The painting is an llustration of Dhola Maru. A lady in male dress seated on a camel facing a male seated on a horse. This is a love story of Marwar prince Dhola and Poogal princess Maru and deeply rooted in folklore and oral Rajasthani traditions.
As the popular tradition has it, when yet a child, as per the custom prevalent in Rajasthan, Dhola was married to Maru who was also in her childhood days.
In such marriages the bride used to stay at her parents’ house, or came to the bridegroom’s house for a day or so and went back. She came finally to her in-laws’ house only after she as attained the age of majority.
Accordingly, despite her marriage with Dhola, Maru remained at her parent’s house. She reached the age of majority and even beyond but Dhola did not come to take her home. Like this year after year passed but Dhola did not turn up.
As the destiny would have it, Dhola’s father, King Nal passed away. Dhola had completely forgotten his childhood marriage. Hence when he attained youth, he married Malwani, a princess of Malwa. When Maru heard of the Dhola’s marriage, she broke down with grief.
In desperation she asked the birds, perching on trees in the courtyard of her palace, to carry her message of grief and love to Dhola. Seeing her grief, her parents, too, asked their bards to visit Dhola.
The birds, reaching the trees in the courtyard of Dhola’s palace, and bards, reaching his court, sang of Maru’s pain and desperation which moved Dhola to tears. He remembered his childhood marriage and his bride by this marriage. With a painful heart he decided to go to the palace of Maru and bring her home. Before Malwani, his other wife knew it, he chose the fastest of his camels and drove it to Maru’s house.
Dhola made a perilous journey and faced many obstacles.
In return journey, Maru was bitten by a snake and in sorrow Dhola decided to burn himself as ‘male sati’. But he was saved by a yogi and yogini who claimed that they could bring Maru back to life. They played their musical instruments and brought back Maru to life. Umar Sumar again tried to kill Dhola, however they escaped from there, riding back on the wonderful flying camel.
Painting Source: Illustration of Rag Dhola Maru, Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad India
