c. 1650

The Month of Ashadha: Onset of the Monsoon

Artist/maker unknown

This painting illustrates a verse from the Barahmasa (Twelve Months), a poem by Keshavadasa. The month of Ashadha (mid-May to mid-June) marks the beginning of monsoon season in northern India. The inscription at the top of the picture reads:

The swift, furious winds in all directions whirling are likened to the thoughts of those far from wife and home. Even the ascetic, during this month, remains in one posture. Nor is it just a human concern-the birds, too, remain grounded. At this time, even Lord Vishnu reclines in sleep with Sri [his wife]. Keshavadasa says: While the winds of Ashadha blow, I don't even listen to the Vedas [sacred texts]!

While the painter followed some of this description, he varied the scene to suit his imagination. Rain descends in steady lines, tree branches with their sac-shaped hummingbird nests swing in the wind, a peacock "sings" on the rooftop, and white cranes soar beneath the storm clouds. Below, a husband and his wife keep snug within their house. Simultaneously the householder gives food to an ascetic, whose un-cut hair and nails and painfully raised arms emphasize that he has remained in one posture (literally) throughout the season.