Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum

Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum The Museum campus houses the heritage building with a thousand years of Indian art, the Indigo Art Museum and Modern galleries for art exhibitions.

Kasturbhai Lalbhai Museum is housed in a colonial building showcasing over a thousand years of Indian art.The Claude Batley house, a space for exhibiting Modern and Contemporary art

A museum is more than a space that houses and displays art. It is a space for encounter, participation and the sharing o...
09/08/2026

A museum is more than a space that houses and displays art. It is a space for encounter, participation and the sharing of knowledge. As museums increasingly recognise accessibility and inclusion as central to their social role, there is a growing emphasis on creating different ways for people to experience and engage with art. We at the museum believe that art can be accessible to everyone.

Recently, we had the opportunity to welcome a group of four hearing-impaired visitors, with the support of Alka Arjun Vaghela, Sign Language Interpreter, who assisted with communication during their visit. Here’s sharing a few glimpses with you all!

The visit offered an opportunity to think about how communication shapes our experience of art, and how museums can create spaces where different forms of engagement and interpretation are possible. We look forward to continuing to explore ways of making our collections, galleries and programmes more accessible, inclusive and welcoming to all our visitors.

As we share the last few paintings from this series, our next feature is this work from the collection, capturing an int...
06/08/2026

As we share the last few paintings from this series, our next feature is this work from the collection, capturing an intimate moment between the Nayak and Nayika within a palace interior.

Seated opposite one another, the Nayak appears to engage the Nayika in conversation, while she reclines against a large bolster, caressing her hair. The Nayika is dressed in a semi-transparent purple jama, green payjama, and blue odhani, adorned with gold and pearl jewellery. Opposite her, the Nayak wears an orange jama, purple and gold waistbands, and a purple-gold turban.

The painting employs bold colours, geometric architectural forms, and a carefully balanced composition that keeps the viewer's focus on the interaction between the two figures.

Madhyama Nayaka
Pahari Court Artist
Gouache on vasli, c. 1700 CE

Continuing our Nayaks and Nayikas series, we see Krishna in the role of the Nayak. We also encounter the sakhi, the trus...
29/07/2026

Continuing our Nayaks and Nayikas series, we see Krishna in the role of the Nayak. We also encounter the sakhi, the trusted friend and confidante who serves as a bridge between the lovers. In classical Indian poetry and painting, the sakhi is far more than a companion. She carries messages, offers counsel, consoles the heroine, and helps unite the Nayak and Nayika.

In this painting, the sakhi conveys the viraha (pain of separation) of the Nayika to Krishna. Dressed in an orange dhoti with a translucent green odhani, Krishna holds a lotus as he listens intently, while the sakhi stands before him with folded hands, conveying the heroine's longing.

Sakhi Conveying the Viraha of the Nayika to the Nayaka
Pahari Court Artist (Basholi School)
Gouache on vasli, c. 1700 CE

This painting from the collection depicts the Vasaka-sajja Nayika, the bejewelled heroine who awaits the arrival of her ...
24/07/2026

This painting from the collection depicts the Vasaka-sajja Nayika, the bejewelled heroine who awaits the arrival of her beloved. Seated upon a bed of leaves, she waits in quiet anticipation, holding her veil and surrounded by the beauty of the natural world. She is dressed in a printed red-orange ghagra, an ochre blouse, and a blue semi-transparent odhani, adorned with gold and pearl jewellery.

The finesse and delicacy of the Kangra Kalam are beautifully evident in this work, particularly in its sensitive rendering of nature. The moonlit landscape, flowering creepers, birds, tranquil waters, and gentle wildlife create a lyrical setting that mirrors the heroine's beauty and emotion.

Vasaka-sajja Nayika
Unknown Pahari Court Artist (Kangra School)
Gouache on vasli, c. 1800 CE

The Praudha Utka Nayika represents the mature heroine overcome with longing as she awaits her beloved. Unlike the youthf...
21/07/2026

The Praudha Utka Nayika represents the mature heroine overcome with longing as she awaits her beloved. Unlike the youthful bashfulness of other Nayikas, she embodies emotional depth and an unwavering devotion. In this painting, she stands alone outside a building beneath the night sky, her palms joined in prayer as she gazes upwards, possibly expressing hope and anticipation.

She is dressed in a white semi-transparent jama, pink striped payjama, and a blue odhani. With a bold palette, expressive figures, stylised landscapes, and strong geometric compositions, the style conveys emotion with remarkable intensity as seen in the other works as well.

Praudha Utka Nayika
Pahari Court Artist (Basholi School)
Gouache on vasli, c. 1700 CE

The Parakiya Utka Nayika, as her name suggests - embodies longing, anticipation, and the emotional intensity of a love t...
18/07/2026

The Parakiya Utka Nayika, as her name suggests - embodies longing, anticipation, and the emotional intensity of a love that must remain concealed. In this depiction from the museum collection, she appears to be sharing her thoughts and anxieties with her trusted sakhi, who serves as both confidante and companion.

She is dressed in a yellow and black striped payjama, a white semi-transparent jama, and a blue odhani. Similar to the Gupta Nayika we saw in the last post, the colours remain bold and the striking visual intensity of the style is maintained here.

Parakiya Utka Nayika
Pahari Court Artist (Basholi School)
Gouache on vasli, c. 1700 CE

For the next post, we introduce the Gupta Nayika, one of the eight heroines (Ashta Nayikas), whose defining characterist...
15/07/2026

For the next post, we introduce the Gupta Nayika, one of the eight heroines (Ashta Nayikas), whose defining characteristic is secrecy in love. She carefully guards her emotions, revealing them only to her trusted confidante, who is seen here. Her quiet restraint and rich inner world make her one of the most intriguing Ashta Nayikas to depict in painting.

We see the Gupta Nayika reclining against a red bolster within an intimate interior, gesturing towards her attendant as if sharing a closely guarded secret. She is dressed in a white chakdar jama, black odhani, and gold and pearl jewellery, while her companion listens attentively. The diagonally arranged architecture, vivid palette, and bold forms, characteristic of the style, create a dramatic setting for the scene to unfold.

Gupta Nayika
Pahari Court Artist (Basholi School)
Gouache on vasli, c. 1700 CE

Now we meet Abhisarika Nayika, one of the most celebrated heroines in Indian painting. Fearless and determined, she vent...
11/07/2026

Now we meet Abhisarika Nayika, one of the most celebrated heroines in Indian painting. Fearless and determined, she ventures out to meet her beloved despite the dangers of the night. Her courage and unwavering devotion made the Abhisarika one of the most frequently illustrated figures in Indian miniature painting, inspiring artists across regions and centuries.

We share a detail from the In this painting in the collection, the Abhisarika Nayika can be seen crossing a dense forest accompanied by her sakhi (companion). She is dressed in a blue peshwaz, orange payjama, and a translucent blue odhani, adorned with gold and pearl jewellery. The lush foliage, dark night sky, and flashes of golden lightning evoke the uncertainty of her journey, while emphasizing her steadfast resolve to reach her beloved.

Next, we encounter the Swakiya Nayika, the wedded heroine, at the moment of her first union (Pratham Samagam).In this in...
07/07/2026

Next, we encounter the Swakiya Nayika, the wedded heroine, at the moment of her first union (Pratham Samagam).
In this intimate scene, the Nayak sits on a bed and gently reaches for the Nayika's odhani, while she turns away in bashfulness, appearing both hesitant and eager to escape his playful advances. Dressed in a white angarakha, the Nayak wears a black and gold angavastram and turban, while the Nayika is adorned in a semi-transparent peshwaz, odhani, and gold and pearl jewellery.

The richly furnished interior, patterned carpet, carved railings, and the landscape glimpsed through the arched window create a refined setting that reflects the tenderness and restraint of their first meeting.

Kangra style is celebrated for its lyrical compositions, graceful figures, delicate brushwork, and an emphasis on romance which is depicted with sensitivity and elegance.

Swakiya Nayika, Pratham Samagam (The Bashful Heroine)
Artist following the Late Kangra Style
Gouache on vasli, c. 1800-1850 CE

While the Rasamanjari is best known for its classification of the Nayika, it also explores the emotional states of the h...
03/07/2026

While the Rasamanjari is best known for its classification of the Nayika, it also explores the emotional states of the hero through the same themes of love, longing, and separation.

This painting from the collection depicts the Nayak in a state of Unmada, or a state of frenzy evoked by the intensity of love. Set against a deep maroon background, the hero appears almost to dance in ecstatic abandon. He is dressed in an orange dhoti and a translucent white odhani, adorned with gold and pearl jewellery. A silver full moon peeks through a patch of blue sky, while trees frame the composition, heightening the mood of emotional intensity and longing.

The Nayak in a State of Unmada
Pahari Court Artist
Gouache on vasli, c. 1700 CE

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Lalbaug, Shahibaug
Ahmedabad
380004

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