A young Raja Anirudh Chand playing Holi with his courtiers on a terrace, India, Kangra, early 19th century

Randhawa 1961, fig.12 (as Sansar Chand, c.1784)

This delightful scene shows a Raja enjoying Holi with his courtiers. The identification of the Raja is not entirely clear, but it is likely that it is Anirudh Chand. Usually, Sansar Chand and Anirudh Chand were distinguished by their ear adornments (see Desai 1985) but in this painting the Raja is not wearing any earrings. In this painting Anirudh is shown without a beard, a rounded chin and a slightly snubbed nose which indicates that it is probably a painting of the prince in his youth. Anirudh Chand was born in 1786 so he would be in his late teens in this picture. The slightly loose application of the paint is typical of the early Kangra portrait style, it also indicates that the painting was probably produced by the workshop of rather than by the hand of Khusala.