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Jalandhara Ragaputra, from a Ragamala series
ca. 1740-1750
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
- Classification
- Paintings
- Dimensions
- H x W (painting): 20.6 × 14.8 cm (8 1/8 × 5 13/16 in)
- Culture
- Himalayan peoples
- Museum
- Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Asian Art
- Credit line
- Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — funds provided by the Friends of the National Museum of Asian Art
- Rights
- CC0 (Smithsonian Open Access), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Little Ones profiles and older: it shows gentle subjects for the very young. How works are placed
View at the Smithsonian Institution
About this work
The life-giving rains of the monsoon and its sensuous pleasures inspired the musical composition (raga) Megh and its associated compositions (raginis and ragaputras). This Bilaspur painting, which represents Jalandhara ragaputra, invites us to imagine the romance associated with the monsoon season, a time when travel was difficult and couples stayed together at home. The sound of Jalandhara ragini is likened to clouds and thunder in the Mesakarna classification of ragamala. In the painting, rain pours from the sky. The spout of water pouring into the hero's mouth as he gazes at the beloved who brought him the pitcher, further develops that mood. The image emphasizes the materiality of water and the bond between the lovers.
