File:Ragamala Paintings 23.jpg

English: Detail of Ragamala miniature entitled 'Bisakhra ragini of Sri'. Ragamala paintings are images which depict, in physical form, the 'modes' or scales used in Indian Classical Music, known as ragas. Usually accompanied by an inscription or poem, they elucidate the season and time of day in which a raga was meant to be performed, as well as its mood, and often portray the Hindu deities with which they are individually associated. The concept may have originally come about through the use of personification as an aide memoire for musicians, which then developed into physical imagery. This collection dates to the mid-late eighteenth century, and originates from Hyderabad on the Deccan Plateau in Southern India. Acquired by John Ballie (1772-1833), who brought it to the UK, it is one of two sets of Ragamala paintings in the Oriental Manuscripts Collection, the other being Or.Ms 437.1-2. Sources: Watson, L. (2012), What is Ragamala?, http://dulwichonview.org.uk/2012/01/20/what-is-ragamala/ (accessed 05/06/14). http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/museums-galleries/talbot-rice/archive/ragamala (accessed 05/06/14)