© Mehrangarh Museum Trust. Photo: Bharath Ramamrutham

History of the Solar Races

Illustration to the Suraj Prakesh
Jodhpur, c.1830 (121.5 cm x 45.5 cm)
Mehrangarh Museum, Jodhpur

This illustration to the Suraj Prakesh ("The Brightness of the Sun") is one of several very interesting works on display in the small museum of Mehrangarh Fort. It illustrates the bravery of King Subuddhi, a descendant of Rama, who stands unafraid in the presence of Virabadhra, a fierce form of Shiva, surrounded by figures in the sky (bearded comets?) and underworld. Rajput rulers considered themselves to be descended from a solar clan, and sometimes created medallions of their own faces, superimposed on the sun's disk.