In the sixteenth-century paintings of Ahmadnagar, the women’s hair is rolled up in a bun on the nape of the neck. This hairstyle is similar to which works?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Lepakshi murals
Option (1) Ajanta murals — Incorrect. The Ajanta murals share the dark outline seen in Ragini Pathamsika of Raga Hindola, not this hairstyle.
Option (2) Early Akbari miniatures — Incorrect. Early Akbari miniatures show the jama with pointed tails and the small pagri of the men.
Option (3) Lepakshi murals — Correct. The bun on the nape of the neck is similar to the Lepakshi murals.
Option (4) Pre-Mughal paintings of Malwa — Incorrect. The northern pre-Mughal tradition of Malwa is linked with the woman in the earliest Ahmadnagar volume, not with the bun.
NCERT (2026-27): “Ahmadnagar School of Painting …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. These feminine dress, present in a series of Ragamala paintings, are the most striking and moving examples of the sixteenth century Deccan Schools of Painting. The women’s hair is rolled up in a bun on the nape of the neck, similar to the Lepakshi murals.” |