Picture Details
The ceremony of Ayudha Puja
Partner:
British LibraryImage reference:
BL.Add.Or.741Origin:
Uttar Pradesh, IndiaArtist / Date:
Unknown, 1850-54Size:
342 x 476 mmDescription:
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Water-colour painting done in the Lucknow style showing a Hindu priest garlanding flags of the 35th Bengal Light Infantry on the occasion of the Ayudha Puja. On the ninth day of the Navarathri ('nine-nights') festival, dedicated to the Goddess in her incarnations as Saraswathi and Kali, the Ayudha Puja, the worship of instruments of livelihood, is performed. These instruments include anything from motor vehicles, machines, cutting tools, and weapons to the Company's flag as in this case. The legend goes that on this day of the Navaratri, Arjuna, one of the five Pandava princes in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, emerged from a period of exile to reclaim his hidden weapons. The garlands used on such auspicious occasions are made of flowers like marigold, rose, jasmine and lotus interspersed with leaves of the holy basil. As regards the date of the painting, it is also possible that it was done in 1850-54 when the 35th Regiment was based in Lucknow.
