The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

Man Dhata in Yogi Position

c. 1690–1700

India, Pahari, Nurpur, late 17th Century

Gum tempera and ink on paper
Overall: 20 x 14 cm (7 7/8 x 5 1/2 in.)
Edward L. Whittemore Fund 1966.27
Location: Not on view

Description

An unconventional ruler portrait depicts Raja Mandhata of Nurpur (reigned 1661/1667–1700) engaged in yogic practice, raising his breath to pierce the three knots (ghranti) of the subtle body. The knots, which are located at the base of the spine, the heart, and between the eyebrows, are identified, respectively, with the deities Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra (Shiva).

This rare image of the ghranti points to the key role that kings played in creating yoga’s visual culture.
  • ?–1966
    Dr. Stella Kramrisch [1896–1993], Philadelphia, PA, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1966–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Dwivedi, Vinod P. “A Rasamanjari Painting from Basohli.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 56, no. 7 (September 1969): 262–268. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 264, fig. 2 www.jstor.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 307 archive.org
    Kramrisch, Stella. Manifestations of Shiva. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1981. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. P-58, p. 232
    Leach, Linda York. Indian Miniature Paintings and Drawings. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1986. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 134
    Levitt, Stephan Hillyer. "Early Nurpur Ragamala Paintings." Journal of the Indian Society of Oriental Art XXVIII (2012). Reproduced: p. 45, plate 3
    Banerji, Arundhati and Susnato Ganguly. Journal of The Indian Society of Oriental Art. Kolkata: Indian Society of Oriental Art, 2013. Reproduced: Plate 3
    Diamond, Debra, and Molly Emma Aitken. Yoga: The Art of Transformation. Washington, D.C.: Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 2013. Reproduced: cat. no. 11A, p. 167
    Branfoot, Crispin, ed. Portraiture in South Asia Since the Mughals: Art, Representation and History. London; New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd., 2018. Reproduced: pl. 15
  • Yoga: The Art of Transformation. National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, DC (organizer) (October 19, 2013-January 26, 2014); Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (February 21-May 25, 2014); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 22-September 7, 2014).
    Sacred India. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5, 1985-January 12, 1986).
  • {{cite web|title=Man Dhata in Yogi Position|url=false|author=|year=c. 1690–1700|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1966.27