This painting was painted by the artist named Chaturbhuj ,from Razmnama- 16th century Persian translation of the great epid Mahabharat, during Akbar's reign. Chaturbhuj depicts Babruvahan, the son of Arjun and Chitrangada, respectfully bowing his father. This scene depicts one of the most emotional episodes of the epic. During the ashvamedha campaign Babruvahan, the king of Manipur comes to welcome Arjun. But Arjun doesn't recognises him as his son and interprets his greetings as a sign of weakness. Feeling insulted Arjun challenges his son for a duel and Babruvahan bound by a curse unknowingly beheads his father with a fatal arrow. When Babruvahan realises that he killed his father, he fills with guilt and immense grief. At the moment Ulupi(Arjun's wife and Babruvahan's step mother) comes with divine nag mani, which revives Arjun. Later Arjun forgives his son and embraces him with pride.
The painting illustrates a critical event from the Ashvamedhika Parva (Book of the Horse Sacrifice). Following the Kurukshetra War, the Pandavas release a sacrificial horse to assert their sovereignty, with Arjuna tracking its path. When the horse enters the kingdom of Manipura, it is met by Arjuna's estranged son, Babhruvahana, who has been ruling as king. Rather than launching into a hostile confrontation, Babhruvahana approaches his father with deep humility, reverence, and offerings.
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By: Alolika Roy
The painting above is a great example of Indo Persian art which flourished under Mughal court in India, attributed to one of the most well-known artists medieval India- Chaturbhuj. The painting above is actually a folio from Razmnama- the Persian translation of the Indian epic Mahabharata, commissioned by emperor Akbar (1556- 1605) during his reign. Painted in rich, grounded, brilliant natural colours prepared using natural elements like flowers, spices and minerals and metals including gold (for decoration) and depicted in a style which is both intricate and attempts at appearing three dimensional- it presents a fine example of the beauty of Indo-Persian art and the cultural synthesis it embodied.
