A lone nayika standing in a pavilion

The painting is credited to the artist Golu from Nurpur, who worked during the time of Raja Dayadhata of Nurpur. This painting A Lone Nayika Standing in a Pavilion is one of the best examples of Pahari miniature painting from around 1715. It is done using opaque watercolor and gold on paper and has been used to illustrate Bhanudatta's Sanskrit work written in the 15th century called Rasamanjari (Bouquet of Delights). The painting depicts a lonely yet elegant heroine (nayika) standing alone in a terrace pavilion. The solitary figure invokes strong feelings of loneliness, desire, and expectation. The figure of the nayika is highlighted by architectural features such as the white marble pillars, draped awnings, and geometrical patterns on the ground. The painting has a narrow gilded border on the inside and bright red margins with inscriptions written in Devanagari script on the top and a nine-line stanza in Sanskrit on the back. Golu was part of a renowned family business that had been successfully running in the hilly region of Nurpur for three generations under the kingship of Raja Dayadhata (1700-1735). He was born into a family with a rich artistic tradition where his grandfather Kripal had a prominent role as the founder of the earlier Basohli Rasamanjari style of painting (c. 1660-1670) and his father Dvividasa was known for his 1695 masterpiece Basohli Rasamanjari. Golu created several works which are now called the "Third" Basohli/Nurpur Rasamanjari series or Kasturbhai Lalbhai series of paintings which connects two important periods in the history of Pahari painting. In his works, Golu inherits the hallmark style of his family which is characterized by the clever use of layers of warm color and monochrome backgrounds. Not only does Golu provide superior spatial balance and elegant courtly attire, but he also infuses subtle ornamental details in the textiles while maintaining the visual simplicity of the flat colored areas. The top edge of the illustration has faint ink words in Devanagari, while the reverse shows the complete translation of the appropriate text (9 verses normally) in black Devanagari, along with its titles written in red ink. This particular illustration is part of the well-known ”Third” Rasamanjari Group, also called the III Rasamanjari. The Rasamanjari Group is an illustration of the famous Sanskrit document by Bhanudatta (15th century Rasamanjari), which describes various psychological states and emotional patterns.