‘Bridging Centuries’ by Shyamsunder Pattanayak highlights carvings of Udayagiri caves

Bhubaneswar: A collection of paintings by eminent artist Shyamsunder Pattanayak titled ‘Bridging Centuries’ was released on Tuesday.

Appreciating the work of paintings of artist Shyamsunder, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said this great work will play a key role in highlighting ancient art, history and heritage of Odisha.

The book is an artist’s impression on the times of emperor Kharvela and Kalinga Empire as depicted in the carvings of Udayagiri cave. Most of the carving of the Udayagiri cave has eroded over the years making it difficult to understand the artwork.

With an aim to preserve the stories carved on the walls of the caves, artist Pattanayak started deciphering all the carvings and portrayed them on canvas accordingly.

With this collection of paintings, he has attempted to recreate the art and culture of ancient Kalinga as highlighted the images, inscription and carvings of Udayagiri.

A few years back he had exhibited all the paintings based on Udayagiri caves at the State Museum.

The book has been published by Ila Panda Centre for Arts, with a mission for showcasing, promoting and conserving the visual arts of Odisha.