Manaku of Guler or Manaku (c. 1700–1760) was an Indian painter from the
Guler State
Guler was a small precolonial Indian hill state in the Lower Himalayas. Its capital was the town of Haripur Guler, in modern-day Himachal Pradesh. The kingdom was founded in 1415 by Raja Hari Chand, a scion of the ancient royal family of Kang ...
, in modern-day
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh (; ; "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen mountain states and is characterized by an extreme landscape featuring several peaks ...
. After his death he was mostly forgotten and overshadowed by his much-celebrated younger brother
Nainsukh
Nainsukh (literally "Joy of the Eyes"; c. 1710 – 1778) was an Indian painter. He was the younger son of the painter Pandit Seu and, like his older brother Manaku of Guler, was an important practitioner of Pahari painting, and has been c ...
. But today he is recognised as an exponent of
Pahari style of painting, much like his brother. The rediscovery of Manaku has been a result of research efforts by art historians like
B. N. Goswamy.
Like Nainsukh, Manaku almost never signed his works, and only four extant works carry his signature.
Gallery
File:Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku.jpg, ''Hiranyagarbha (Golden Cosmic Egg)'', c. 1740, Opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Bharat Kala Bhavan
Bharat Kala Bhavan is a university museum located in Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. It has been instrumental in the dissemination of knowledge on Indian art and culture. It is one of the important touristic attractions in the Banara ...
, Varanasi
File:Hiranyaksha use maya on varaha by manaku from Bhagavata purana series.jpg, ''Vishnu as Varaha challenges the demon Hiranyaksha'' from Bhagavata Purana
The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in S ...
series, c. 1740, Opaque watercolour and gold on paper, Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh
Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, is a premier museum of North India having collections of Gandharan sculptures, sculptures from ancient and medieval India, Pahari and Rajasthani miniature paintings. It owes its existence to the ...
File:Jayadeva bow to Radha-krishna.jpg, ''Poet Jayadeva worshipping Radha and Krishna'' based on Jayadeva
Jayadeva (; born ), also spelt Jaideva, was a Sanskrit poet during the 12th century. He is most known for his epic poem '' Gita Govinda'' which concentrates on Krishna's love with the '' gopi'', Radha, in a rite of spring. This poem, which pres ...
's ''Gita Govinda
The ''Gita Govinda'' ( sa, गीत गोविन्दम्; ) is a work composed by the 12th-century Hindu poet, Jayadeva. It describes the relationship between Krishna, Radha and ''gopis'' (female cow herders) of Vrindavan.
The ''Gita ...
'', c. 1730, Watercolour on paper, National Museum, New Delhi
The National Museum in New Delhi, also known as the National Museum of India, is one of the largest museums in India. Established in 1949, it holds a variety of articles ranging from pre-historic era to modern works of art. It functions under t ...
File:Ravana shows Sita the Counterfeit Head of Rama.jpg, ''Ravana
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. ...
shows Sita
Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...
the counterfeit head of Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
'', c. 1725, Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Bibliography
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References
External links
Metropolitan Museum of Art - Manaku collection
{{Authority control
Indian male painters
Mughal painters
1700 births
1760 deaths
Court painters
Year of birth uncertain
18th-century Indian painters
People from Kangra district
Painters from Himachal Pradesh