Painting

The scene depicts three women performing propitiatory and purificatory rites by the river bank. An old woman wrapped in 'namabali' or prayer-shawl (with Bengali inscriptions on it), two younger women, one in a white sari and one in an orange sari are seen at their prayers and ablutions by the Ganges in fading light. A shadowy 'pipal' tree on the river bank hints at the lunar eclipse. The modelling of the torso of the semi-nude figure shows the influence of Ajanta, while the rippling waves and clusters of 'pipal' leaves shown in relief against a formless background recall Far Eastern models.