Babar Supervising the Construction of a ReservoirAkbar Period
16th century AD.
Having conquered Hindustan, Babar set to work on its maintenance and care. Here we see him inspecting and supervising a reservoir. As a great administrator he was well aware of the needs of the people. Water conservation was as important then as now.
Water is integral to the Mughal asthetics. Since Islam originated in the harsh desert of Saudi Arabia, the green color is symbol of life, and water a symbol of paradise. After all an oasis in middle of the desert is, indeed, paradise. Thus, the central theme of the Mughal garden is water in different states--now flowing, now stagnant in a pool, now erupting as a fountain, now trickling down the slope.
In this painting the artist has captured the importance of water. The elixir of life flows from the rocky mountain, into a stream, into a pool, all the while nourishing the flora and fauna of the area. At the bottom we see a dog and a horse drinking from the stream. In the background we see a cemetery. Life and death revolve around water.
The indian artist had to paint a dancing peacock on the mountain top. For the peacock and the monsoon are inextricably interlinked.
Water is integral to the Mughal asthetics. Since Islam originated in the harsh desert of Saudi Arabia, the green color is symbol of life, and water a symbol of paradise. After all an oasis in middle of the desert is, indeed, paradise. Thus, the central theme of the Mughal garden is water in different states--now flowing, now stagnant in a pool, now erupting as a fountain, now trickling down the slope.
In this painting the artist has captured the importance of water. The elixir of life flows from the rocky mountain, into a stream, into a pool, all the while nourishing the flora and fauna of the area. At the bottom we see a dog and a horse drinking from the stream. In the background we see a cemetery. Life and death revolve around water.
The indian artist had to paint a dancing peacock on the mountain top. For the peacock and the monsoon are inextricably interlinked.
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