Book provides new perspective on origins of Rajput miniature paintings

New Delhi: There was a school of Rajput painting that originated at the court of Orchha in the 1590s, which spread to Datia after the collapse of Orchha in 1635 and thereafter to the Bundela state ruled by Chattrasal, says a new book.

In "Origins of Orchha Painting: Orchha, Datia, Panna - Miniatures from the Royal Courts of Bundelkhand (1590–1850)", author Konrad Seitz provides a new perspective on the origins of Rajput miniature paintings.

In the illustrated volume, brought out by Niyogi Books and Artibus Asiae Publishers, the author offers a new perspective on what was previously considered the 'provincial' Malwa School of paintings, inspired by the 1605 Ragamala of Mewar.

The author proposes that the so-called 'Malwa' paintings are in fact the product of the Bundelkhand kingdoms of Orchha, Datia and Panna and that their origin dates from 1592-1595, inspired by the first Orchha Rasikapriya.

The author substantiates his theory with images of paintings from the first Orchha Rasikapriya, pointing out that these artworks depict the domed architecture of the Orchha and Datia palaces.

The colophons of the paintings too do not mention Malwa.

The author, therefore, concludes that there was a school of Rajput painting that originated at the court of Orchha in the 1590s, which spread to Datia, after the collapse of Orchha in 1635, and thereafter to the Bundela state ruled by Chattrasal.

The death of Chattrasal in 1731 brought an end to the Bundelkhand School of painting, which only resumed during British rule, at the court of Datia.

Seitz is a diplomat and art collector who lived in India for many years and served as the German ambassador to this country from 1987 to 1990. This is the first of a planned three-book series on paintings from the royal court of Bundelkhand.

The book offers two ways of looking at the paintings, one as a rasika or connoisseur and the other as a bhakta or devotee.

The author explains the religious concepts of Hinduism, including the Bhakti movement and its impact on art and culture. He also discusses the aesthetics of Indian painting, comparing symbolic and mimetic representation and describing the Rasa theory as explained in Bharata's Natya Shastra.

The subject matter of most of the paintings is Krishna and his love play with the gopis in Vrindavan.

The historical precursors to the Orchha paintings are explained by the author as he traces the history of Jaina painting (c. 1375-1450) and Sultanate painting (c.1440-1526). He discusses how these led to the early Rajput style at the Tomar court in Gwalior (c. 1460-1518) and then the first period of Orchha painting (c. 1590-1605).

The book features images of the Palam Bhagavat Purana with their features explained in minute detail.

The chapter 'Painting at the Bundela Courts of Orchha, Datia and Panna' includes a chronology of the Bundela rajas of these kingdoms and goes on to explain how the decline of the Mughals, the rise of the Marathas and the emergence of the British as a colonial power in India affected this geographical region.

The author praises the British for establishing a 'Pax Britannica' in central India in the early 1800s, and states that the revival of miniature painting at the court of Datia happened during this time.

The last section of the book contains paintings that illustrate the manuscripts of the first Orchha Rasikapriya, Gitagovinda and Ramayana. The author stresses these paintings are untouched by the naturalism of Akbari Mughal painting and adhere to the two-dimensional Indian mode of representation.