ABSTRACT
Our second source is the Vi~~udharmottara Pur~a, a work which is usually dated in the 8th century AD. The instruction about the rules of painting and the making of images forms part of the third Kh~~a. Again, this instruction is given to a royal patron not to a painter or a sculptor. It is not the painter who is expected to steep himself in literature and allied arts like music and dance,17 but the well-educated gentleman, someone who takes part in the life of the wealthy elite. The text itself makes this abundantly clear: the person asking the questions is a mythical king, Vajra, who is the representative of the k~atriya caste and of the class of the patrons at the same time. The patron, of course, is the one who is to be persuaded to build a Vi~~u temple, and to order all the appropriate sculptures and paintings. Therefore, he should know about the meaning of the temple and its decorations, and he should be aware of the theological viewpoints of the religious sect he is favouring with an important donation.
