Shiva

Born in Srinagar (1743-1833), Mola/Maula Ram was a polymath who was known as a poet, historian, diplomat, and painter. He is best known for founding the Garhwal School of Miniature Painting, whose origins trace to his shared lineage with Mughal painters Shyam Das and Har Das, who came to Garhwal in 1658 with Prince Sulaiman Shikoh. The earlier paintings of Mola Ram thus show influences of Mughal paintings, which gradually helped him develop his own unique regional style in Painting, which portrayed more genteel and graceful depictions of figures, used natural colours, portrayed the landscapes of the Himalayas, and often carried themes from Hindu mythology such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, and Gita Govinda. Painted in the Garhwal School of Miniature Painting, this Painting titled Shiva, c. 1800, features Lord Shiva, one of the principal deities of Hinduism, with a serene, poetic aesthetic typical of Pahari hill traditions. Seated on a tiger skin and surrounded by a cobra and a cow, the Painting shows Shiva in ecstasy and devotion, with a delicate expression that reflects the environment's calm. The Painting also shows a female figure seated near Shiva on the forest floor, holding a traditional stringed instrument, the Vina, which deepens the sense of musical melody and devotion in the Painting's tranquil setting. The female figure can be read as an embodiment of Shakti, observing and complementing Shiva's ascetic stillness. Together, they mirror the devotional and romantic themes central to Pahari miniature painting.