Quiz: Gujarat’s lions, India’s pride
Take our quiz to learn something new about the real Sher Khan
Magnificent Beasts
Untitled
Bhil painting, traditionally made on walls, is practised today on canvas by one of the oldest tribal communities of India – the Bhils. Residing in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, etc, they live lives that are intricately connected with nature. This aspect is clearly evident in their art. The Bhils use dashes and… Read more »
The Owl and Peacock Story
Gond is a celebrated, shared art tradition practised by the Gond-Pradhan community in India. It was first ‘discovered’ by Jagdish Swaminathan, searching for original artworks from Indian tribes in the 1970s. The search ended with him meeting the talented artist Jangarh Singh Shyam, considered the pioneer of Gond art. The themes of the painting revolve… Read more »
Lord and Lady Curzon atop the elephant Lakshman Prasad, 29 December 1902
The Delhi Durbar of 1902-3 was conceived of by Lord Curzon to take place in December and January to celebrate the succession of Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark to the throne of Emperor and Empress of India. The King and the Queen, however, did not attend the Durbar, but instead sent Prince Arthur, Duke… Read more »
The Scholar, Before Breakfast
Could the artist’s love for Mughal miniatures be any more evident! There is a lot of symbolism in Alexander Gorlizki’s works and it centers around the interchanging of animal and human forms. Here a stout man reading a book appears to have a lion’s head, and a warrior with an elephant’s head is seen riding… Read more »
Shalihotra Samhita by Ancient India’s Dr Dolittle
A 3rd Century BCE manuscript from our rare books collection holds the key to raising happy horses and elephants
Magnificent Beasts and Where to Find them: At the Bombay Horse and Cattle Show, 1890
Welcome to the social event of the year, featuring camels, buffaloes, bulls and other gorgeous Indian specimen
Magnificent Beasts
Without animals, human history, culture and art would look very different. Whenever language has failed us, we have sought inspiration from these voiceless co-passengers hurtling with us through space on a blue planet. When we want to represent wealth and power beyond all imagining, we summon up the elephant. When we want to symbolise valour… Read more »
Wild World: Animals in Contemporary Indian Art
Spirituality, sensuality and everything in between—what animals represent in a select few of Sarmaya’s contemporary art works
March of the Mammoth, the Indian elephant’s story
No animal looms as large over the art, architecture, iconography, folklore and literature of the Indian subcontinent as Elephas maximus