Bana Prostrating at Shiva’s Feet Lot n° 32

Specifications: Water Color Painting on Paper Artist: Kailash Raj 17.0 inch X 11.0 inch This excellent miniature rendered using Kangra idiom of Pahari art School as it prevailed around 1780-90 AD, the same eye-soothing colours, pastoral background with green hills glowing in the light of setting sun, lake with dark deep waters abounding in lotuses, tall Sapta-parni trees with coloured leaves and birds flocking around and distant habitation, frequented by monkeys, black bucks and deer, peacocks, cranes, cows, rabbits and even tigers, represents on one hand the Holy family, that is, the family of Lord Shiva comprising Lord Shiva himself, his consort Parvati, and sons Karttikeya, Ganesh and even Bana, a multi-armed demon and Shiva’s great devotee whom Parvati considered as her youngest son, and on the other, Bana praying for something by prostrating at Shiva’s feet. The painting stands midway between a simple portrayal of the divine figures and landscape and the depiction of a chain of events contextual to some unmanifest themes. Besides taking a bath in the lake the six-headed Karttikeya, it seems, has collected water in a bowl to fetch it for preparing his father’s favourite drink : ‘Bhang’ that his brother Ganesh is grinding with a pestle. With his arms and attributes : axe, battle-axe, club, sword … laid aside, the multi-armed Bana is lying on the floor before Lord Shiva. Another form of Bana has been represented as walking towards where Shiva is seated. This other figure of Bana seems to emerge from the palatial building represented in the distant corner. The gesture of the blue-bodied Shiva reveals on one hand his displeasure, and on the other, amnesty for his follies. The face of Parvati who favoured Bana and loved him as her son, and hence neither in a position to defend him nor to condemn, reveals her dismay. Besides Parvati, Ganesh and Karttikeya, Shiva’s larger family consisted of Bana and Virabhadra, tw