Page from a Ragamala Series: Panchamaputra of Raga Bhairava (Primary Title)
Page from a Ragamala Series: Panchama Ragaputra (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
Like the three pictures to the left, this ragamala page was painted in the Punjab Hills kingdom of Kahlur—more often known by the name of its capital, Bilaspur. It was, however, made about half a century earlier than that trio, and its coloration and composition are far bolder. In the more prevalent Painters System, Panchama appears as a ragini in the Sri Raga family, but in Kshemankara’s expanded scheme, he is one of eight sons of Bhairava Raga. And unlike his iconography in the former—a noble with musicians or dancers—Panchama is imagined as an ash-smeared ascetic seated on a hill. The tranquility of his meditation draws predators and their prey to his sides, and the fantastic tree behind him gives form to his extraordinary yogic power. From a trunk that seems almost an extension of his spine split five limbs, each supporting a starburst of foliage.
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