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Kausa Ragaputra of Malkos, from a Ragamala
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This specific musical mode is distinguished by a courtly couple sitting together without touching in a domestic space. They each hold a tame bird. Some consider the birds to be of the type used in elite hunting practices. The Pahari region of the northwest Himalayas was famous for its native hunting birds that were prized gifts among the nobility throughout South Asia. The woman is shown with equivalent confidence in handling the bird as her male companion. Although the inscription written in Takri script in the upper margin labels this scene as Kamod Raga of Dipak, the imagery pertains to the Kausa Ragaputra of Malkos.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineKausa Ragaputra of Malkos, from a Ragamala, c. 1750. Northern India, Pahari kingdoms. Gum tempera, ink, and gold on paper; image: 18 x 14.8 cm (7 1/16 x 5 13/16 in.); paper: 22.4 x 18.7 cm (8 13/16 x 7 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Natesan Galleries, Ltd., London, 2001.111