A Friendship Treaty after the War

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It is a magnificent miniature painting on war theme depicting the two sides, obviously the Rajput army on the right and the Mughal on the left, uniting in ties of friendship under a treaty on the battle-field itself. The artist has not bothered to guess which of the two sides won or lost but to make his theme more complete he rendered the treaty scene and the glimpses of pre-treaty war. On a canvas consisting in inches he has packed the scenes of preceding war, its damages, loss of lives and its fury along with the post-war treaty. He thus depicted, and magnificently, a journey of hearts from enmity to friendship. On such a small canvas it could be a difficult composition requiring numerous human figures, horses and several other means of war to convey the theme but with his masterly strokes he has been able to portray them. Each figure has its distinctiveness, each face a demeanour of its own and each body part its well defined gesture.

The painting portrays the two generals shaking hands and uniting in a treaty of friendship, but no less vehemently speak the dead bodies, the wounded ones and their weapons, swords and shields, lying scattered, of a furious battle to have just preceded. The artist has done justice to both. The horses hold on their backs the living ones, the soldiers, commanders and generals, that is, the agents who instrumented peace and friendship, and under the same backs around their hooves the weapons, the motionless hands that have been holding them and the mutilated bodies, the evidences of preceding acrimony and a resultant fierce battle.

The saffron flag on the right side defines the Rajput army. The other side does not have a flag to define it but its Mughalia texture is apparent. This side also has a few saffron-clad figures and the other side has a few clad in green but such overlapping was quite common in medieval India. Several Hindus had joined Mughal army and several Muslims the armies of Hindu rulers. A distant fortress on the side of Rajput army suggests that it was attacked by Mughals but to obstruct it the Rajput army met it midway at the foot of hill housing the fortress.

This description by Prof. P.C. Jain and Dr Daljeet. Prof. Jain specializes on the aesthetics of ancient Indian literature. Dr Daljeet is the chief curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the National Museum of India, New Delhi. They have both collaborated on numerous books on Indian art and culture.