That Magic Touch
Touch drives this painting’s narrative and heightens the garden’s erotic mood. At top left, the absence of physical contact between Sirdar Singh and his senior wife piques the nobleman’s desires. She then teases his sensual cravings by covering his eyes at the center of the image. Finally, Sirdar Singh satisfies his yearning for contact by embracing a junior wife at bottom right. His anticipation and fulfillment of touch prove his ability to relish in the senses, earning him the right to be called a rasika, an aesthetic connoisseur.
—Hannah Loughlin, graduate student, NYU
The Moonlit Menagerie
On a moonlit night in Udaipur, Sirdar Singh, surrounded by spectacular flora and fauna, enjoys the sensorial pleasures of his estate on Lake Pichola. The scene suggests that the nobleman had accumulated a menagerie in his garden to relish in rasa, or aesthetic emotion. While the man-made paradise provides a perfect setting for experiencing rasa, it is Sirdar Singh’s wife who enables him to do so.
Hide-and-Seek the Senses
In a playful game, Sirdar Singh’s senior wife covers his eyes with her hands. The gesture deprives him of vision, but heightens his other senses.
Avian Audio
The sounds of birds flapping their wings and cooing to their mates tickle Sirdar Singh’s eardrums. They ignite his auditory senses, spurring his excitement.
Floral Fragrances
The heady fragrance of blooming flowers fills his nostrils and strikes his olfactory senses, enhancing the romantic mood of the night.
A Guiding Hand
The warmth of his wife’s hands on his cheeks stimulates his tactile sense. Her caress teases his romantic desires while attuning his senses to the experience of rasa.
Sense and Sensitivity
The playful game of Sirdar Singh’s wife amplifies his ability to immerse himself in the sensations and moods of his carefully curated menagerie, and to relish the erotic ambience of the garden.
