Indian Miniature Painting – The Month of Aghan: The days are neither cold nor hot, how lucky to be together my love!

“The days are neither cold nor hot,how lucky to be together my love!Do not therefore leave me alonein Agahana, this lovely month of the year.”

The Month of Aghan, Garhwal, 1780

This Indian miniature painting shows the month of Aghan, which in 2024 starts today, on Friday the 22nd November and ends on the 21st December. Aghan connotes the arrival of winter and the painting above has a typical composition and motifs connected to the season. The couple, taking the form of Krisha and Radha, is seen on the balcony overlooking a river or a lake. The heroine or nayika, dressed as elegantly as the heroines always are in these paintings with the red paint on her fingers, bangles, fancy dupatta and much more, is seen talking to the hero, who is wrapped in a warm shawl and seemingly ready to leave on a journey, imploring him to stay with her. In the background we can see picturesque verdant hills for which the region is known. While the tree on the left still has a lush, green treetop in which the birds have found their abode, the tree on the other side of the lake is distinctly bare. Two sky swans are seen flying, migrating from the hilsl to the plains, their whiteness as a stark contrast to the dark blue sky.

Pahari School of Painting is actually an umbrella term used for Indian miniature paintings that originated in the lower Himalayan hill kingdoms of North India in the early seventeenth century and thrived until the mid nineteenth century. “Pahar” means “mountain” in Hindi and Pahari painting literally means “a painting from the mountanous regions”. Notable schools of Pahari painting are Kangra, Guler, Mandi, Garhwal, Basohli, Nurpur, Chamba and Mankot. The central theme of Pahari painting is the love between Krishna and Radha, their love adventures and frivolities, but the paintings illustrating Baramasa are also a common motif.

“Baramasa”, literally “The Twelve Months”, is an India poetic genre that originates in folk tradition. The earliest written Baramasa was by Guru Nanak (1469-1538). In Baramasa, the seasons and the changes of seasons are celebrated and joyfully welcomed. There is no lament, complaining or regret, but rather the beauty is found in every season, every weather, and every state of nature and I think this is very inspiring. The poet and writer Keshav Das describes the twelve months in his work “Kavipriya”. These short poems give a vivid description of each month and in the final verse the unnamed heroine is typically imploring the hero not to leave her in the beautiful month – and every month is beautiful if you ask Keshav Das. He describes the nuances of weather, nature and activities for each month so beautifully that it is difficult to choose which season is the most beautiful. This is what he wrote on the month of “Agahana”:

“Of all the months to God Agahana is most dear.This is the month for happiness, and salvation of the soul.The river banks are covered with flowersAnd joyous notes of swans fill the air.The days are neither cold nor hot,how lucky to be together my love!Do not therefore leave me alonein Agahana, this lovely month of the year.”