Sringara Rasa

in Indian Miniature Painting

Appreciation of Indian Art

Subarna Ghoshal
Roll no.6, Session 2016-17
 Acknowledgement

I would begin by thanking the Almighty for being there with me always.

I would wish to share my deep respect to Swami Tattwatinanda for being kind
and co-operative in permitting me to undergo this course along with completion
of dissertation at this esteemed institute.

I express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor Dr. Swati Bhattacharya, Associate

Professor, Department of Language and Literature, Govt. College of Art and Craft,
Kolkata, who so lovingly guided me to write the dissertation on Sringara Rasa in
Indian Miniature Painting and provided me with encouragement, co-operation
and timely help while completing this dissertation.

I would like to express my humble thanks to Shri Arun Ghose, Co-ordinator of

AOIA, Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark, Kolkata. Without his
teaching, support and assistance this work would have never taken off.

Last but not the least, I thank the entire Department of Appreciation of Indian
Art as well as Mr. Somnath and other staffs of Ramakrishna Mission Institute of
Culture, Golpark, Kolkata for their support during my entire studentship.

Subarna Ghoshal
 Certificate of Originality

This is to certify that this dissertation paper entitled ‘Sringara Rasa in Indian
Miniature Painting’, prepare and submitted by Subarna Ghoshal in partial
fulfillment of the requirement for the Certificate Course in Appreciation of
Indian Art conducted by Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, is
an original piece of work.

This dissertation has been done under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Swati
Bhattacharya, and has not been submitted earlier to any other Institution for
the fulfillment as per the requirement of any course of study.

Subarna Ghoshal
(Roll no. 6, Session 2016 -17)

Prof. Dr. Swati Bhattacharya,

Associate Professor, Department of Language and Literature
Govt College of Art and Craft, Kolkata
 Contents

1. Indian Art: Where form is the gateway to the inner soul

2. Indian Miniature Painting

3. The Philosophy of Rasa in Indian Art

What is Rasa?
Bhava – The culmination of Vibhava, Anubhava and
Vyabhicharibhava
The Nine Bhavas
The Nine Rasa

4. Sringara Rasa – The sentiment of love and passion

Sambhoga Sringara
Vipralambha Sringara

5. Paintings invoking the Sringara Rasa

An Elopement
Lovers in a Swing
The First Glance
The Longing of Love
The Pavilion of Love
Krishna and Kubja
Abhisarika Heroine
The Cage of Love: Krishna’s impatience
The Gale of Love
Unending Passion
Radha Longing for Krishna
Radhika’s Manifest Agitation

6. Conclusion
Indian Art: Where form is the gateway to the
inner soul
Indian paintings are objects where each thought is layered on top of the next one. So every
time we see them a new meaning emerges. In Indian painting to identify a scene is easy but
to decipher the visual language and vocabulary of the painter is quite intriguing since natural
appearances is easily discarded in favour of poetically or spiritually conceived conventions.
By doing this they challenge our ideas about natural appearances and lead us to a different
way of seeing. So in Indian painting, form becomes the first layer or the gateway to the
emotional or poetically conceived vision that the form encapsulates. So each form or element
on the picture plane indicates a new thought or invokes a new emotion that gives rises to
many clues leading to the crux of the thought hidden in the picture.

The ways of looking at things are infinite in numbers when it comes to Indian paintings. So
within the same work, point of views, lines of sight are changed according to the need of the
situation many a times which may be emotional. The best part of these constant shifts of
point of view is there is no discomfort or awareness that some of the visual elements or forms
are changed on the picture plane. The viewer doesn’t feel any disorientation that a perceived
convention of form is getting distorted at the painters personal visual language instead they
flow with the emotion and story of the picture and gets immersed in it.

The early artist could clearly communicate to the viewer that in a scene things at the top were
further away than those in the middle or bottom of the paintings. The artist’s logic seems to
say that there are no fixed points in space. So if one were moving in space from one point to
another, perceptions of relationships between objects and places would necessarily change.

In portraiture too artists were focused to capture the inner reality that was the essence of the
person rather than the exactness of his appearance. The images created preferred to capture
the characteristics or the perceived attributes that define an individual rather than the typical
features of this bodily form. Its not that the painters lacked observation or the skill to create
a likeness to a human form but he was only focused and interested in the salient aspects
especially when portraiture of great personalities were concerned.

Most of the Indian paintings can be identified with bold lines, vibrant colours like red, yellow,
blue and dark greens. Colours used in the painting were mostly for evocative purposes and
were in harmony with the mood or emotion a painting extrudes rather than what the reality
of the scene would have been. Different emotions are associated with certain colours and
painters made a certain colour the dominant one in a picture where a certain emotion was
depicted. Figures were mainly done in profile and feminine beauty was portrayed by lotus
like eyes, waving hairs, thin waist, rounded and long fingers and ample amount of grace by
beautiful flowing lines. Nature was beautifully captures in very simplified forms of trees and
flowers on a lush colour of flat background. The subjects those triumphed over other topics
as the theme of most paintings were nature and the emotion of love depicted through scenes
from folklore, famous literature, poetics, religious themes and great epics.

Thus the Indian painter tries to give expression to some indefinable ideal of beauty in his
heart and he is not satisfied till his external drawing is in consonance with the internal
emotional picture he has envisioned. This emotional urge to give the outer form a sense of
the felt or perceived emotion by the Indian painters make them totally different and each
of their created art forms a loaded objects of layered clues to the inner world of emotions
and sentiments that keeps unfurling when each of these clues comes in contact with the
connoisseur of Indian art.
Indian Miniature Painting
In India miniature painting tradition is very old. The miniature format of painting in India
mainly comprises of manuscript painting on palm leaves and later paper, single format
miniature paintings set inside albums.

Like a book miniature paintings were meant to be taken in the hand and seen from close
quarters so that the eye could linger on the small surface of the painting and take in all the
details like the luminous colours and subtlety of detail processing and conjuring up a matrix of
thoughts and emotions those beautiful paintings evoked. Thus these paintings were referred
to as ‘a delight for the eye, a comfort to the mind’.

Early manuscript paintings were mostly religious in nature and consist of Jain, Buddhist and
Hindu manuscript paintings. These were mostly done on palm leaves in horizontal format. In
later Mughal period we come across manuscript paintings on paper done in vertical format.
After the initial period of religious content in manuscript painting the content later changed
to accommodate literary ones and more secular subjects.

Initial palm leave manuscripts were long and narrow in format. The leaves were enclosed
between wooden boards whose inside surfaces were also sometimes painted. When paper
became the new surface on which the manuscripts were painted, it became more compact
rectangular in shape.

The technique used is gouache or opaque watercolour on paper through many stages. The five
main colours that were used are red, blue, yellow, black and white obtained from mineral and
vegetal sources. The first step is to draw in the rough outlines in charcoal that is later firmed
up in sanguine with a brush and details are introduced. A thin coat of transparent priming
in white follows this so that the drawing underneath is visible. Then the drawing is finalized
with black lines. Blemishes are removed and burnishing in done after which colour is applied.
First coat of pigment is thin. Pigments are applied in stages, layer after layer. After each coat
of colour is applied, the painting is placed face down on a flat surface and burnished from the
back with agate stone or conch shell, using pressure. The final steps involves opening up the
painting with fine details, shading and minute details are painted impasto like the ornaments
and facial details.

The category of paintings termed as miniature paintings belongs to the group of paintings
those emerged after the age of mural paintings, being small in scale varying between smaller
than porstcards and not larger than a metre in height. But the best thing about miniature
paintings is their preciousness and jewel like character that binds the viewer with the
paintings so very intimately.

Some of the well-known manuscript series that have survived the test of time and came to
limelight are:
Kalpasutra Kalakacharyakatha Pancharaksha
Laur Chanda Baramasa Mahabharata
Ramayana Chaurapanchasika Bhagavata Purana
Gita Govinda Ragmala Rasamanjari
Rasikapriya Hamzanama Babarnama
Shahnama Akbarnama Jahangirnama
The Philosophy of Rasa in Indian Art
The idea of Rasa is integral to Indian theory of art and it is the fundamental basis of Indian
aesthetics. It is the comprehensive principle signifying the art process in all its phases. Rasa
is a term that defines the two processes of artistic and aesthetic cumulatively. According to
Visnudharmottara the criterion of a good painting is that it should be expressive or saturated
with the appropriate Rasa. A good painter is the one who does not depict but suggests
inner visions and experiences and that suggestion is the soul of artistic interpretation. This
suggestion by the artists via his artistic creation evokes emotions resulting in an out of the
world kind of sentiment in the viewer and this indefinable, metaphysical feeling is called
relishing of the Rasa. According to Samaranganasutradhara the purpose or aim of a painting
is the depiction of moods and sentiments and defines the Rasa as the basis of a good painting.
Thus a work of art possessing Rasa is designated as Rasavat or Rasavanta i.e. full of Rasa.

The concept of Rasa is from Natyasastra written by Bharata Muni, which is the most detail and
elaborate of all treatises on dramatic criticism and acting. It was written during the period
between 200 BC and 200 AD in classical India. According to the Rasa theory of Natyasastra
entertainment is desired effect of performance arts, but not the primary goal, and that the
primary goal is to transport the individual in the audience into another parallel reality, full of
wonder and bliss, where he experiences the essence of his own consciousness, and reflects
on spiritual and moral questions.

In material sense Rasa means sap or extract of plants but in secondary sense it means the
non-material essence of a thing or its best or finest part, like the fragrance in a rose flower.
In its tertiary sense Rasa denotes flavor or the relish or pleasure derived when consuming
or handling the physical object. In its final sense or in the context of art and aesthetics
experience, Rasa denotes a state of supreme delight or bliss that can be experience by spirit
only, giving a sense of spiritual enlightenment. So a work of art that is full of delight can be
denoted as Sarasa and the one that is devoid of it can be denoted Neerasa. This aesthetic
experience of supreme delight can be called Rasasvadana or the tasting of the flavor. But
anybody or everybody is not equipped to feel this out worldly feeling. Only a connoisseur or a
viewer with knowledge and eagerness for viewing a work of art i.e. a rasika can be sahridaya
with the work of art and experience Rasa. Thus the Rasa experience exclusively belongs to
the Rasika or viewer and not with the creator. This ability to imagine and have the capacity to
receive the intended passion that a work of art induces is the characteristic of a true Rasika.

The experience of Rasa is transcendental i.e. beyond ordinary experience. When a work of
art makes the viewer disengage from their daily personal mundane experience and feel an
altogether different ecstasy, then it is the feeling of Rasa.

The process of relishing Rasa from a work of art is both objective and subjective. The work
of art is objective but as soon as a person relishes the Rasa from that art object, then the
person gets connected to it making it personal and a subjective process. Rasa is not catharsis.
Here the heart is not lightened through a work of art. Rasa can be experienced through the
emotions those are painful in reality, like sorrow, fear or disgust. But when these same painful
real life emotions are depicted in a work of art can engross and engage the viewer deeply,
taking them beyond the ordinary everyday emotion to something, which is transcendental,
and these same painful real life emotions become much above everyday mundane experience.
This is more so since when emotions are felt via a work of art, the viewer is detached from
them personally and feels them through the characters and situations within the work of
art making them extraordinary. So aesthetic delight is a conscious enjoyment felt from the
beauty of some objects. These beautiful objects which gives us this undefined pleasure is
called a work of art and through art we communicate our sense of beauty to each other.
Though Rasa is unique and indivisible and the process of relishing of Rasa is one and only
kind of experience, this singular experience can be reached through one of the nine kinds of
sentiments. If we compare Rasa to a ray of light, then the nine different sentiments are like
the different colours of a white light when passed through a prism. Each of the nine Rasas
evolves from its equivalent emotions/ moods or Bhavas. There are factors that triggers the
Rasa experience and these factors are discussed in the chapter 6 of Natyasastra where the
Rasa theory is explained in detail and begins its discussion with a sutra called the Rasa sutra:

“Rasa is produced from a combination of Determinants (Vibhava), Consequents

(Anubhava) and Transitory States (Vyabhicharibhavas)”

Vibhava or Determinants are conditions that evoke the Rasa experience. It comprises of
the content, the emotional state and the evocative situations. Vibhava can be classified as
Uddipana Vibhava and Alambana Vibhava. Uddipana Vibhava is the situations and/or
conditions that help to grow the emotional state. Alambana Vibhava on the other hand is the
objects/characters those are involved in the emotional state.

Anubhava or Consequents are expressions that result from the Vibhavas. This is the response
that arises together with an aesthetic feeling or as a result of an emotion in an art situation.
These expressions can of three kinds – Verbal, Physical and Mental.

Vyabhicharibhavas or Transitory State are the assisting emotions or transitory moods that
help develop or attain a permanent emotion or Sthayibhava. There are 33 transitory emotions
that assist the primary emotion to attain permanency in a viewers mind.

Sthayibhava or Permanent Emotion is that impression that exists permanently in human

mind in latent form and is evoked by certain factors. In the process of relishing a Rasa a
number of different moods can be felt but there will be one master emotion/passion that
unifies them all and lingers permanently in the connoisseur’s mind and this can be regarded
as the ruling sentiment of that work of art. This is Sthayibhava.

Asthayibhavas are those momentary emotions that seize to exist in isolation and help the
permanent emotion to be realized.

Thus the relishing of Rasa is a process when Vibhava, Anubhava and Vyabhicharibhavas are
combined to invoke a Sthayibhava in the mind of a Rasika. When this relishing happens, a
‘churning of the heart’ is felt at the end of which a dominant state of Sthayibhava is reached.

This experience of Rasa is accompanied by some involuntary bodily responses when in a

state of deep emotion and these involuntary bodily responses are called Sattvikabhavas
or temperamental state. There are eight Sattvikabhavas, which are perspiration, trembling,
fainting, weeping, paralysis, change of voice, change of colour and horripilation or hair of the
body rising in happiness.

Thus according to Bharata Muni, “Just as a tree grows from a seed, and flowers and fruits
(that includes the seed) from a tree, so the sentiments are the source or root of all the
states, and likewise the state exist as the source of all the sentiments.”
So Bhava is the flower and Rasa is the fruit.

There are Nine durable or dominant emotions or Sthayibhavas. These are:

Rati (love) Shoka (sorrow) Krodha (anger)
Utsaha (energy) Bhaya (fear) Jugupsa (disgust)
Vismaya (astonishment) Shama (equanimity) Lasya (merriment)
Each of these nine durable emotions or Sthayibhavas give rise to or corresponds to nine
sentiments or Rasas. Thus the nine Rasas are corresponding to nine Bhavas are:
1. Sringara (erotic) relating to Rati (love)
2. Hasya (comic) relating to Lasya (merriment)
3. Karuna (pathetic) relating to Shoka (sorrow)
4. Raudra (furious) relating to Krodha (anger)
5. Vira (heroic) relating to Utsaha (energy)
6. Bhayankara (terrible) relating to Bhaya (fear)
7. Bibhatsa (odious) relating to Jugupsa (disgust)
8. Adbhuta (marvelous) relating to Vismaya (astonishment)
9. Shanta (tranquility) relating to Shama (equanimity)

The colour scheme in Indian art varies according to the Rasa dominant in the psychic makeup
of the painting. Thus there are designated colours for each of the nine Rasa which help
connecting the emotions of the viewer with the work of art. These are as follows:
1. Sringara – Shyama or bluish black
2. Hasya – Svet or white
3. Karuna – Kapota or dove coloured
4. Raudra – Red
5. Vira – Gaura or yellow
6. Bhayanaka – Kala or black
7. Bibhatsa – Blue
8. Adbhuta – Golden yellow
9. Shanta – Ivory or moon coloured

The soul of a work of art or the essence of a painting is whether it has the ability to invoke a
spiritual delight or makes the viewer relish Rasa. Thus no composition can proceed without
Rasa. All fine art in India seek the maturation and stabilization of Rasa theory, which throws
open the vistas of transcendental reality, invoking a profound joy and exaltation of the soul
by emotional correlating of all art creation and appreciation.
Sringara Rasa – The sentiment of love
and passion
Sringara is the most important of the nine Rasas. It is the king of all sentiments and is thus
referred as ‘Rasaraja’ or ‘Rasapati’ or lord of all sentiments. It is said to be whatever is sacred,
pure, placid and worth seeing and feeling. It is about the kind of love both divine and human,
passion being its key ingredient. Sringara Rasa is that sentiment through which a shringa or
peak is reached i.e. the climax of delight through rasasvadana or tasting of the Rasa.

In this world of ours, anything that is white, pure, bright and beautiful is appreciated the most.
Similarly when a person in elegantly dressed to enhance her beauty, she is called a lovely
person (Sringarin). When in love a person looks beautiful both from inside and outside as
she takes extra care to dress nicely to look more beautiful for her beloved. Hence this erotic
emotion that is associated with everything bright and elegant is thus named Sringara. It owes
its origin to men and women in love and relates to the fullness of youth.

According to Natyasastra, “Rati – love is a feeling of pleasure. It is produced on achievement

of desire; to be acted sweetly and gracefully.”

Sringara Rasa arises from the permanent emotion or Sthayibhava of Rati or love. It is the
mutual enjoyment of love between a male and a female and is the reciprocal joyful gestures
of a man towards a woman contributing to mutual enjoyment of love.

The emergence of the permanent emotion or Sthayibhava of love happens when the
Vibhavas of a person immersed in the thought of love in the complementary surroundings
of spring season dressed in beautiful attire, bejeweled and decorated in flower garlands is
in the company of his or her beloved expresses the Anubhavas of soft glances, sensual and
delicate movement of body, suggestive eye movements with simultaneous occurrence of
Vyabhicharibhavas of impatience, agitation, horripilation, it gives rise to the sentiment or
Rasa of Sringara.

Sringara Rasa is of two kinds - (i) love in union or fulfillment i.e. Sambhoga (ii) love in
separation or non-fulfillment i.e. Vipralambha.

The erotic sentiment of Sambhoga or union arises from determinants or Vibhavas like the
pleasure of the season, the enjoyment of garlands, body bejeweled with ornaments, company
of the beloved person, playing and dallying with ones beloved etc. The consequents or
Anubhavas expressed are clever movement of eyes and eyebrows, signifying glances, soft
and delicate movement of limbs, sweet words etc. The transitory states or Vyabhicharibhavas
arising can be any one of the 33 states excepting fear, indolence, cruelty and disgust.

The erotic sentiment of separation or Vipralambha arises from determinants like the objects
or situations that remind of ones beloved and the consequents expressed are indifference,
languor, fear, jealousy, anxiety, yearning, dreaming, fainting and such other conditions.
Vipralambha is further divided into four parts:
(i)Puravaraga – It is love before union.
(ii)Mana – It is anger or displeasure generated from too much love or jealousy. It is again of
two kinds:
(a)Pranaya Mana is anger between lovers without any reason
(b)Irshya Mana is the anger due to doubt, suspicion or jealousy.
(iii)Pravasa – It is separation due to travel
(iv)Karuna – It is separation causing grief
Many distinguished dramatic works in which Shringara Rasa is the subject were created.
These included the poetic literature from the 7th century onwards. The kind of love treated in
these creations may be divine or human, but the passion seldom falters. In the post Gupta and
medieval sculptures the theme of Sringara prevails. In Indian paintings especially in miniature
painting, Sringara Rasa dominates as the subject. The finest examples of Sringara Rasa exist
in Rajput miniature paintings where the painters were able to accomplish a visual vocabulary
of human love. There is absolute delight in viewing a work of art dipped in Sringara Rasa.

An example of Vipralambha Sringara depicting Pranaya Mana.

Paintings invoking Sringara Rasa
An Elopement
Lovers in a Swing
The First Glance
The Longing of Love
The Pavilion of Love
Krishna and Kubja
Abhisarika Heroine
The Cage of Love: Krishna’s impatience
The Gale of Love
Unending Passion
Radha Longing for Krishna
Radhika’s Manifest Agitation
 An Elopement
Folio from Laur Chanda
Jain manuscript
Middle of 15th c.

This is a scene from the Famous Romance verse by Mulla Daud’s

Chandayana, popularly known as Laur Chanda where the hero Lorik has
entered the palace at dead of the night and throws a rope at his lover
Chanda the heroine on the upper story so that she can descend with it’s
help and elope with him. The background is the night sky with twinkling
stars depicted in dark blue or Shyma colour and the palace guard is dosing
in the background done in mostly white to depict the silence. Both Lorik
and Chanda’s attire in bright red portraying the deep passion raging on
their side. This scene portrays the desperation of the two lovers who are
eager to meet and no binding will stop them from doing so. A beautiful
example of a painting that invokes Sambhoga Sringara Rasa.
Lovers in a Swing This painting from Ragamala series shows
Leaf from Ragamala Series the glorious and irresistible season of spring
Deccan Manuscript, season, a season of love and passion. In the
c.1600 picture two lovers sit leisurely on the swing
with the man’s leg dangling and his ladylove
is resting lovingly on his lap head demurely bend and hand raised in
acknowledgement. Everything is blossoming around them like the love
between the lovers in embrace. The man is richly dressed in red the colour
of passion seated on a throne like swing with his love who is in blue attire
the colour of Sringara Rasa. All the pointers in this painting make us feel
the blossoming of Sambhoga Sringara Rasa in the viewers mind.
The First Glance This is a scene from Sheikh Qutban’s
Mrigavat Series Mrigavat where for the first time the
Jain Manuscript prince chances upon this enchanting
2nd quarter of 16th century scene and gets engrossed and falls
desperately in love with princess
Mrigavati, who takes a bathe in the little stepped pool, unclothed
and attended by two maids. This is the first glimpse of the beloved
and her beautiful lotus eyes, arched eyebrows, sharp nose and full
bossom enamor the prince. The princess’s quarters in top is done
in red the background of the prince is also in red showing erupting
of passion and intimacy the prince is visualizing. The dark blue in
the background and in the blue triggers the emotion of love and
eruption of Sambhoga Sringara Rasa.
The Longings of Love Here the Nayika or heroine is
Folio from Nayika Series shown in love and in sorrow from
Rajasthan, Bundi miniature separation from her lover i.e. she
c. 1770 is Virahini. She must be feeling
the pangs of unfulfilled love and
remembering her beloved every moment. She is lying on a couch
gazing vacantly at the sky lost in thoughts of her lover on the marble
terrace cooling herself from heat both from out and inside by keeping
herself bare on the upper body. Her desperation and emptiness is
depicted by the white background and the sizzling passion inside her
by the red couch and red attire of the maid. This is lovely example of
love in separation i.e. Vipralambha Sringara Rasa.
The Pavilion of Love This painting may be based on
Isolated Folio Rasikapriya by Keshavadasa or on
Pahari Miniature Satsai of Bihari. Here we find Radha
c. 1775 and Krishna sitting in a beautiful
pavilion like a yellow jasmine and
blue lotus in complete tenderness engrossed in themselves, holding
in each other in a soft embrace but not a word is being spoken between
them as if they are beyond time and space. The red bolsters and red
curtain gives hints to the passion, and the golden yellow pavilion
studded in precious jewels and is surrounded by a garden filled with
mango trees and banana plantations depict happiness blooming. The
time is night and season is monsoon shown in Shyama blue, when
irresistible longings rise in lover’s hearts. This is a classic example of
Sambhoga Sringara Rasa.
Krishna and Kubja This painting from Bhagavat
Folio from Bhagavata Purana Purana depicts the scene of
Rajasthan Miniature encounter between Krishna
16th Century and Kubja in Mathura. The
first touch between them
when Kubja looses her hunchback and becomes beautiful
and in gratitude and love, surrenders herself to Krisha and he
later returns to her chambers to fulfill her passion. To depict
the passion erupting between them the background is done
in bright red with Kubja beautifully attired, Shyama Krishna
brightly dressed in yellow, a sky lit with thousand stars and a
Shyama overall background symbolizing Sringara Rasa.
Abhisarika Heroine This painting from Rasamanjari
Folio from Rasamanjari shows the situation where the
Pahari Miniature daring heroine is setting out to
17th Century meet her lover in the dark of a
rainy night, hidden in the forest
waiting for her eagerly. The young trees are shown full of new
leaves as if all in the same mood as the hero and heroine. She
wears a bright red attire beautifully bejeweled depicting passion
and eagerness for union and her lover painted in blue is as happy
and as eager as she is. This a lovely scene invoking Sambhoga
Sringara Rasa.
The Cage of Love: This is a beautiful example of Sambhoga
Krishna’s impatience Sringara Rasa that shows the loving pair
of Krishna and Radha. Here Radha is
Folio on Keshavadasa’s poetry
Pahari miniature steeped in playfulness where as Krishna
18th Century drowned in eagerness and impatience
draws her to him while Radha makes
excuses to play the tricks of love. The picture painted against a blue
background and blue Krishna conveys the mood of Sringara whereas
Radha with a bright red wrap around her depicts the raging passion, both
ready to unite on the white dainty bed depicting the lovers’ happiness.
The Gale of Love In this emotion soaked painting a young
Isolated Folio, Sat Sai Series woman who is separated from her lover
Pahari miniature, is shown. She is rushing indoors from
18th Century the monsoon rains and the sight of the
clouds. The monsoon season depicts the
lovers’ longing, so she is unable to bear the stings of separation that this
weather reminds. The painting is beautiful in its simplicity where the
abundance of white shows her emptiness and the bright orange depicts
her strong passion that she can barely hold against the strong wind of
memory. The grays and blacks in the sky give a morose setting to the
whole situation. Passion in separation extrudes from the entire painting,
invoking a Vipralambha Sringara Rasa.
Unending Passion In this true example of Sambhoga
Folio from Rasamanjari Sringara Rasa, passion is
Pahari Miniature depicted in abundance and
c. 1660 – 70 gracefully. Here the heroine is
soaked in passion and her lover
totally engrossed in her, both entwined in their passionate embrace
and love. They have spent the night in each other’s company filled
with never ending passion till dawn. This alluring scene could be
felt through the expert use of colours where their chamber is red,
heroine’s dress is red and the bolster is red, all depicting immense
passion. Hero is in Shyama blue, the dawn sky is blue giving the
feeling of deep emotion and their bed is white depicting the fun and
happiness erupting in this union.
Radha Longing This painting portrays the pangs
for Krishna of separation vividly. Here Radha
is shown pining away for Krishna
Isolated Folio
Rajasthan miniature, Mewar in her garden, her body curved in
16th Century sadness and longing. The time is
night and the memory of her lover
fills her with passion. The flying cranes seem to take the message
of the condition to Krishna. The bright red in the background of
Radha clearly shows she feeling of passion and the Shyma blue
colour in the overall picture show the sadness and also invokes
in us the deep feeling of Vipralambha Sringara Rasa.
Radhika’s Manifest In this jewel like painting from
Agitation Rasikapriya series done on a abundant
red background pulsates with passion
Folio from Rasikapriya
Rajasthan Miniature, Mewar from longing and missing the beloved.
c. 1625-1655 Here Radha is sick from missing
Krishna who has gone to Mathura and
nothing is giving her peace and console. She sends her maid with a
message of love to Krishna to let him know of her pining. Red is used
all over, on Radha’s dress, on the background and on Krishna’s bolster
depicting the passion, where as Krishna on white background depicts
his empty feeling. Another beautiful example of Vipralambha Sringara
or love in separation.
Conclusion
Art is full of joy that defies all natural laws, is independent and conforms to the tasteful
blending of the sentiments erupted from emotions or feelings. These emotions or Bhavas are
conveyed by a stimulus that is made meaningful by words, physical gestures and involuntary
reactions.

There are total 50 kinds of Bhavas (9 Sthayi + 33 Vyabhichari + 8 Sattvika) that are source
of expression of the profound sentiments we call Rasa. Thus Rasa is the cumulative result of
stimulus, involuntary reactions and voluntary reactions we feel when we view a work of art.

Bhava is abstract or intangible which can be manifested only by a substantial form or Rupa.
So the form (elements on the picture plane) and the emotion it invokes is interdependent
on each other. A perfect form can only be perfect when it has emotion instilled in it and an
emotion can only erupt when this form that triggers it is suitable.

The artist can create an ideal form for the right emotion when he delves into his personal
soul that has the concentrated form of all his emotions and sentiments that he has acquired
from his personal sights, sounds, surroundings and learning. The path to creation of art
is perception, conception, assimilation and expression. So a genuine creation will be a
harmonious blending of thoughts, emotion and imagination. An artist accomplishes this by
using shapes, lines and colours, combining them to create a successful painting.

Lines used articulate the forms and are the main backbone of a painting. Colours in a painting
have a descriptive and also a suggestive significance. Colours bestow a personality to a figure
and speak eloquently of its character and mood. They also carry rich symbolisms. Paintings
depicting emotions or Rasachitra represent the various emotions through distinct colours.
Each Rasa is portrayed in its uniquely expressive colour. For instance, Sringara is expressed
through shyama hue, Hasya in white, Karuna in dove gray, Raudra in red, Vira in yellow,
Bhayanaka in black, Adbhuta in golden yellow and Bibhatsa in dark blue.

While portraying Sambhoga Sringara or the love in union, the artist shows the nature in all
her bounty, the colour shyama is used profusely especially as it is the color of Krishna, who
indeed is the icon of love. A prolific use of red and yellow is also seen in these paintings
depicting passion and happiness. In paintings illustrating Vipralambha Sringara there is
profuse use of nature that is shown in melancholy with the trees appearing to have downcast
flowers, the sky appearing to be dark and cloudy, in other words there is an aura of desolation
casting its gloomy shadow over the painting.

When the audience views this work of art infused with a particular kind of emotion it moves
them in such a way that they feel ecstatic and overwhelmed that frees them from their own
self and surroundings making them realise bliss. Among the nine kinds of sentiments that a
work of art can trigger in a viewer, there is one who is the king and this king is Sringara Rasa.
The few paintings those are shared here aptly invoke this purest and brightest emotion that
takes viewers to the lingering feeling of ecstasy.

The painters of these paintings were successful in their earnest endeavor to infuse the
emotion of love (rati) in their forms with proper stimulus so that the invoking of the Sringara
Rasa happens in the hearts of the viewers linking the artist and connoisseur and making each
of these paintings ‘Rasorttirna’. So it can be summed that Rati Bhava (emotion of love) is the
seed embedded in the earth of forms in these miniature paintings, resulting in the growth of
the plant named Sringara Rasa (erotic sentiment).
 Bibliography

Essence of Indian Painting by B. N. Goswamy

The Spirit of Indian Painting by B. N. Goswamy

Natyasastra by Bharatmuni translated by Manmohan Ghosh

Natyasastra translated by Adya Rangacharya

Fundamentals of Indian Art by S. N. Dasgupta

Aesthetic Ideology Of Indian Art by Dr. Swati Bhattacharya from

Appreciation of Indian Art, Selected Writings

Rasa by Dr. Swati Bhattacharya from Appreciation of Indian Art, Selected

Writings

Rasas as Springs of Art in Indian Aesthetics by Radhakamal Mukherjee

Rasa as Aesthetic Experience by G. B. Mohan Thampi

The Meaning of Art by Dr. Ritabari Roy Moulik

Sringara Rasa – An Analysis of Human Erotic Behaviour by Zameerpal Kaur

Indian Court Painting, 16th – 17th c. by Steven Kossak

Chitrasutra – A blog by Srinivas Rao

Sringara Rasa
in Indian Miniature Painting

Appreciation of Indian Art

Subarna Ghoshal
Roll no.6, Session 2016-17