Explore Pocket Galleries by One Self
Leisurely pace up and down inside a gallery from home.
Celebrations
Miniature painters in India often depicted celebrations of joyous events and festivals with vivid and vibrant detail. Holi, the most colourful of festivals, was enthusiastically played by people across religion, caste, class, and gender. The painting Krishna Playing Holi’ expresses this playful exuberance of colour.
Faith
The Bhakti movement was a religious movement that started in the 15th century in East and North India. The movement was inspired by poet-saints who emphasised alternative paths to spiritual enlightenment, Bhakti, which in fact characterised by passionate devotion to a deity. The Bhakti movement found its expression in Indian painting as many texts such as the Gita Govinda were lavishly illustrated.
Power
Power never mute. The miniatures in this collection depict the fluidity of power through the gods, kings, queens, and nobles that shaped the course of dynasties and kingdoms.
The earliest Indian miniature paintings date to 10th century CE, tell stories of lives ecperiences, and the form evolved over centuries, through palm leaf to paper, and to using materials like lapis lazuli.
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