Posted on: 11 January 2014

Gouache painting on paper, part of an album of seventy paintings of Indian deities. The deity Manmatha rides on a chariot drawn by a red parrot. On his forehead is a Vaishnava namam. He is dressed in courtly attire: an ample jacket is loosely tied at his waist with a cummerbund or sash and a shawl is draped over his shoulders and trousers. A makara-shaped quiver hangs from his shoulder, and in his left hand he carries the ikshukodanda (sugarcane bow), whose string is formed by bees rather than (as the inscription suggests) by flowers. In his right hand he holds three flowery arrows.

Company School
Trichinopoly Style
1830 (circa)
Tiruchirapalli

This painting refers to the mock fight between Manmatha and Rati during the celebration of the Vasantotsava (spring festival),in which the deities shoot flower tipped arrows at each other. This festival increased in importance from the fifteenth century onwards and is frequently depicted in both sculpture and painting of the Vijayanagara, Nayaka and, to a certain extent, Maratha periods. Manmatha and Rati are among the most important figures in the monumental sculpted columns of the Nayaka period temples in Tamil Nadu: they generally appear in the act of shooting their arrows at each other across an aisle.

© Trustees of the British Museum


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I am not confirm that the medium may be tempera, without undercoat.

doesnt manmatha supposed to have 5 arrow and not three ccan anybody explain

This is beautiful! As I have shared before, your work to bring this out for the public to enjoy is absolutely wonderful!! May the Narayana's blessings be with you on this Vaikunta Ekadasi day!! Would you also have a similar one of Rati?

Manmata's distinguishing features are the bow of sugar-cane stalk, a bunch of Five kinds of flowers as arrows, Fish as his flag Symbol and Makara( mythical crocodile) as his carrier and Rati as his consort. But in this painting the bunch of arrows appear to contain only three and the Flag also seems to be absent.

Makara is not Manmatha's vehicle, but his banner carried by another being with the head of a horse. His chariot is the parrot.

Yes sir, You are right. Some time fish is used a flag symbol and Makahra as Flag carrier. It was used in that context as described by Swami Harshananda in his " A concise encyclopaedia of Hinduism" . But I think it does give a wrong impression that the word carrier as a Vehicle.

Thank you for your kind words Jay Shankar!

Manmatha as described in Rishibhaskariya

ಅಥ ಮನ್ಮಥ ಧ್ಯಾನಂ || ಋಷಿಭಾಸ್ಕರೀಯೇ || ಕಾಮದೇವಸ್ತು ಕರ್ತವ್ಯೋ ರೂಪೇಣಾ ಪ್ರತಿಮೋ ಭುವಿ | ಅಷ್ಟಬಾಹುಃ ಪ್ರಕರ್ತವ್ಯಃ ಶ್ಶಂಬಪದ್ಮವಿಭೂಷಿತಃ| ಚಾಪಬಾಣಕರಶ್ಚೈವ ಮದೋದಂಚಿತಲೋಚನಃ| ರತಿಃ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸ್ತಥಾ ಶಕ್ತಿರ್ಭೇದಶಕ್ತಿಸ್ತಥೋಜ್ಜ್ವಲಾ| ಚತಸ್ರಸ್ತಸ್ಯ ಕರ್ತವ್ಯಾಃ ಪತ್ನ್ಯೋ ರೂಪ ಮನೋಹರಾಃ| ಚತ್ಪಾರಶ್ಚ ಕರಾಸ್ತಸ್ಯ ಕಾರ್ಯಾ ಭಾರ್ಯಾಸ್ತನೋಪಗಾಃ| ಕೇತೌ ತು ಮಕರಃ ಕಾರ್ಯಾಃ ಪಂಚಬಾಣಾ ರಥೋ ಮಹಾನ್| ಕಾಮಂ ಕಾಂಚನಸಂನಿಭಮಿತಿ ಶೈವಾಗಮೇ | || ಸುವರ್ಣವರ್ಣಖ್|| kAmadEvastu kartavyO rUpENA pratimO bhuvi | aShTabAhuH prakartavyaH shshaMbapadmavibhUShitaH| cApabANakarashchaiva madOdaMcitalOcanaH| ratiH prItistathA shaktirbhEdashaktistathOjjvalA| catasrastasya kartavyAH patnyO rUpa manOharAH| catpArashca karAstasya kAryA bhAryAstanOpagAH| kEtau tu makaraH kAryAH paMcabANA rathO mahAn| kAmaM kAMcanasaMnibhamiti shaivAgamE | || suvarNavarNaK|| कामदॆवस्तु कर्तव्यॊ रूपॆणा प्रतिमॊ भुवि । अष्टबाहुः प्रकर्तव्यः श्शंबपद्मविभूषितः। चापबाणकरश्चैव मदॊदंचितलॊचनः। रतिः प्रीतिस्तथा शक्तिर्भॆदशक्तिस्तथॊज्ज्वला। चतस्रस्तस्य कर्तव्याः पत्न्यॊ रूप मनॊहराः। चत्पारश्च करास्तस्य कार्या भार्यास्तनॊपगाः। कॆतौ तु मकरः कार्याः पंचबाणा रथॊ महान्। कामं कांचनसंनिभमिति शैवागमॆ । ॥ सुवर्णवर्णख्॥

Here Manmatha - Kama deva is described as having eight hands, adorned with a conch shell and lotus . Carries a bow and an arrow. His eyes look intoxicated. Rati, Priti, Shakti and Bhedashakti are hiis lovely wivses. His four hands are shown fondling their breasts. A Makara ( a mythical sea creature ) is depicted in his flag and He has five arrows and a big chariot. As per shaivagama his body is of golden colour.

Raja Chandra: Thank you Sir!…for elaborating on the iconography of Manmatha. Amazing information...

Manmatha with Two arms as described in the Shaivagama and the Shaivapurna

ಅಥ ದ್ವಿಭುಜ ಮನ್ಮಥ ಧ್ಯಾನಂ || ಶೈವಾಗಮೇ || ಶೈವಪುರಾಣೇಚ || ಕಾಮಂ ಕಾಂಚನಸಂನಿಭಂ ದ್ವಿನಯನಂ ಸ್ತಾದ್ವಯೀಶೋಭಿತಂ| ದಿವ್ಯೈರಾಭರಣೈರುದಾರಸುಮನೋಬಾಣೇಕ್ಷುಚಾಪೈರ್ಯತಂ | ಆರೂಡಂ ಶುಕವಾಹನಂ ಹರಿಹರಬ್ರಂಹಾದಿಭಿರ್ವಂದಿತಂ| ವಂದೇಹಂ ಹರಿನಂದನಂ ರತಿಪತಿಂ ತ್ರೈಲೋಕ್ಯಸಂಮೋಹಕಂ| ಕಾಂಚನ ವರ್ಣಃ | ಕೇಷಾಚಿತ್ಪಕ್ಷೇ ಹರಿದ್ವರ್ಣಃ | ಕಾರ್ಯಃ | atha dvibhuja manmatha dhyAnaM || shaivAgamE || shaivapurANEca || kAmaM kAMcanasaMnibhaM dvinayanaM hastAdvayIshObhitaM | divyairAbharaNairudArasumanObANEkShucApairyataM | ArUDaM shukavAhanaM hariharabraMhAdibhirvaMditaM| vaMdEhaM harinaMdanaM ratipatiM trailOkyasaMmOhakaM | kAMcana varNaH | kEShAcitpakShE haridvarNaH | kAryaH | atha dvibhuja manmatha dhyAnaM || shaivAgamE || shaivapurANEca || kAmaM kAMcanasaMnibhaM dvinayanaM hastAdvayIshObhitaM | divyairAbharaNairudArasumanObANEkShucApairyataM | ArUDaM shukavAhanaM hariharabraMhAdibhirvaMditaM| vaMdEhaM harinaMdanaM ratipatiM trailOkyasaMmOhakaM | kAMcana varNaH | kEShAcitpakShE haridvarNaH | kAryaH |

Here Manmtha also known as Kama is described as son of Vishnu and husband of Rati. He is golden in complexion and is having two eyes and two hands. He is adorned with divine ornaments and his arrows are made of special flowers and bow made of cane. His is mounted on Parrot as his Vehicle . Hari Hara Bramha and others are bowing to him and the three worlds are fascinated by his presence. He is of Golden Complexion but according to some sources he is of green colour also.

Yes Mr. Chandra, Manmatha is depicted in either of those two forms, though many of the iconographic forms that I have come across depict him with two arms, alongside Rati. In the eight-armed version, four of them, as has been stated by you, rest on the bosoms of his consorts while the other four is said to carry the conch, disk/lotus, bow and arrow. In this form, his emblem is the fish, and not the makara. Also called Kamadeva or Pradyumna, he is supposed to be the son of Krishna and Vishnu. Pradyumna, though, is represented (as per the Agni Purana) as the figure of Vishnu holding the Conch, Mace, Lotus and Disk clockwise beginning with his upper right hand.

ಕೇತೌ ತು ಮಕರಃ ಕಾರ್ಯಾಃ... This is from the original text inscribed in the painting itself.

I see. Vishnudharmottara Purana has the banner of the eight-armed Manmatha as the fish. https://archive.org/stream/cu31924071128825#page/n715/mode/2up