Painting, Tarakeshwar murder case, Mahant riding on an elephant, watercolour and tin alloy on paper, Kalighat, Kolkata, ca. 1880

Painted in watercolour and tin alloy on paper, episode of the Tarakeshwar affair. Image of the Mahant or Brahmin priest of Tarakeshwar riding in a howdah, a platform with a canopy on the back of an elephant.

The Mahant or Brahmin priest of Tarakeshwar riding in a howdah, a platform with a canopy on the back of an elephant.

The Tarakeshwar murder case of 1873 was a public scandal in Calcutta based on an affair between Elokeshi the young attractive wife of Nabinchandra Banerji and the mahant or chief priest of the Shiva temple at Tarakeshwar. Upon discovery of the affair, on 27 May 1873 her jealous husband Nabinchandra Banerji cut Elokeshi's throat with a fish knife. In the trial that followed Nabin was sentenced to life imprisonment and the Mahant was fined and imprisoned for 3 years. Different variations of this affair favouring the various characters occur in several Bengali plays and Kalighat images between 1875-80. See Archer p12.

Historical significance: Calcutta was the capital of British India from 1833-1912. By the 1830s, artists had arrived from rural villages in Bengal and began to produce paintings that reflected local history, mythology, customs and conflicts of a colonised society. As a popular art form, these artists are recognised for their use of brilliant colour, simplified images and swift brushstrokes that became the hallmark of Kalighat painting in the 19th and early 20th century.

In total 15 episodes of the Tarakeshwar are depicted. This image may be the first in the series as it highlights the Mahants power and influence as a priest.

IS.109-1965