we find raga,a sanskrit word, in the famous book Natya Shastra, written by sage Bharat. Raga is
defined as the act of coloring of moods
and emotions. Ragamala means a garland of ragas. Raga is a musical form of swara, a melodic
scheme, on which Indian music is based and rendered extensively. According to traditional rules, these ragas
have been formed and have alphabetical notes as the base, and differ slightly
from one raga to another. These ragas are
played at particular seasons and at particular time of the day. Ragas have been classified
as dawn ragas, mid-day ragas, dusk ragas and mid-night ragas based on time
theory. Mainly, the ragas have a strong association with nature and reflect the
cycles and moods of nature in a subtle and sensitive way.
Bhairavi Raga, one of the main six ragas on which ragamala
paintings are based, is a morning raga. Associated with summer season, this raga is
one of the rare ragas, which is played in all seasons. The reigning deity of
this raga is Shiva. Bhairav is another name of god shiva,
who is the creator of the
world. So we find a number of paintings based
god Shiva in Bhairav ragamala paintings [Bhairava
–raga, and Bhairavi- ragini - are male
and female ragas]. The paintings based
on this raga are religious, devotional, and spiritual. In this series, one sees
god Shiva
in different forms and being worshipped. This raga evokes a peaceful and
soothing feelings; sometimes serious and sad feelings too.
Shaivism is
practiced as a religion widely in India. Usually in the temples, Shiva is worshiped in the form of lingam. Linga
as a signifier denotes Lord Shiva, and the signified is creation of the
universe. Linga and yoni, representing the universe and the earth respectively,
in union as the creators of world, are worshiped throughout India. This
philosophy speaks about the origination of life on the earth and the relation of
soul with the divine and its evolution. This philosophy reflects in the
paintings through the amalgamation of music, poetry and painting.
Visually rich and poetic ,this painting offers
a view of a woman worshiping lingam, which is a sign of Shiva,
the creator of the world. The mood of the painting gives a feeling of peace
blended with devotion and spirituality. The background with rhythmically
flowing water, and flora and fauna, signifies the birth and the activities of life. The amalgamation of blue and white
colors in soft tones, in the composition, produces a peaceful effect. Horizontally and vertically arranged forms offer
an interesting visual effect to the viewers. Another woman seems to be
assisting and chanting devotedly. 
.
In Indian Mythology, we see number of gods with
specific animals as their vehicles and with their particular weapons and musical instruments.
Here in this interesting painting, we see Shiva sitting on Nandi, a bull. Bull
as his vehicle is seen in all shaiva temples throughout India. Usually, Nandi
[Bull] is seen in seated position in front of lingam. Trishul is Shiva's weapon;
damaru his musical instrument. We come
across big size bulls in front of lingam, in Shaiva temples throughout India. To get insights, these small details help to
identify the significance of forms and relate to other forms. These paintings
shows what was the culture of that period and how they revered and glorified beauty of nature with music, poetry and painting.
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