c. 1711-1725
Raja Sidh Sen of Mandi Offering a Bowl of Bhang to Shiva
Royal portraits sometimes show rulers in the company of gods. In this painting, the Hindu god Shiva sits next to Raja Sidh Sen, king of the state of Mandi (ruled c. 1684-1727). A famous warrior, Sidh Sen was an ardent devotee of Shiva and thought to be proficient in tantric (magical-devotional) practices. The king offers Shiva a bowl of bhang, a marijuana drink to inspire the god's wild dance. Shiva is portrayed as an ascetic who sits meditating, hair matted, his nearly naked body covered with ashes. Interestingly, the artist has overlapped the two figures, perhaps alluding to the Hindu concept that royalty and renunciation are intertwined.
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