A pair of elephants with Mughals up, with the town and hills of Rajmahal behind - 1820

Watercolour of elephants with the Rajmahal Hills in background from an album of miscellaneous views of Bengal produced for Lord Moira, afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1820-21. Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the Commander-in-Chief (r.1813-23), was accompanied by artist Sita Ram (flourished c.1810-22) to illustrate his journey from Calcutta to Delhi between 1814-15 and his convalescent tour in the Rajmahal Hills in the winter of 1820-21.

Illustration of a pair of elephants with Mughals up, with the town and hills of Rajmahal behind. Rajmahal, located along the right bank of the Ganges in Bihar, was chosen in 1592 as the capital of Bengal by Man Singh, a Rajput general who worked for Mughal Emperor Akbar (r.1556-1605). Rajmahal remained the capital until 1607, when it was shifted to Dacca. Sultan Shuja, the governor of Bengal, moved the capital back to Rajmahal in 1639, though by 1707 it was shifted again, this time to Murshidabad. The Rajmahal Hills in background, located in Bihar, approximately extend over 24 miles at an elevation of 2,000 feet above sea-level and includes the ridges of Mori and Sundgarsa. Inscribed below in pencil and ink: 'Nawaub Mobarek ood Dowlah. Rajemahl.'

Source : British Library