Code: 10098
Dimensions:
"Chitrakut Tank" (Chitrakoot) [1854]
19th Century Anglo-Indian School
Inscribed and dated 'Chitrakut Tank, Sept 19, 1854 Benares (?)' (lower left)
Pencil and watercolour on paper
Measures: 17.5 cm (high) x 24.2 cm (wide) (Image)
35.2 cm (high) x 40.1 cm (wide) (Framed)
An interesting watercolour by a 19th Century English artist, based in India. Dating from three years before the Indian Uprising of 1857. The Karwi Fort (or Kirwee Riyasat) in Chitrakoot, nearby the scene here, was a centre of the local rulers' resistance to British colonial rule.
Temple Tanks are an essential part of every large Hindu temple. Chitrakoot is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites in northern India. In the epic Ramayana, Rama is exiled by his father from the Kingdom of Ayodhya. He is joined by his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. They journey to Prayaga, where the Ganga and Jamuna rivers meet, and seek shelter with Sage Bharadwaja. The Sage suggests they settle in Chitrakuta and here they find sanctuary and a place to make a new home.
