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Illustration of an Indian woman holding a flower
This exhibition is in the past. View our current exhibitions.

Paintings and manuscripts from the Hindu courts of north India

Many paintings and manuscripts commissioned in the Hindu courts of north India relate to bakhti (personal devotion). Close interaction with the Mughal court from the sixteenth century meant that many artists working for Hindu patrons absorbed Mughal elements into their works. Others continued to work in the more lyrical and bold style traditional to Rajasthan.

The following paintings are from three albums presented by Mungaldas Nathubhai to Albert Edward,Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), in 1875 during his visit to Bombay.

Two murtis (representations of Hindu deities which serve as a focus for divine worship) of Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi (Shri Devi) standing side-by-side on a pedestal on a garden terrace. They are depicted as if idols on a pedestal but also as rea
Series depicting the dashavatara

Devotion to Vishnu and his ten earthly incarnations is particularly prevalent in north India.

Verses from the ‘Gita Govinda’

The paintings illustrate verses from the song cycle by Jayadeva


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