Maharao Ram Singh's Marriage Procession at Udaipur
This spectacular portrayal of a royal wedding represents the culmination of a long tradition of compositions that recorded different aspects of royal life in and around Udaipur Palace. The groom, the maharaja of Kota, arrives at the palace of his bride, Phul Kunvar Bai, a princess of the Mewar family. He is shown twice: first, at lower left, arriving by elephant accompanied by an entourage of noblemen and ranked soldiers; and second, claiming his bride by symbolically striking with a whip an entrance arch (torana) suspended from the zenana mahal, the private quarters of the royal women. The bride’s father, Maharana Sarup Singh of Mewar (r. 1842–61), is seated on a terrace, witness to the moment. The painting’s rich details, some whimsical in nature, add a human quality to this public expression of political alliance.
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