Ragani Todi

Ragani Todi

from Chitrashala of the Bundi Palace
 18th century AD.

       In the Mahabharat and Ramayan it is mentioned that the palaces had a gallery for paintings called "chitrashala". Bundi Palace has the only living example in India. A portion of the palace is devoted only to paintings. This portion has paintings on different themes painted on the walls: Ragmala, religious paintings, Barahmasa ( depicting the twelve months). These are not frescoes,  which are painted while the plaster is still wet. These are murals which are painted after the plaster has dried.
       Since these paintings are done predominantly in bluish-green colors, the general impression is that the pallet of the Bundi artist was a limited one. But this is untrue.
         Here we see Ragani Todi. Ragani Todi depicts the pathos of separation between the lovers. The nayak ( the hero) is away. The nayaka (the heroine) plays the sitar or the vina (a string instrument) while lost in the thoughts about her lover. The beautiful melody attracts the deers, fauns or black bucks from the forest who have come to listen to the soulful music. The deer also symbolise the missing nayak. This iconography for Ragani Todi is prevalent in all the Schools of miniature paintings. Thus, the Ragani is easily identifiable. 
        Here using the bluish-green color, the artist has heightened the pathos of separation.  He has caught the essence of the Ragani, the musical mode.