Maharaja of Rewa in Prayer

Performing religious devotions was part of a maharaja’s duty to protect his kingdom. Praying before an altar, the maharaja fingers prayer beads and sits opposite a mirror, an auspicious object in Hindu worship . The lines painted on the men’s foreheads indicatethat they are devotees of the Hindu god Vishnu . This group portrait demonstrates three ways rulers serve the state: by being a military commander, a worldly scholar, and, in this image, an observant Hindu.