From the Land of the Rajas: Creativity in Rajasthan

From the Land of the Rajas:

Creativity in Rajasthan

Geography

The Indian state of Rajasthan lies on the country’s northwestern border with Pakistan. Roughly diamond shaped, it is divided diagonally by the Aravalli mountains into two distinct geographic regions. Roughly two-thirds of the state lies in the arid, sparsely-populated Thar Desert; the southern and eastern region is a hilly, forested, fertile land with a more temperate climate and heavier rainfall.

Of the twenty-eight Indian states, Rajasthan is the largest in territory, covering one-ninth of India. Yet its population of 58 million ranks it last in population, with the nation’s lowest population density. While the number of towns and cities has grown substantially in the past thirty years, nearly three-quarters of Rajasthan’s people still live in rural areas and are employed primarily in farming, herding, and forestry.

The Hearst collection—and this exhibition drawn from it—comes mainly from southern Rajasthan, specifically from the ancient kingdom of Mewar, whose capital was Udaipur. Most of the collecting sites of Renaldo Maduro, our principal collector, were within 100 miles of Udaipur.

Vegetable seller
Photo by Shalini Ayyagari, Jodhpur, 2005–06

(L) Sand dunes
Photo by Shalini Ayyagari, Jaisalmer, 2005–06

(R) Water carriers
Photo by Shalini Ayyagari, near Jodhpur, 2005–06

Puppets

Henna prints

Religious Paintings