Eastern Encounters
Drawn from the Royal Library's collection of South Asian books and manuscripts
Hiranyakashipu orders Prahlada be killed
Pahari, Nainsukh family workshop, <i>c</i>.1775–90Folio from a series depicting the Bhagavata Purana (see cat. no. 51) | Painting in opaque watercolour including gold and silver metallic paints on paper with wide painted margins | 30.5 × 38.5 cm (folio); 23.7 × 31.7 cm (image) | RCIN 925234
Having returned to Hiranayakashipu’s palace, Prahlada again expresses his devotion to his father's enemy Vishnu. Here, in contrast to the affection shown in the previous painting, the demon king throws his son down from the throne in anger and orders that he be killed. The boy’s takhti (writing board), on which is written the name Sri Rama, an invocation to the avatar of Vishnu, has fallen out of his hands. The story continues on the right with the sage Shukracharya consoling Prahlada as he leads him out of the palace.
Peculiar to Pahari series such as this are the wonderfully animated and richly coloured demons, each with heads of different creatures and fat, knobbly bodies. Most are hairy, some have scales and they invariably wear magnificent grimaces through their buck teeth and fangs.