The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of October 9, 2026

A horizontally oriented palm leaf painting features two narrative bands in warm yellow and earthy red tones. Fine lampblack outlines define stylized figures with medium-light skin tones. Above, an ascetic sits amidst radiating fires and detailed trees. Below, a multi-armed Shiva rides a white bull, followed by attendants through a landscape of patterned hills. This rhythmic, elongated composition utilizes flat, repetitive patterns to document sacred mythological scenes through traditional brushwork.

A Prince Performs Austerities (recto); Shiva and His Followers Return to Mount Kailash (verso), from a Romance of Chandrabhanu and Lavanyavati of Upendra Bhanja (1670–1740)

1700s

Eastern India, Odisha

(formerly Orissa)
gum tempera and lampblack on palm leaf
Leaf: 5.1 x 41 cm (2 x 16 1/8 in.)
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.175
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

There is a three-legged yogi on the verso.

Description

In this illustration from the beginning of a popular romance, a prince performed intense austerities and devotions to the Shiva linga in order to obtain a divine woman. He practices yoga surrounded by fires during the hot season and wanders unsheltered during monsoon, as seen on the recto. On the verso, Shiva has answered his prayers and returns home to his "cave on Mount Kailash," as stated in the inscription.
  • ?–2018
    Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Barbara Timmer, Beverly Hills, CA, partial sale and gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    2018–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Mace, Sonya Rhie. “A Page from Supernatural Love: Collaboration often leads to unanticipated discoveries.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 59, no. 4 (July/August 2019): 12. Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 12 archive.org
  • Supernatural Love - Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (April 1-September 9, 2019).
    Indian Gallery 242 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 10, 2018-April 7, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=A Prince Performs Austerities (recto); Shiva and His Followers Return to Mount Kailash (verso), from a Romance of Chandrabhanu and Lavanyavati of Upendra Bhanja (1670–1740)|url=false|author=|year=1700s|access-date=09 October 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.175