The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 21, 2025

Bhima's Consultation with the Astrologer: Scene from the Nala-Damayanti Drawings

c. 1790–1800

Northern India, Himachal Pradesh, Pahari Kingdom of Kangra

Gum tempera and ink on paper
Overall: 22.2 x 33.5 cm (8 3/4 x 13 3/16 in.)
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1936.684
Location: Not on view

Description

In the central pavilion, King Bhima, father of the beautiful Damayanti, receives favorable signs from his astrologers for the marriage of his daughter to her beloved, Nala. In the upper left corner, King Bhima tells the good news to his daughter, while messengers inform Nala in the upper right. Musicians and dancers already begin to celebrate.

This lyrical series depicts scenes from the extended romantic poem of the 1100s, based on an episode from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata.
  • ?-1936
    Ananda K. Coomaraswamy [1877-1947] sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1936-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Peyton, Allysa B., and Katherine Anne Paul. Arts of South Asia: Cultures of Collecting. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press, 2019. Medntioned: p. 147, footnote 19 -. 147
  • Indian Gallery 242 Rotation – April-November 2017. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 10-November 6, 2017).
    Exhibition of the Month: Indian Miniatures. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 15-September 28, 1952).
  • {{cite web|title=Bhima's Consultation with the Astrologer: Scene from the Nala-Damayanti Drawings|url=false|author=|year=c. 1790–1800|access-date=21 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1936.684