Sukhdev and King Parikshit

The sage Sukhadeva is shown here addressing a group of holy men (sadhus) and King Parikshit. The detailed painting of the figures is remarkable. Each man is also identified by his name, written neatly in devanagari script. This type of script was used for Hindi and other north Indian languages.The upper part of the painting shows a lush landscape, with 'snail-shell' clouds. This way of depicting clouds was typical of several schools of Rajasthani painting from about 1760 and into the 18th century. The elongated features and curved eyes of the figures are typical of the exaggerated style of painting that arose in Kishangarh in the 18th century. This style was largely due to the influence of the artist Nihal Chand.