Rectangular painting in a tan-coloured mat board. Painting shows a blue-skinned woman seated on a rock, next to a riverbank. She holds a snake in one hand, and snakes twist around the trunks of the trees behind her. There are ducks in the river, and birds in the background.
AKM170, Painting of the Musical Mode “Asavari” (Asavari Ragini)

© The Aga Khan Museum

A tan-coloured mat board, with discolouration along edges and corners, two rectangular marks on the top edge, one at each corner. Purple/Blue spot in the middle of the page.
AKM170, Painting of the Musical Mode “Asavari” (Asavari Ragini), Back

© The Aga Khan Museum

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Painting of the Musical Mode “Asavari” (Asavari Ragini)
  • Accession Number:AKM170
  • Place:Northern India, Bundi
  • Dimensions:33.2 x 23.7 cm
  • Date:ca. 1770
  • Materials and Technique:opaque watercolour and ink on paper

  • Ragamala paintings, unique to India, seek to capture the spirit and emotion of Indian classical music through pictures of figures engaging in different activities. The emotion of the musical mode of Asavari is metaphorically expressed as a woman who has fled to the woods to escape a deceitful lover.

    In this context, the blue colour of her skin indicates her status as someone who lives on the fringes of society. It also signifies that she possesses unusual powers, including the ability to tame snakes.

Note: This online resource is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. We are committed to improving this information and will revise and update knowledge about this object as it becomes available.

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