Ragamala paintings are a beautiful fusion of art, poetry and music that are inspired by the classical musical moods called ragas. They have the capacity to evoke certain emotions depending on the type of raga represented. Each raga is used to represent a particular season, day, and even time of the day. The paintings generally represent a love theme that depicts nayaka-nayika in human form, epitomising the emotion of the raga.
Raga Hindola
Raga Hindola is sung to welcome the spring time. Hindola in Sanskrit means ‘swing’ and the paintings associated with Hindola Raga elicit young love in springtime, represented usually by Krishna and Radha. The couple in love is portrayed embracing each other on a swing, their young love blossoming like the nature around them in spring time.
Raga Hindola is associated with five Raginis: Ragini Vailavili, Ramkiri, deshkhiya, patmanjari and Lalit.
Ragini Vailavili
Ragini Vailavili
Ragini Vailavali is represented by a woman who remembers the place where she last met her lover, amidst the forest. Her blue complexioned body is adorned with rich clothes and ornaments. She meditates on her deity Kamadeva who is shown here, mounted on a tree with a bow and arrow directing towards the woman.
Ragini Ramkiri
Ragini Ramkiri is portrayed as a woman or nayika who is dressed in blue clothes, adorned with heavy ornaments. She is blissfully sitting with her lover, embracing, and looking him in his eyes.
Ragini Ramkiri
Ragini Deshakhiya
Ragini Deshakhiya
Ragini Deshakhiya, celebrates love at night. Represented by a woman who according to the inscription is ‘brave, so much so that she oozes rasa of veer(valour). Her forehead illuminates like that of a moon, she entices her lover by embracing him around his neck.’ Ragini Deshakhiya is called valorous here, probably because she initiates the act of love and is quite confident in her demeanour.
Ragini Patmanjari
Patmanjari Ragini is portrayed as a woman in grief, surrounded by her female friends. Separated from her lover, her sadness is reflected on her body, which though very beautiful, but because of the utter sadness, is getting pale steadily. Consoled by her friends, the woman is still lost in her deep sorrow.
Ragini Patmanjari
Lalit Ragini
Lalit Ragini is represented by a woman who in the morning hours is asleep on her bed. According to the inscription, she has worn a garland of fresh flowers, and she has beautiful big lotus-like eyes. Her husband has come in early morning, where he stands at the entrance of the room and he admires her beauty.
Lalit Ragini
Raga Deepak
Raga Deepak is an important raga in classical music, usually sung at night. It evokes the mood of intimacy between lovers. Raga Deepak is portrayed as a king or a usual male lover and according to the verse written at the top ‘who after playing with his lady love extinguished the flames around their bed. The dark night illuminates the gemstones of nayika's jewellery which makes her shy.’ The raga particularly focuses on the intimacy between the lovers.
Raga Deepak is accompanied by five Raginis: Kedari, Kardni, Deshi, Kamodi and Natika that focus on the Raginis represented by women in different emotional states.
Raga Deepak
Ragini Kedari
Kedari Ragini is portrayed as a woman who seems to have taken up an ascetic life. She wears knotted hair tied into a bun at the top of her head. She has worn a robe usually worn by yogis. She holds a veena in her hand and is indulged in an intellectual conversation with another yogi sitting in the front. The full moon on the horizon seems to be the best time for her to meditate on God Shiva.
Ragini Kedari
Ragini Kardni
Ragini Kardini is represented by a woman who stands valorously with a sword in one hand and an ivory piece in the other. She is venerated by men from devaloka, who sing the songs of her valour. Here she is standing with a halo around her head and men from devaloka sing praises of her with instruments in their hands.
Ragini Kardni
Ragini Deshi
Ragini deshi is represented by a woman, decked in heavy jewellery and green attire. According to the inscription, she gets enticed by the night, and ends up waking her lover out of the sleep by her art of seduction, her body is full of shringara rasa at this point of night. She looks at the man with a lot of love. The painting presents an erotic picture before the onset of lovemaking.
Ragini Deshi
Kamodi Ragini
Kamodi Ragini is represented by a woman who wears yellow clothing and has beautiful hair. She sits by the lake, lost in her thoughts. She feels terribly lonely after being left by her lover. She cries at the sound of the peacocks surrounding her as it reminds her of the better times of togetherness with her man. She feels anxious and looks here and there in vulnerability.
Kamodi Ragini
- Google Arts & Culture. “Raga Hindola - Google Arts & Culture,” n.d.
- “Hindola Raga | Cleveland Museum of Art,” n.d.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Dipak Raga: Folio From a Ragamala Series (Garland of Musical Modes) | India (Madhya Pradesh, Ragugar?) | the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” n.d.
- Google Arts & Culture. “Painted Melodies - Google Arts & Culture,” n.d.
