Painting was an important art form in ancient and medieval India. Indian paintings were mainly of two types: Big wall paintings and Small book illustrations.
The big wall paintings can still be seen in famous places like: Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra),
Bagh Caves (Madhya Pradesh) and Chittanavachal (Tamil Nadu).
These paintings mostly show the life of Lord Buddha, Mahavira, and Hindu gods and goddesses.
The Ajanta paintings are considered the most beautiful and world-famous.
During the Mughal period, painting developed even more. Mughal emperors like Akbar, Jahangir, and Shahjahan encouraged talented artists. Small paintings were used to decorate books.
Some important pictorial books of the Mughal era are: Padshahnama, Tutinama, Jahangirnama, Dastan-e-Amir Hamza.