Malwa

Etymology: Since this art form developed in and around the Malwa region, these miniatures came to be known as Malwa miniatures.

Origin: Having no specific region of origination, the Malwa School of miniatures spread throughout many districts of Central India. Malwa itself is spread between two states, the western part of Madhya Pradesh and the southeastern part of Rajasthan.

Location: Malwa miniatures covered many districts of Central India. Some of the places where the traces of these miniatures could be found are Mandu, Nusratgarh, and Narsyang Sahar. Although, these paintings could be linked to the region of Bundelkhand as well, as many of the Malwani miniatures were unearthed from the Datia Palace, situated in Madhya Pradesh.

Community: These miniatures were introduced by the Datia rulers who had numerous travelling artists under their patronage. The region of Malwa is influenced by the Rajasthani and Maratha cultures.

Relevance: The Malwa miniatures exceedingly represent the Hindu Rajput courts.

Historical background: The Malwa region is an amalgamation of various cultures for two reasons, one being the fact that it stretches out to many districts between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, and the second reason being that this province has been under the rule of many rulers such as Avanti kingdom, Mauryans, Malavas, Guptas, Paramaras, Delhi Sultanate, Malwa Sultanate, the Mughals, Marathas and finally the British.

Culture and Societies: The Malwa region is influenced majorly by the Rajasthani culture and minimally by the Marathi culture. They have traditional music called lavani and a dance called sawag. They also practice mandana, the folk art of painting walls and floors.

Religious significance: Apart from the court scenes, some of the themes depicted in the Malwa miniatures revolve around stories from the Ramayana, the Bhagavata Purana, and other Hindu myths.

Central motifs and their significance: The striking depiction of Indo-Islamic architecture makes these miniatures unique and gives these paintings structure and composition. Themes surrounding the Ramayana, Bhagavata-Purana, and love-lore of Amru-Shataka are extensively painted, and animals and birds such as peacocks and deers, and characters from these tales are illustrated too.

Medium used: Just as most of the miniatures that developed around the 17th century, Malwa miniatures were painted with natural pigments that were obtained from semi-precious stones, vegetables, and minerals. The canvas for these paintings was a handmade paper called wasli, sometimes a layer of fabric was stuck to these papers to strengthen the base. Natural brushes made from a squirrel or camel hair were utilised as well.

Style: These miniatures are two-dimensional paintings with simplistic representations of human and animal forms. Features such as large protruding eyes and angular facial features are seen in these paintings. Dense lush greenery, sparse depiction of animals, and minimal architecture are the general aesthetic that these miniatures adhere to. They are detail-oriented artworks where the technique of colour blocking is seemingly put into practice which makes the earthy-toned pigments seem vibrant and lively. Tones and hues of the colours red, blue, green, and yellow are used frequently. Sometimes the header of the painting is adorned with sombre calligraphy, whereas the borders are often either boldly painted with a block colour or are seen decorated with vines and other flora.

Process: A handmade paper called wasli was used as a canvas for painting these miniatures. These handmade papers would be first cut into sizes and then they were thinly layered and stacked to create a more concrete base for these paintings. Usually, three to five layers were stuck together using natural gum, and sometimes a layer or two of fabric were also attached to the layered stack of papers. Once the canvas was prepared, the artists would assemble the elements to make the natural pigments and dyes to be painted with. Once these preliminary steps were completed, a light wash of the opaque pigments was given to the canvas, after which a sketch was drawn on it and painted further. The last step towards completion was to detail the paintings, often with a darker hue of the dominant colour.

Most of these paintings are presented and exhibited at The National Museum in Delhi. Furthermore, ninety-one of the illustrations of Amru-Shataka are on display at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai.

1. Chaitanya, K. (1982) A history of Indian painting Rajasthani traditions. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications.