Left: Goddess Sharada enthroned surrounded by fairies. From a Private collection. Probably 18th century. Kashmir. Notice the way angels are painted around the orb. Came aross the image in “Cosmology and Cosmic Manifestation: Shaiva Thought And Art Of Kashmir by Bansi Lal Malla (2015). While writing about the image, the author missed an important art connection.
Right: 16th century, Ṣafavid Iran. Miraj painted by Sultan Muhammad for a manuscript of Nizami Ganjavi’s Quinary (“Panj Ganj” or “Khamsa”. Art styling inspired by Buddhist China. Khamsa was a work popular in Persian and Mughal courts. Notice the way fairies are drawn and the headgear on them.
In the right image, Khamsa influence on the court culture of Kashmir can be seen as late as 18th century. This mixing of culture, arts and “sacred” was not a phenomena unique to Kashmir, other major cultural centers also experienced it and continue to experience it. Only in case of Kashmir, it is least studied in detail.
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