The earliest examples of Deccani painting are in a volume of poems, celebrating the reign of Hussain Nizam Shah I of Ahmadnagar (1553–1565). Most of the 12 miniatures that illustrate battle scenes are of no artistic interest, but interestingly, those depicting the queen and her marriage delight us with gorgeous colours and sensuous lines.

The feminine dress, present in a series of Ragamala paintings, are the most striking and moving examples of the sixteenth century Deccan Schools of Painting (Ahmadnagar). The women’s hair is rolled up in a bun on the nape of the neck, similar to the Lepakshi murals.

In the Decani School of paintings (Ahmadnagar) the male costume is also decisively northern. The jama with pointed tails is frequently seen in early Akbari miniatures and probably originated in the area somewhere between Delhi and Ahmedabad. The small pagri is close to the form found in the earliest Akbari miniatures. The original paintings in the Gulistan of 1567 have been attributed by art historians to the Bukhara artists.

What Persian influence is observed in the landscape paintings of Deccani kingdoms (Ahmadnagar)?

Circular horizon and gold sky

Answer: Circular horizon and gold sky
The high circular horizon and gold sky in the paintings of the Deccan have Persian influence.

The earliest examples of Deccani painting are in a volume of poems, celebrating the reign of Hussain Nizam Shah I of Ahmadnagar (1553–1565). Most of the 12 miniatures that illustrate battle scenes are of no artistic interest, but interestingly, those depicting the queen and her marriage delight us with gorgeous colours and sensuous lines. The woman represented in it belongs to the northern tradition of pre-Mughal painting, which was flourishing especially in Malwa and Ahmedabad during this period. The women in the paintings of Ahmadnagar wear a modified northern costume with choli (bodice) and long braided pigtails, ending in a tassel. Only a long scarf, passing round the body below the hips, is a southern fashion, which is seen in the Lepakshi frescoes. The palette is different from paintings of northern manuscripts, coming largely from the Mughal atelier, as they are more rich and brilliant. Paintings of the Deccan have similar characteristics. The high circular horizon and gold sky have Persian influence. We may see the debt of all Deccani kingdoms, which they owe to Persia for their landscape idiom.