This bit about "naturalistic treatment of subject being mughal style" is something I could never understand. Just what exactly does it mean and why is it "Mughal"?

@ Satyakaam :Colours reign supreme in Rajasthan. 'Motiya' or powder pink was a dress code (as seen in the delightful miniature above )as a tradition among most Rajput kingdoms when the Maharaja held the ‘Sharad Poornima ka durbar’.It was always held alfresco in the chaandni raat. Maharanis held zenana durbars in their own right.Most durbars had particular dress codes.Diwali had black or navy blue to celebrate the darkest night of the year, the 'kaartik Krishna Amavasya' .Dushshehra had ivory achkans for men.’Sawan ki Teej’ had leheriya (wave like hand dyed pattern in headgear for men and similar for women's poshaks).In a Holi durbar, colours of Phagun (red and white) were worn.’Kaajli Teej’ was celebrated with much enthusiasm in Marwar (Jodhpur) and traditionally red and black leheriya was worn.Motda is a double leheriya (criss-cross) which is most famous of Udaipur. In fact in Rajasthan we have particular colours for most occassions. In mourning too there exists a list of colours which can be worn and which can’t be.Just as you have Edwardian, Georgian or Victorian fashions and styles in clothing, art, interior decoration, furniture, silverware etc similarly although not on such an elaborate scale but we in Rajasthan had Bhopalshahi (stuff from the reign of Maharana Bhopal Singhji of Udaipur), Maanshahi (from the reign of M.Man Singh ll of Jaipur) etc. Sometimes there are particular styles peculiar to few clans too like Rajashahi denotes a pink and white leheriya particular to the Rajawats of Jaipur (Doondhar) . The miniature painting traditions of most Rajasthani kingdoms had characterstic features peculiar to them.Those of Kota and Bundi are characterized by extensive banana leaves.Kishangarh style is the most celebrated in Rajasthan: the ‘bani-thani’ being the most famous with pointed facial features and female anatomy painted seductively especially breasts.Finest in terms of facial features and hair were from Kangra.Of course there was a great deal of cross-fertilisation of ideas and styles.Mughal miniatures reached their zenith under Jahangir. His ateliers used to travel with him on his military campaigns and pleasure jaunts recording the splendours of his reign.The most distinguishing element of Mughal miniatures were their elaborate floral or stylized and wide borders in arabesque. The principal of foreshortening which had travelled to India from Europe via Persia was another distinguishing feature.Jehangir introduced ateliers from Persia.The plethora of colours whose steady supply came from Persia and even China were bound to affect the painting traditions. Naturalistic element here denotes a horse and a pet shikari dog and also the depiction of lawn. Details of animals and birds were a hallmark of Mughal paintings, especially birds with minute details of feathers etc are awe-inspiring even today and were not depicted in miniatures among Hindu kingdoms but in frescoes or larger paintings.Faces were always painted as profiles among Hindu styles.The Sun as a halo behind the head is a Hindu element which the Mughals adopted. Here the Maharana is holding court in a garden with an elaborate awning along with his courtiers. If you notice none of the personages appear to be looking at you but are either facing left or right.For his entertainment there are female musicians. Since there is a gun this may be a shikar painting for all we know. A separate dept on the lines of the Mughals existed in most kingdoms called the ‘Surat-khana’ where court painters were patronized. Mewar style’s hallmarks are the Picchwaai tradition which were extensively painted cloths pre-rubbed with moonstone and prolific lotus blossoms. The Picchwai is a painting hung behind Srinathji.Thankfully this tradition and all miniature painting traditions are still flourishing today.Old stamp papers are used today as bases for their durability. Miniatures are also made on thin marble tiles which are carved delicately in trellis on the borders. Nowadays the themes are vintage and classic cars also !

Thanks Digvijay Singh ! Most engrossing...

Thanks DSK, this was a good post. I still have some issues with the naturalistic-mughal description though, going by what you posted and what I understand there is very little Mughal style here. Whether naturalistic style came with Mughals is also a issue that needs further exploration but will be a large independent exercise.

Thanks. Very informative. Rajasthan has a superb craft tradition. Many of us are familiar with bandhej and leheriya but I also remember being given a sari in blue and red with exquisite dotted designs which I was told was done by nails on the cotton. Is that still being done and where?

@ Marya:That is how bandhej is done. In the smallest finger of the hand a ring is worn with a pointed protruding nail.The fabric ( cotton, geoegette, chiffon in Rajasthan and cotton, silk and crepe in Gujarat) is passed over the nail and white cotton thread is wrapped around the nail and tied. There are several rings with varying thickness of the nail for small, medium and large dots. Once the fabric is dyed the tied part remains uncoloured.The threads are opened to reveal fantastic patterns.Just as in weaving of Persian carpets the different patterns are remembered as songs which are sung when the numerous dots are tied.With the advent of plastic, bandhej became even more elaborate as large portions could be tied and made waterproof and the fabric could be dyed again and again. The best bandhej comes from Jamnagar in Gujarat.In fact in Gujarat they have different names for different kinds of bandhej e.g. for mango trees, elephants ,horses and birds. They have something called a gharchola which has a checks like pattern (sometimes in zari) on a a sari and inside every square there are different motifs of animals and birds.A Bandhej is an ultimate symbol of a married woman in both the provinces.Since colour discipline is rather rigidly maintained in Rajasthan until recently married women were not allowed to wear fast colours. 'Pakkay rang' literally stands for a widow in Rajasthan.Green was the only pakka rang worn by suhagans.While earlier vegetable dyes were used now synthetic ones have made the choice of colours very varied. In my granny's times each time the fabric was washed it was dyed again. A darzi, dhobi and rangrez were required at all events. A Dhobi (washerman) to wash, a rangrez (a caste of dyers) to colour the fabric and a darzi (tailor) to first remove the gota/kinari (silver zari) from the edge of the odhna and then later again to sew it back ! I have bandhej that is 100 yrs old and very very fine from today's standards. But the tye-and-dye is a tradition which has improved over time as the patterns of today are decidedly better than the past.Nowadays leheriya and bandhej are combined too in a single sari/odhna or dupatta.

I am glad you liked the post Subbiah and Satyakaam. My better half is a painter of miniatures i am merely a critic.Bandhej and leheriya is part of our everyday lives in Rajasthan as we menfolk also wear them both in our headgear (saafa, paag and pagree) hence we have interest in it too.

Wow! Quite the most fascinating expositions. Thank you Subbiah for the post, and Digvijay for your illumination.

Wow! I didn't realise it was a type of bandhej! Thanks Digvijay.

This was a very intersting piece! Having spent 6 months in Rajasthan, I also realised the importance of colour in a Rajathani's life, but this expose was very informative. Thanks Digvijay!