Portraits of devotion: popular manorath paintings from Nathdwara in the collection of Anil Relia

Abstract

This volume looks at popular manorath paintings of Pushti Marg devotees from the Anil Relia collection. Art collector Anil Relia had always admired the miniature paintings of the Nathdwara school, which grew out of the religious devotion of the Pushti Marg (Path of Grace). On one of his trips to this pilgrimage town, he encountered 'manorath' paintings, whose unusual visual elements attracted his attention immediately. Originally part of the Pushti Marg popular culture, 'manorath' paintings were often commissioned by devout followers as an indelible record of a pilgrimage trip to Nathdwara.