Maharana Bhim Singh of Mewar Returns from a Boar Hunt

The painting depicts Maharana Bhim Singh of Mewar (r. 1778-1828) returning from a boar hunt with his attendants and retinue. The haloed king is mounted on a caparisoned horse holding a pig-sticking spear. He wears a green jama, or robe, that is associated with aheria, or the spring hunt, when boars are hunted in Rajasthan. According to Rajasthani tradition, it is believed that the outcome of aheria fortetold the fruitfulness of the kingdom for the year ahead. Bhim Singh's had a successful hunt, alluded to by the several slain wild board strapped to the backs of the camels leading the procession. At the bottom corner of the image are two members of the hunting retinue with Saluki hounds, which were commonly used during boar hunting for stalking, chasing, and, at times, killing. A facloner is also present among the procession. The attendants carry the necessary royal attributes: two attendants carry fly whisks while one holds a sun-faced standard, which accompanies any Mewari royal procession. The sun is a symbol of the Mewar royal family who believed that they were descendants of it. This painting was executed before Bhim Singh became the first maharana of the Princely State of Udaipur.