"RAGA PATAMANJARI - A RAGAMALA PAINTING" inspired by the Rajasthani/Mughal style of painting. This is a watercolour painting done by me on 300 gsm/140 lbs., Arches Imperial size Hot pressed watercolour paper.

RAGAMALA PAINTING

Ragamala means a garland of melody. This is a set of illustrative paintings, depicting variations of the Indian musical modes called ragas. They stand as a classical example of the amalgamation of art, poetry, and classical music in medieval India.

Ragamala paintings date back to the 16th and 17th centuries and form part of the Rajasthani or Moghul style of paintings also known as Pahari, Rajasthani or Rajput, Deccan or Mughal style.

In these paintings each raga is personified by colour, mood, a verse describing a story of a hero and heroine (nayaka and nayika), it also elucidates the season and the time of day and night in which a particular raga is to be sung attached with the raga.

The paintings depict not just the Ragas, but also their wives, (raginis), their numerous sons (ragaputra), and daughters (ragaputri).

The six principal ragas present in the Ragamala are Bhairava, Dipika, Sri, Malkaunsa, Megha, and Hindola and these are meant to be sung during the six seasons of the year – summer, monsoon, autumn, early winter, winter, and spring.

These paintings were created as loose-leaf folios, typically thirty-six or forty-two in number, which were stored in a portfolio, Ragamala circulated within the inner court circles that commissioned them. Viewing these paintings was a pleasurable pastime for courtiers, their guests, and the ladies of the zenana. These Ragamalas were also painted as murals in the private quarters of palaces.

Ragini Patamanjari is the wife of Parent Raga Deepak. This melody is played in the evening. Raga Deepak if sung properly can create fire. Tansen the famous singer was called by Moghul Emperor to sing Raga Deepak and as he anticipated fire he trained his daughter to sing Megha Malhar which is a melody to bring rain. Thus when Tansen recited the melody fire broke out and his daughter sang Megha Malhar which saved Tansen from burning.

More paintings in Rajasthani style are available on this website.

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