Museum objects, artifacts, and archival items from the Sarmaya collection.
This photograph from the 1860 book, ‘People of India’ is captioned ‘Udasees from Sutlej.’ It carries the sign of the photo studio Shepherd & Robertson, which later became the long-running Bourne & Shepherd studio in Kolkata. Udasis are ascetics who follow the teachings of Srichand, son of Guru Nanak. These monks wear matted locks and… Read more »
This painted portrait is identified as Udaji Rao Pawar, Maharaja of Dhar and his wife Lakshmibai. It was created in 1933. Although black and white photography rose in popularity and acquired a mark in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Indian aristocrats sought to go a bit further to fully enjoy the medium. They… Read more »
Mithila art traditionally uses motifs from nature like birds and elephants, or depicts themes of love both eternal and mortal, or scenes from Hindu mythology. In the centre of the composition, the painting shows a bountiful tree, under which are seven women. In between and above the heads of the women, floral motifs – similar… Read more »
Mithila art traditionally uses motifs from nature like birds and elephants, or depicts themes of love both eternal and mortal, or scenes from Hindu mythology. This painting showcases an episode from the Bhagavata Purana where Krishna steals clothes of gopis (cow herding women) who were bathing in river yamuna. He is shown here seated atop… Read more »
Mithila art traditionally uses motifs from nature like birds and elephants, or depicts themes of love both eternal and mortal, or scenes from Hindu mythology. But, Santosh Kumar Das makes use of these motifs to say something new. Coming from Ranti, he was trained in the Kachni style of Madhubani art, which focuses on the… Read more »
Mithila art traditionally uses motifs from nature like birds and elephants, or depicts themes of love both eternal and mortal, or scenes from Hindu mythology. But, Santosh Kumar Das makes use of these motifs to say something new. Coming from Ranti, he was trained in the Kachni style of Madhubani art, which focuses on the… Read more »
This shadow puppet of Arjuna on his chariot is from Tholu Bommalaata, a puppet tradition from Andhra Pradesh in India. Here, tholu means leather, bommalu means puppets and aata means dance. Arjuna is the main character in the Mahabharata alongside Krishna. He is one of the Pandava brothers, who win against the Kauravas. Considered a… Read more »
In the early history of map-making, the representation of cities was mostly done as sketches that were part of book illustrations or primarily bird’s-eye views. This composite view is part of Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg’s, the Civitates Orbis Terrarum. The first volume of this landmark atlas was published in 1572, and its final volume… Read more »
This photograph shows a view of Shimla during the winters from an elevated platform overlooking a snow-clad mountainous landscape covered with pine trees. Shimla, the current capital of Himachal Pradesh, was regarded as a favoured resort with the British residents in the nineteenth and the early twentieth century. It was known as the ‘English Convalescent… Read more »
This photograph of a footbridge over a stream flowing between a valley was captured at Larji in the Kullu district by Samuel Bourne. In 1866, Samuel Bourne proposed to trek the, “rich valley of the Beas river through Kulu, penetrate into the wild and desolate regions of Spiti as far as the borders of Tibet,… Read more »
This shadow puppet of Raja Harishchandra is from Tholu Bommalaata, puppet tradition of Andhra Pradesh in India. Here, ‘tholu’ means leather, ‘bommalu,’ puppets; and ‘aata’ dance. King Harishchandra is shown carrying a bow and a pack of arrows with a dagger on his waistband. Raja Harishchandra appears in ancient texts such as Markandeya Purana, Mahabharata… Read more »
This shadow puppet of Rama is from Tholu Bommalaata, puppet tradition of Andhra Pradesh in India. Here, ‘tholu’ means leather, ‘bommalu,’ puppets; and ‘aata’ dance. Valmiki, in his epic Ramayana, describes Rama, as an ideal personality and compares him with numerous gods and sages with many virtues. Rama is committed to Dharma even when exiled… Read more »
This is a Mithila painting of Ganesh Chaturthi is by Manisha Jha. One of the most popular Hindu festivals in India, Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the birth of Ganesh or Ganapati, the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is also known as Vighnaharta (remover of obstacles) and Hastimukha (elephant-headed). He is an important deity in the… Read more »
The theme of the painting is based on a philosophical concept known as the ‘Tree of life’. This concept elevates the symbol of the tree to a sacred one, which is respected and worshipped all over the world, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism. The symbol has been found sculpted or painted in relics of ancient… Read more »
The theme of this painting is religious, it showcases the deity, Ardhanareshwar. The right side of the central figure of the painting is Shiva and the left, Parvati. In rare depictions of the Shakti cult, Parvati is shown on the right because the group believes the Goddess to be the creator of all beings, and… Read more »
Mithila art traditionally uses motifs from nature like birds, elephants, or depicts themes of love both eternal and mortal, or scenes from Hindu mythology. Santosh Kumar Das makes use of these motifs to say something new with it. Coming from Ranti, he was trained in the Kachni style of Madhubani art, which focuses on the… Read more »
Godna paintings, like this one, look similar to Ariipana (floor) paintings but are different in motifs used, which is stylistically typical to the Dalit and the Dusadh community. Much like the upper caste tradition of Kachni and Bharni Mithila paintings, the Dalit and Dusadhs castes have, for decades, been decorating the walls of their homes… Read more »
Madhubani or Mithila painting was born as a ritual art form during wedding ceremonies. This Madhubani painting showcases a veiled woman in the centre. Her face painted inside a circular structure may represent a bride. The woman’s veil and big nose ring are red and she also wears a red flower painted in place of… Read more »
Mithila art often uses motifs from nature to capture the excitement of rural life. This painting depicts three elements – a sole lion, a flower and a bird but the flower is positioned high and the bird low, beside the hind legs of the lion. The artist Santosh Kumar Das is very interested in merging… Read more »
This is a painting by Santosh Kumar Das in the Madhubani tradition. His art draws inspiration from Hindu mythology and iconography, nature, events from Indian history and anecdotes from his everyday life. ‘A Man With a Pankha’ explores a theme from Das’ life, and his love for art and mythology. A Brahmin man wearing an… Read more »