# Shamsher Sen of Mandi with a youth

- Date: 1760–70
- Medium: Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: Image: 16.5 x 13.9 cm (6 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.); Border: 20.3 x 17.6 cm (8 x 6 15/16 in.)
- Culture: Northern India, Pahari Kingdom of Mandi
- Credit line: Gift of Dr. Norman Zaworski
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/2012.302)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/cma/2012.302/2012.302_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

In 1727, Shamsher Sen inherited the Pahari kingdom of Mandi. The artist has rendered him with an intense gaze directed at a man, possibly his lover, who greets him with respect.

The ashes on his forehead and neck mark Shamsher Sen as a follower of the Hindu god Shiva. In his turban, alongside an array of flowers, he wears a whistle, announcing his participation in a religious order devoted to Shiva. The inscription in the lower border reads shri damyan, meaning “Honorable Minister,” since he ruled as a minister of the Hindu god Krishna. Pahari rulers often pledged loyalty to multiple divinities.