68-69 / 176
68
69
BARAMASA
T
he
baramasa
,
or “songs of the twelve months,” is a non‒religious,
classical text which expounds on the aesthetics of each month of
the Hindu calendar in terms of the rhetoric of love. Poets employed
metaphors extolling the attributes of deities, or of a maiden or
nayika
longing
for the return of her lover to celebrate the particularities of nature as manifested
eachmonth. The 16
th
century poet Kesava Das, best known for his composition
Rasikapriya
,
penned themost famous literary work on the
baramasa
, called the
Kavipriya
.
Just as the
Ragamala, Rasikapriya, Gita Govinda,
Bhagavat Purana
,
Ramayana
and
Mahabharata
were adapted from literary texts into folios by
artists of the Rajasthani and Pahari schools, the
baramasa
was also a popular
theme in miniature painting. The earliest
baramasa
paintings were made in
Central India, and are now in the collection of the Patiala Museum and Central
Museum in Lahore. The poetic themes of the
baramasa
,
steeped in music,
poetry, mythology and folklore, resonated with artists, and they interpreted
the richness of the texts using styles and colour palettes distinct to their
region. Their representation of specific flora and fauna, weather phenomena,
myths and fables, rendered in distinct colours and sometimes accompanied
by text corresponding to the season, determined the
masa
or month being
referred to. Depictions of lovers, united and parting, with the corresponding
sentiments of pining and longing were typical as studies of the mood of each
season. Krishna and Radha as the
nayak
and
nayika
were artists’ favourites.
The
baramasa
was especially popular among artists of the Jaipur and Bundi
schools of Rajasthan. The Khajanchi Collection includes fine examples of both
schools. The following
baramasa
folio is a complete set of twelve paintings from
the 19
th
century Jaipur school of painting, characterised by strong colours and
dynamic lines. Each month is represented with direct or indirect reference to
the season and the musical
raga
associated with that particular time of year.
The accompanying text by the poet Brahmadas is composed in couplets known
as
dohas
. The verses are written in praise of Rama and Sita, set on the banks of
the Sarayu river after the defeat of Ravana and the coronation of Rama. Unlike
the more common depictions of Krishna and Radha as lovers, this folio uses the
iconography of Rama and Sita in
sringara rasa.
It is extremely unusual to show
Rama in romantic depiction, as he is considered the
Maryada Purushottam
,
who is the epitome of valour and proper conduct.