Lady worshipping the morning sun
Description
The painting depicts a lady worshipping the rising sun. On the right, a maid servant stands with a tray containing flowers to assist the lady in her worship. On the floor can be seen various requisites for bathing and worship.
Sun is a chief source of life on earth and a healing deity, known to cure illness and diseases. Worship of Sun God can be traced to pre-historic times in India. The worship symbolises the process of absorbing energy directly from the sun during sunrise and sunset. It is a virtuous task to offer water (arghya) facing towards the sun and to recite prayers after performing bath.
One of the festivals of sun-worship is Chhath Puja, a festival of four days mostly celebrated in Bihar and Nepal. The festival begins on shashthi (the sixth day) after new moon day in the month of Kartik of the Hindu calendar. Devotees observe fast on some days even do not drink water. They worship the rising and setting sun while standing in water and recite the Chhath Mantra.
Collection
Indian Miniature Paintings
Object Type
Miniature Painting
Material
Watercolour on paper
Schools/Culture/Period
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Technique
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Date
First half of 18th century CE
Location
Hyderabad
Dimension
26 x 18 cms