Maharaja Man Singh and Ladu Nath worshipping Jallandharnath, India, Jodhpur, circa 1826

Opaque watercolour heightened with gold on paper

This scene depicts Maharaja Man Singh and the guru Ladu Nath worshipping the immortal aesthetic Jallandharnath. During his reign Man Singh commissioned many paintings portraying him worshipping the immortal ascetic Jallandharnath. Jallandharnath is usually depicted in profile with a halo, ash-pale skin, triangular black hat and rudraksha bead necklace. Similar iconography is found in a painting by Raso in the Mehrangarh Museum, Jodhpur, circa 1826-1828 (see Diamond Garden & Cosmos, The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur, 2008, p.281, fig.32b).