PREMARPAN – Paintings of Eternal Bond Beyond Worldly Limits: An Exhibition on Mewar Paintings
Pragati Das
Faculty member at the PG Department of English, Bhatter College, Dantan, Paschim Medinipur, India, and a PhD Scholar at the Department of English, Techno India University, Kolkata.
Chitrolekha Journal, Vol. 10, Issue 1, 2026. https://doi.org/10.21659/cjad.101.v10n101e
The City Palace Museum, Udaipur, in collaboration with the Allahabad Museum, Prayagraj, under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, inaugurated a landmark exhibition of Mewar paintings on 15th December 2025 at the Fateh Niwas Gallery, Zenana Mahal. Titled ‘PREMARPAN – Paintings of Eternal Bond Beyond Worldly Limits’, the exhibition will remain on view until 15th June 2026, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience a profound chapter in the history of Indian miniature painting. The exhibition was formally inaugurated by Her Excellency Smt. Anandiben Patel, the Hon’ble Governor of Uttar Pradesh and Chairman of Allahabad Society, together with Shriji Huzur Dr Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar of Udaipur, Chairman and Managing Trustee of the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF). This occasion marked the first-ever collaboration, an important milestone in institutional cooperation and cultural exchange.
Love and Dedication as Living Bhavs
‘Premarpan’ is a poetic amalgamation of two evocative Hindi words—Prem (love) and Samarpan (dedication). Together, they express inner states of devotion, selflessness, and surrender. These bhavs form the conceptual core of the exhibition and unfold through mythological narratives, folk tales, and historical episodes from the lives of the Maharanas of Mewar. The paintings reveal enduring emotions of love and dedication, translated into visual form by generations of artists. Spanning works from the 18th to the 21st centuries, the exhibition allows visitors to trace the stylistic evolution, technical refinement, and thematic richness of the Mewar School of painting. Mythological depictions of Shree Krishna and Radha ji, the romantic legend of Dhola–Maru, and celebrated literary sources such as Rasikpriya, Bihari Satsai, Geet Govind, and Sursagar form the narrative backbone of the display. The exhibition features 84 paintings from the Mewar School: 48 works from the Allahabad Museum and 36 from the City Palace Museum, Udaipur. The exhibition reaffirms both museums’ shared commitment to the preservation, research, reinterpretation, and public dissemination of Indian art traditions.
Inauguration
Her Excellency Smt. Anandiben Patel praised the exhibition’s curatorial vision, display design, and the dedicated efforts of both museums in preserving the living heritage of Mewar through paintings. She remarked that these works are not merely artworks but repositories of the emotions of the Maharanas of Mewar and the artists who created them—emotions that continue to live on through these masterpieces.
Conservation in Focus
The displayed works include paintings on paper, canvas, and wooden panels, each requiring specialized care. The Conservation Team at The City Palace Museum, Udaipur, has meticulously treated the artworks in the museum’s laboratory to prepare them for display. Conservation strategies vary according to the medium and condition of each piece, with the primary aim of stabilizing both the support and paint layers using museum-grade materials, tools, and advanced equipment. Mounting and framing have been carried out manually by the in-house team, while preventive measures—such as controlled lighting and environmental conditions—ensure long-term preservation. As an added educational feature, the exhibition also presents insights into conservation processes and discoveries, offering visitors a behind-the-scenes understanding of heritage preservation.
Partner Institutions
The Allahabad Museum, Prayagraj, established in 1931 and now under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is one of the country’s foremost national museums. Its extensive collections encompass archaeology, sculpture, manuscripts, textiles, decorative arts, and a distinguished section of miniature paintings representing Deccani, Rajasthani, Mughal, Pahari, and Company schools.The City Palace Museum, Udaipur, founded in 1969 administered by the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation. The museum preserves paintings, textiles, arms and armour, photographs, and ceremonial objects as living testimonies to Mewar’s cultural legacy. Under the custodianship of Shriji Huzur Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, the museum has emerged as a centre of excellence and a model of sustainability.Through PREMARPAN, these two institutions come together to celebrate love, devotion, and artistic excellence—inviting audiences to experience the timeless emotional world of Mewar painting.
Maharana Bhupal Singh (r. 1931-1955 CE) 74th Custodian of the House of Mewar at Jagdish Temple, Udaipur Artist: Lakshmi Lal Gaud Dalchand Opaque watercolours on Paper, Early 20th century – Mid 20th century Maharana Bhupal Singh stands in front of the Prabhu Shree Jagannathrai ji in Jagdish Temple, Udaipur holding his sword in his hands. The idol is depicted in a decorative costume, adorned with lavish jewellery. Idols of Shree Krishna and Mahalakshmi are placed on both sides. 2011.18.0059
Shriji Huzur Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar of Udaipur
77th Custodian of the House of Mewar at Jagdish Temple, Udaipur
Artist: Rahul Mali
Acrylic colour on canvas, 2025
This artwork depicts Shriji Huzur Dr. Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar of Udaipur standing before Prabhu Shree Jagannathrai ji at the Jagdish Temple of Udaipur. With joined palms, Shriji Huzur appears in traditional attire of Mewar. To the right stands the idol of Mahalakshmi, and to the left a Shree Krishna idol.
Both the above images in one photo
Shree Krishna and Radha ji together on Sharad Poornima
Opaque watercolours on Paper, late 19th century
Shree Krishna and Radha ji seated on a couch, near a lotus pond on the night of Sharad Poornima (full moon night) of Ashvin month around October. Two Sakhis are standing with Mor chhal (fly whisk made of peacock feathers) with the Udaipur Palace in the background.
2012.18.0212
Pragati Das is a faculty member at the PG Department of English, Bhatter College, Dantan, Paschim Medinipur, India, and a PhD Scholar at the Department of English, Techno India University, Kolkata. Her interests include Leonard Cohen, western rock, gender studies, popular culture, digital humanities technologies, scholarly publishing etc. She has published interviews with Prof Albrecht Classen and Prof Clare Hemmings.
