Museum objects, artifacts, and archival items from the Sarmaya collection.
This undated work is a still-life painting by modern artist K H Ara (1914-1985). KH Ara’s still-life compositions were all his own, untouched by the shadow of the looming figures of western still-life like Rembrandt or Cezanne. As with everything else, Ara crafted his own style and technique even with this form. Here, he uses techniques that… Read more »
In this painting FN Souza does what he did best: reveal the grotesquerie and unintentional comedy of sex. The faces of each of the four nude figures in this frame have been disfigured, what features remain are exaggerated and made absurd. There is a focus on separating the two genders and observing their interaction in… Read more »
In this etching of watercolor and ink on paper, Laxma Goud sketches erotic studies of the human female form. They appear to be quick contour drawings that were then worked on more to add details and colours. These sketches surround the main black and white etching, which comprises of a man and a woman lying… Read more »
Shakuntala Kulkarni addresses certain pressing feminist issues through her 2007 series of women-centric paintings. The artist is alluding to the ability of women to free themselves from the shackles of society and its expectations. In Kulkarni’s world as depicted in this series, woman are powerful warriors in charge of their own destiny. Shakuntala Kulkarni started… Read more »
Shakuntala Kulkarni addresses certain pressing feminist issues through her 2007 series of women-centric paintings. Here, the central figure is a large voluptuous woman in a confident stance. The artist is taking a stab at body dysmorphia and the pressures that women face to conform physically to societal norms. She represents women in positions of power… Read more »
This Pattachitra by Laltu Chitrakars depicts the ‘Santhal Janam Katha’, the birth story of the Santhal tribe. The festival of Makar Sankranti, known as Sakrat, is an important celebration in the community. This is an occasion for the Santhal community to go about singing songs from house to house and engage in festivities. Several songs are performed, including… Read more »
There are three central goddesses in this painting: Durga, Bahuchara Mata and Vahanvati Mata. If you’ve read this story on goddesses and their vahans, you will know that Durga Mata is the one riding the lion on land, Vahanvati Mata is riding a black goat on a boat in the sea and Bahuchara Mata is… Read more »
Vishat Mata’s name is derived from the Gujarati ‘vis-hath’ or twenty hands. Interestingly, even though she’s named for that very quality, this goddess is rarely represented in paintings with twenty arms; some six-armed goddesses have also been identified as Vishat Mata. Her mount is a black buffalo. The Goddess usually carries swords, a dagger, a… Read more »
Bahuchara Mata is the central figure of this work. The goddess is depicted sitting on a rooster inside a shrine-like structure. Her is flanked by the images of Hindu gods and devotees, and foliage on the outside. This goddess’s name is derived from the Gujarati words ‘bahu’, meaning many and ‘chara’, meaning movement. Her mount… Read more »
This silver coin seems to have been struck on an existing Nazarana coin. The word Nazarana is derived from the Persian ‘nazr’ and means a presentation or tribute. On special occasions, Nazaranas or Nazars were presented to the king. People would order and buy these coins from the mint when they wanted to make a… Read more »
The emperor of Hindustan from 1658 to 1707, Aurangzeb was driven by a coruscating ambition. The Mughal empire burgeoned to its maximum size under his reign. However, he was a conservative when it came to coin design. Read more about how the personality of an emperor got imprinted on the coins issued by him in… Read more »
Nisar coins are named for their main purpose, ie scattering into the crowd by royalty. They were deployed for occasions that demanded ceremonial generosity, like at investitures, weddings or grand entrances. These coins were particularly lightweight. In addition to the regular gold, silver and copper coins, Shah Jahan released unique silver Nisar coins to present… Read more »
This coin is a Silver Rupee of the Ajmer mint issued by Mughal king Jahangir (r. 1605-1627). Jahangir issued many gold and silver coins with poetic verses on them and was the only Mughal emperor to bestow the right of coinage to his royal consort. Read more about him in our Mughal Coins guide.
This is a gold mohur issued by Shah Alam II (1759-1806) was minted in Dar Ul Khilafat or the capital, Shahjahanabad. To read more on Mughal coins, click here.
Jahangir issued many gold and silver coins with poetic verses on them and was the only Mughal emperor to bestow the right of coinage to his royal consort. To read more on Mughal coins, click here.
Jahandar Shah was the son of Bahadur Shah I and ruled for a very brief period. After their father’s death on February 27, 1712, he and his brother Azim-ush-Shan both proclaimed themselves emperors and waged a succession fight. Jahandar Shah issued coins and reintroduced couplets inscribed in gold, silver and copper. He issued coins with… Read more »
Alamgir II was a Mughal Emperor who ruled from the capital of Delhi during the latter part of the 18th century. Being raised to the throne at the age of fifty-five, he was a relatively weak and incapable ruler, and was more likely a ‘puppet king’ controlled by other powerful authoritarians. He was, however, a… Read more »
The map shows the route the army of Tantia Topi took when escaping after being defeated at Gwalior. Tantia Tope, an employee of the Peshwa Bajirao, was a prominent leader of the 1857 Uprising. For a while, he made Gwalior his stronghold, from which he was defeated by Colin Campbell. He kept escaping the British… Read more »
The map traces a decisive battle between the British forces led by Colin Campbell and Tantia Tope, an old associate of Nana Sahib. In November 1857, Tantia Tope, who had been active in Central India with the Gwalior Contingent, headed towards Kanpur to recapture it. They were defeated by the British army and Tantia Tope… Read more »
This map was published by William Mackenzi, London, showing the plan of the city of Lucknow and highlighting the routes taken by British troupes to carry out relief operations. The red lines mark the routes of the operations led by General Havelock, Colin Campbell and James Outram, accompanied with dates. Prominent locations and areas of… Read more »