This excellently executed portrait of Guru Har Gobind speaks of the mid-nineteenth century Sikh art of Patiala in Punjab where during the period of Maharaja Narender Singh great many excellent Sikh miniatures were rendered by the Patiala court artists. Maharaja Narender Singh had great artistic tastes that manifested extensively in various frescoes rendered under his instructions and in the construction of Shish Mahal, the mirror-palace, which he built in 1847. The set of portraits of ten Sikh Gurus executed under the patronage of Maharaja Narender Singh and some other miniatures are outstanding in their artistic merit.

This portrait is the truest and the most characteristic representation of Guru Har Gobind. Guru Har Gobind, the sixth of Sikh Gurus, combined in his personality a saint, sportsman and a soldier. His father Guru Arjan Dev was a true saint but the boy Har Gobind had perceived his father's saintliness suffer and erode at the brutal hands of Mughal tyranny. When yet a little more than a child Guru Har Gobind was convinced that for sustaining the Panth sword was as essential as sainthood. He hence advocated that a Sikh Guru would represent both the Miri and Piri, the Shakti and Bhakti and the Tegh and Degh. He decided to wear on his waist two swords instead of one, that is, one to chastise the oppressor and the other to protect the innocent. ", He declared that the Guru's house would henceforth combine the spiritual and the mundane powers, his rosary would serve also as his sword-belt and an emblem of regality would crown his turban. He would sit in a regular court with regalia around. Sikhs were commanded to keep a sword and maintain a horse. The aureole of Guru Nanak's Sikhism and the humming melodies of his sangats had with Guru Har Gobind combined with them the dazzling brilliance and the deafening sound of swords.

Guru Har Gobind with his sharp features, well trimmed beard, robust look, elegant dress, rich turban with as richly bejewelled kalagi and crown and lavishly bedecked sword sitting against a huge bolster on a terrace overlooking a lake looks like a Mughal prince. Instead of musical accompaniments of earlier Sikh gurus, Guru Har Gobind has in his attendance a chowri bearer and a club holder. Another of his attendants is receiving from his devotees the ‘Dasamansha' prescribed by his father Guru Arjan Dev as services to Guru-ghar. The floor has been covered with a carpet beautifully embroidered with floral patterns. The palatial terrace overlooking the lake makes a departure from Baba Nanak’s simple Chaubara of Chirrup. In this marvelous portrayal of the Sixth Guru the artist has most brilliantly discovered the true likeness and the essential personality of Guru Har Gobind. .

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr. Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of literature and is the author of numerous books on Indian art and culture. Dr. Daljeet is the curator of the Miniature Painting Gallery, National Museum, New Delhi. They have both collaborated together on a number of books.

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Of Related Interest:

Silver Pendant: Guru Nanak

Book: Piety and Splendour Sikh Heritage in Art

Comic Book: The Three Gurus