Thai depictions of Hindu deities, from a 1977 publication

Śiva Garuḍa

A woman plays a sitar while seated next to a garden pond. Ravi Varma, 1800s
(dm to purchase a print) Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha enthroned on Mount Kailasa with Nandi; Ravi Varma, 19th century.
(prints available!)

Vishnu and Lakshmi Flying Upon Garuda
c. 1820; Possibly from Garwahl Region, Uttarakhand, or Kangra, Himachal Pradesh (1/4) inscription on verso is the popular śloka on Viṣṇu:

शान्ताकारं भुजगशयनं पद्मनाभं सुरेशं
विश्वाधारं गगनसदृशं मेघवर्णं शुभाङ्गम् ।
लक्ष्मीकान्तं कमलनयनं योगिभिर्ध्यानगम्यं
वन्दे विष्णुं भवभयहरं सर्वलोकैकनाथम् ॥

‘Tanaji`s Vow’ to capture the fort of Sinhagad in 1670 Subhedar’s daughter

Photograph of the Mirabai Temple and of the Kumbha Shyama Temple at Chittaurgarh, taken by an unknown photographer in the 1900s.

The temple in the foreground is the Kumbha Shyama Temple, situated in the fort and originally built in the 8th c. during the Pratihara period. In the background is the temple dedicated to the 15th century saint princess of Jodhpur Meera Bai, who was famous for her poetic compositions and bhakti for Sri Krishna.

THREAD: Divine illustrations by Vaddadi Papaiah (1921-92), also known by the name VaPa; Telugu illustrator best known for his work on the covers of children's magazine Chandamama.

A Brahmin of the priestly caste and his wife

Company school
Thanjavur (Tanjore)
c. 1770
Art Gallery NSW A Hindu cultivator or farmer and his wife

Company school
Thanjavur (Tanjore)
c. 1770
Art Gallery NSW

Sir John Dalling and fellow officers watching a nautch. Two of the officers use an eyeglass to observe the action more closely. They are comfortably seated on chairs under a tent, with an attendant standing behind them. In front of the officers are two girls in vividly coloured garments which leave the midriff bare. Both are profusely bejewelled. Their hands are raised in expressive mudras while their feet stamp to the beat of the drums and cymbals played by the accompanying musicians.

Thread: Gold currency issued by the Gupta empire:

Kumāragupta I:
Laksmi seated facing on lotus, with halo around head, wearing lower garments and jewellery. Right hand outstretching holding fillet and left hand holding the stem of lotus. Reverse: Kumaragupta I, standing facing left with halo around head, wearing decorated coat and trousers. Left hand holds a bow and right hand holds an arrow. In left field a Garuda standard.

Ruler: Kumaragupta I
Gupta period

Date: 415-447 AD

Devi Mahatmya manuscript, Telugu translation of Sanskrit. Both paintings are concerned with the forces of Devi, represented in the form of grotesque leonine creatures, devastating the armies of a rogue king.
Mysore
ca. 1825
opaque watercolour and gold on paper.
VAM The rulers of Mysore, descendants of the feudal chiefs of the kings of the Vijayanagara kingdom, fiercely sought to preserve the Hindu values and culture of their court in the face of Muslim pressures from the surrounding southern Deccan.

Leaves from Illuminated Manuscript of the Jnaneshvari

These pages are from a lavishly illustrated 18th-century copy of the Jnaneshvari, a 13th-centruy commentary on the great Sanskrit text, the Bhagavad Gita.

VMFA (Leaves from Illuminated Manuscript of the Jnaneshvari, 18th century)

Illustrations of the Rāmayana by Laxman Pai 1982; Water colour, brush, pen and ink on paper

Rama is born

In the forest with Vishwamitra

Defeat of Paraśurāma

Breaking of bow and wedding to Sita Kaikeyi's two wishes

Rama, Lakshmana and Sita are exiled

Sita spots a golden deer

Ravana carries Sita away

Pages from Picturesque Nepal by Percy Brown
published 1912 from Picturesque Nepal by Percy Brown
published 1912

Paintings by Avinab Mukherjee

Mahishāsuramardhini Bhuvaneswari

An avatar of Vishnu blessing a king
Andhra Pradesh, probably Tirupathi, c. 1750
opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper;
Christies Drawing of Vishnu
ink on paper
Andhra Pradesh, probably Tirupathi, c. 1750
opaque pigments heightened with gold on paper;
Christies

Dr Oldfield was Residency Surgeon at Kathmandu from 1850-1863. His 'Sketches from Nipal, Historical and Descriptive...' (1880), describes life in the court of the Maharajah Jung Bahadur and contains descriptions of Buddhist architecture, together with watercolor illustrations. 1. Bhairava Temple at Bhaktapur: "Bhairab and his consort Bhairavi are popular forms of Mahadeo and Parvati, worshipped by Buddhists as well as Hindus. Bhairava is an incarnation of Shiva, the most popular deity in Nipal, where he is looked on as a guardian-angel of the country..

A body being taken to a cremation pyre. The son of the deceased, bearing a container holding the fire to set the funeral pyre alight, heads the procession, followed by..
more info instagram.com/p/CE6p_FXg4Ow/…
Company School
1820-1830
Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu
British Museum A group of ten acrobats displaying their skills before a group of seven men, variously dressed in lungis, dhotis and jamas, standing in the shade of a tree.
Company School
1820-1830
Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu
British Museum

Thread: Pichwai, a 400 year old style of painting developed by the Pushti Marg sect of Vaishnavism in Nathdwara depicting Shrinathji

Hiroshi Yoshida (1876–1950, Japanese) is regarded as one of the greatest artists of the shin-hanga style. He traveled widely and was knowledgeable in Western aesthetics, yet maintained an allegiance to traditional Japanese techniques and traditions.

1. Elephant (Rajasthan,1931) In 1930, he spent several months travelling in India and Southeast Asia. After his return to Japan, he produced a series of woodblock prints inspired by his travels.
2. Ajmer Gate, 1931
3. Great Temple at Madura

Entrance to Gudha Mandapa of the Surya Temple, Modhera
Cousens, Henry
1885 Open mandapa of the Surya Temple from the south-west, Modhera, Gujarat
Photographer: Cousens, Henry
Medium: Photographic print
Date: 1885

Uma Maheshvara, Nandua, Nawadah; 10th to 12th century; now at Patna Museum, accession no. 11065; photo courtesy American Institute of Indian Studies (henceforth AIIS), Gurgaon Uma Maheshvara, Kashtaharini Ghat, Munger represents the icon in its ‘classic’ Eastern Indian pose; 9th to 10th century; now at Patna Museum, accession no. 6837; photo courtesy AIIS, Gurgaon