A Ragamala painting is a correlation between the art of music and painting. An ancient art form of India, where music, poetry and painting come together to mesmerize the senses. ‘Ragamala' literally means ‘A Garland of Melodies'. It is basically a display of a raga (various Indian musical mode), in the form of a painting. Ragamala paintings were produced in most schools of India painting, in the 16th and 17th centuries.
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| Ragmala Painting of Rag (Ragini) |
Types of Ragamala Paintings
- Pahari Ragamala
- Rajasthan or Rajput Ragamala
- Deccan Ragamala
- Mughal Ragamala
Charateristics of Ragamala Paintings
In these painting each raga is depicted by a mood, colour, a verse telling a story of a hero and heroine (nayaka and nayika). It also displays the season and the time of day and night in which a particular raga is to be sung. And we also have ragamal paintings showing the specific Hindu deities attached with the raga, like Bhairava or Bhairavi to Shiva, Sri to Devi etc. The paintings depict not just the Ragas, but also their wives (raginis), their numerous sons (ragaputra) and daughters (ragaputri).
Principal Ragas
There are six principal ragas found in the Ragamala:
- Bhairava
- Dipika
- Sri
- Malkaunsa
- Megha
- Hindola
These ragas are meant to be sung during the six seasons of the year - summer, monsoon, autumn, early winter, winter and spring.
Ragamala Paintings Art Gallery
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| Hindola_Raga,_Ragamala,_17th_century |
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| Rajasthan-Ragmala |
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| Pancham_Ragini_Ragamala,1680-1690 |
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| Radha-Krishna_a_depiction_of_Bhairava_Raga |
