c. 1825-1850

The Ganesha Temple in the Hill Fortress at Ranthambhor

This partially completed work depicts a temple in the ancient and dramatic stone fortress of Ranthambhor, located in eastern Rajasthan. The temple, extremely popular to this day, is dedicated to Ganesha, the elephant-headed god who brings prosperity and success to every endeavor. Particularly at Ganesha Chaturthi, the time of the annual festival marking Ganesha's birth, the main image of the god is painted bright orange and hung with gold jewelry and garlands. Here the orange elephant-headed sculpture is wrapped in cloth-but the artist has painted the unveiled image on the back of the page. In the niche at the lower left are stone reliefs honoring deified local Rajput heroes (shown on horseback). A sage or worshiper is visible between the pillars on the right.