Village Portraits in Mysore Wooden Inlays

Rajput paintings, from different sub-schools, depict the scenes of Radha and Krishna in the forests or gardens of Vrindavana, where Radha appears in the garments of Krishna as the blue-skinned Krishna veils his face with the chunri of Radha. Some of the inscriptions that accompany classic Ragamala paintings identify Ragini Bhairavi as a maiden (unmarried young woman), who is enamored by the aura of Bhairava, and with a single-minded devotional love, prays to Shiva, for receiving the hand of Bhairava in marriage. Seeing these artworks transports the audience into the romantic world of the subjects- a realm away from the narrowness of the world, where all expressions of Prema, Sringaar, and Kama have found an eternal, aesthetic haven.