Painting showing a man on a swing listening to his consorts performing. They are playing musical instruments including drums and stringed instruments.
AKM923, Hindola Raga, A painting from a Ragamala series

© The Aga Khan Museum

Back board of painting with some wear.
AKM923, Hindola Raga, A painting from a Ragamala series, Back

© The Aga Khan Museum

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Hindola Raga
A painting from a Ragamala series
  • Accession Number:AKM923
  • Place:India, Deccan
  • Dimensions:32 cm × 24 cm
  • Date:ca. 1725
  • Materials and Technique:Opaque watercolour and gold on paper.

There is an intriguing genre specific to Indian painting that relates to music and the emotions. This painting, for instance, is said to evoke what a person would feel when hearing a particular musical mode (raga), intended to be played in the morning during the spring. It shows a man on a swing (hindola), listening to his consorts performing. They are playing musical instruments including the drums (dholak and pakhawaj) and the stringed instruments known as the vina and the tanpura.

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