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 is a common feature between the hairstyle in the Ragamala paintings of the Deccani paintings and the Lepakshi murals?

Rolled up hair in a bun on the nape of the neck

Answer: Rolled up hair in a bun on the nape of the neck
The women's hairstyle in the Ragamala paintings is similar to the Lepakshi murals, with the hair rolled up in a bun on the nape of the neck.

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. The women’s hair is rolled up in a bun on the nape of the neck, similar to the Lepakshi murals. The horizon, in the painting, disappears and is replaced by a neutral coloured ground patterned all over with small stylised plants, or occupied by symmetrical architectural domes over the archades. All these features, except the hairstyle, have traces of north India or Persia