The Ghats at Haridwar

Sita Ram’s watercolor of the Haridwar ghats becomes more interesting when we know about the journey behind it. The painting is from Views by Seeta Ram from Mohumdy to Gheen, Vol. V and was made around 1814–1815. It was made for Lord Moira, who later became the Marquess of Hastings. At that time he was the Governor-General of Bengal and also the Commander-in-Chief. His journey was mainly planned to record the places and events seen during the long court journey. The journey started from Calcutta and went towards Delhi and Punjab, and later returned through Haryana. For Sita Ram, making paintings during this journey would not have been an easy work. He had to carry his paper, colours and other things with him and paint while travelling through difficult places. He also painted outside in areas of Uttarakhand and near the northern rivers. The watercolor shows Harikacharan, a bathing ghat connected with the Gangadwara temple. This was a sacred place where Vishnu’s footprint was worshipped on the right bank of the Ganga. Many small people can also be seen in the painting. Some are bathing in the river and some are moving on the steps. I think these figures make the place look more alive. The painting has the British style of recording places, but we can also notice Sita Ram’s own Indian way of looking at the scene. Due to official restrictions, Hastings could not meet Akbar II when he was in Delhi. Lady Hastings, however, visited the emperor, and Sita Ram accompanied her during the visit. The folio can today be found in the British Library, recorded under Add.Or.4783.