Asavari Ragini, illustration from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) series

The Asavari Ragini, is commonly represented by a female heroine (nayika) that charms snakes either through her dance or through her music. In this painting, the female figure sits on an outcropping of lilac-colored rocks, between two silvery bodies of water. She plays a pungi, a type of wind instrument, to charm the snakes. The snakes spiraling down the tree and coiling around the figure’s limbs. Contrary to the stereotypical presentation of Asavari Ragini as a dark-skinned tribal woman garbed in leaves or feathers, she appears in this painting as fair-haired and fashionably dressed, with fingertips colored by henna. Her upswept topknot signals that she should be viewed as a yogini—a woman who follows the Hindu ascetic path. Conventionally, Asavari Ragini is a solitary figure, but here she is accompanied by a semi-clad ascetic, who stands at left. The standing ascetic is attended by a dog and holds a fan and a meditation crutch, all of which symbolize that the devotee is of the ascetic Nath order. This painting is a pictorial metaphor for a raga, a musical phrase that is used as the basis for improvisation).