Nata Ragini, Preparatory Drawing for a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Series

The Nata Ragini is commonly represented by a mounted soldier wielding a sword and confronting an enemy that is on foot. Typically, as depicted in this drawing, there is a slain soldier in the foreground. Here, the mounted solider holds his sword above his head as he gallops towards his opponent, who carriers a shield and a khanda, a type of sword native to India. This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase used as the basis for improvisation. Interestingly, the musical mode for this ragini is feminine. While there are examples of this scene with a woman dressed as a warrior, more often, as we see here, it is a male figure. Such contradictions are common within the ragamala genre. Rajput, Rajasthani, Kota School.