Bird's Eye view from above the Opium Godown at Patna by the Company artist Sita Ram was painted in 1814. It was produced for the Lord Moira, Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the Commander-in-Chief to illustrate their journey from Calcutta to Delhi between 1814-15 and was part of a collection titled 'Views by Seeta Ram from Patna to Benares Vol. II'.
From the painting the artist can be assumed to be situated on a greatly elevated plane that enhances his perspective of the scenery. The godown which was originally a Dutch factory had both large and small buildings in its vicinity. On crossing a cobbled path and a canopy of trees the painting depicts what can be considered the main storage building. To the right is a gently flowing Ganges that made transportation and export easier as can be seen from the ships and dinghies floating in numbers. The trees are carefully defined as are the three human figures. The muted colour of the painting as well as the artist’s liberal use of yellow gives the impression that this is a depiction of the mill in the afternoon when human activity was likely to be sparse and the cartography of the buildings was clearly visible for documentation.
Even though the 19th century saw the rise of many Company appointed artists and cartographers to map their terrain of dominance, Sita Ram’s style with it’s Asian influence and Western artistic training gives the image of an artist painting a land that was native to him.
Painted in 1814 by Company artist Sita Ram, Bird’s Eye View from Above the Opium Godown at Patna was commissioned by the Governor-General of Bengal, Lord Moira (Marquess of Hastings), to document his grand expedition from Calcutta to Delhi. Featured in Views by Seeta Ram from Patna to Benares Vol. II, the artwork captures a former Dutch factory converted into a bustling British opium hub.
Rendered from a heavily elevated vantage point, the painting offers a sweeping cartographic perspective of the complex. Beyond a cobbled path and lush tree canopy lies the central storage facility, flanked by smaller structures. On the right, the Ganges River flows gently, crowded with ships and dinghies that highlight Patna's role in colonial maritime export. A muted, amber-yellow palette evokes the stillness of a quiet afternoon, emphasizing the physical architecture over sparse human activity. While colonial powers used artists to map their dominance, Sita Ram’s unique fusion of Western topographical training and inherent Asian aesthetics shines through. The result is a profoundly personal documentation, reflecting an artist intimately connected to his native landscape.
