A landscape with a shrine and pilgrims

Artist: Anonymous
Medium: Gouache
Date: 1760

Gouache painting of a festival scene at a shrine in Murshidabad, West Bengal, c. 1760. A shrine to Shiva flying a red banner from the roof pinnacle is depicted here, set in a landscape beside a pool in which people bathe. There are many people surrounding the temple, mostly on foot, others on elephants, camels and in palanquins. There is a camp of a wealthy visitor pitched on the left. This painting is interesting as it employs the bird's eye perspective and, with many areas of action, there is no central focus point.