Item Info

Media Type: Manuscripts
Source: Rare Book Department
Notes:

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This item appeared in the exhibition "Sacred Stories: The World's Religious Traditions" in the Rare Book Department, August 2015-January 2016.

This is the label from that exhibition:

The Razmnama, or “Book of War,” is the Persian translation of the Sanskrit epic the Mahabharata. This leaf illustrates a Hindu creation myth, where six gods and an asura (anti-god), cooperate to churn the ocean of milk to release the elixir of immortality, the celestial steed, and the wish-granting tree. Although the story is Hindu, this painting features figures clothed in typical Mughal Islamic court costumes.

Notes:

The main story of the Mahabharata, that of the feuding Kauravas and Pandavas, is prefaced by tales of earlier epochs when gods upheld cosmic order while asuras (anti-gods) strove to destroy it. Here, in an unusual instance of cooperation, six gods and an asura use the serpent Vasuki as a rope and Mount Mandara (Meru) as a stick to churn the great milk ocean. Their churning releases all the beneficial things held within the waters, including the elixir of immortality, the celestial steed, and the wish-granting tree. Although it depicts a great Hindu creation story, this painting features a figure clothed in a turban and jama, typical Mughal court costume of the time. The delicately shaded trees spotting the horizon were likely inspired by Flemish engravings, while the flesh- and pink-colored vertical mass of rock is a Persian painting convention.

Region/County: Region/County:Northern India, Mughal court

Creation Year (Single Year or Range Begin): 1599
Call Number: Lewis M 15