the Bhil Paintings of Rajasthan."

Abhik Mukherjee

"Beyond the Brush: Deciphering the Lithic Lineage and Ritual ‘Writing’ of Pithora in Chota Udepur"

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Coming Soon

11:30 - 01:00 PM

Indian Sacred Art, Murals & Narrative Paintings

Session Chair

Dr. Rajesh Kumar Singh Rishi Khanna Senior Fellow (Cave Temple Studies)

Dr Shivangi Naithani Devrani

"Sacred Stories in Colour: Janamsakhi Painting as Visual Narrative in Sikh Art."

Agroneel Mandal

"An Iconographic and Stylistic analysis of Galtaji Murals Jaipur: A Case Study of ‘Balabai Conversing with Payohari Ji’ & ‘Sages of Galta’ Mural Panels "