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The Harihar Kshetra festival

Sewak Ram

1826

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Patna School of Painting Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

The Harihar Kshetra festival is a 1826 paint by Sewak Ram, a Patna School of Painting work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Sewak Ram
When & what style?: 1826 · Patna School of Painting
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows a big crowd gathering under a tented area. Bright flags fly over the festival at Harihar Kshetra. A European couple stands near a horse in the center. It’s one of the Company paintings made for British visitors in India. These artists blended local scenes with European styles. You can see fine details in the tents and people. Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more of these works.

The story of this work

Overview

The artwork depicts the Harihar Kshetra festival at Sonepur, near Patna, featuring a large gathering at the Sonepur fair. In the foreground, tents are set up for visiting dignitaries, while in the background, a European couple on a boat under an umbrella is likely identified as Lord Amherst, the Governor-General, and his wife.

Read the full account in the museum source.