Guide to the Ajanta Paintings : Narrative Wall Paintings/Dieter Schlingloff. Vol. 1, 1999, 58 p., figs., $20. ISBN 81-215-0922-X.

From the introduction: "This first volume of the Guide to the Ajanta Paintings presents the drawings of all the narrative paintings and also describes the essential pictorial contents of each scene, thus explaining the plot.

"The narrative materials on which the paintings are based belong, in a superficial Buddhist revision, to many different literary genres: we find hunting adventures (Nos. 16, 19, 20, 23, 32, 53, 57) as well as travel adventures (Nos. 40, 41, 58) and even romances (No. 40), also stories giving examples for both clever and ethical behaviour in general (No. 21), but especially in the affairs of state (Nos. 35, 37, 38, 42, 57, 58, 61), and last but not least comical tales about stupid ascetics and Brahmins (Nos. 33, 34, 38). Just as in poetry, in the paintings too these narrative materials were artistically refined and, just like in poetry, the art of painting created certain cliches, on which the individual designs of each artist are based. The pictorial design of the paintings needs just a few cliches, which explain the scenes of action and the events taking place in them straight away to anyone familiar with this pictorial language; only someone completely unfamiliar with it requires a written or verbal interpretation, just as someone unacquainted with the language of poetry requires a commentary."