Enlarge ImageJagatSingh II of Mewar and his Rani Celebrating Teej
about 1770
Opaque watercolor on paper
© V&A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
The ruler and his queen watch a celebration of a festival dedicated to the Hindu goddess Parvati and commemorating her union with the god Shiva. This festival also marks the arrival of the monsoon rains, which signify fertility and renewal, as seen in the verdant depiction of the garden. Women wearing fine clothes and with hennapainted hands carry an image of the goddess Parvati. The same indicators of status are used for both deities and royalty, and here the image of the goddess is held aloft in procession and her attendants hold a ceremonial fly whisk and a peacock feather fan.