{
"data": {
"id": 314221,
"accession_number": "2018.94",
"share_license_status": "CC0",
"tombstone": "Kamakandala dies on hearing the news of Madhava\u2019s death, folio 19 from a Madhavanala-Kamakandala of Alam, c. 1720. Northern India, Pahari kingdoms. Gum tempera and gold on paper; image: 17.6 x 28.5 cm (6 15/16 x 11 1/4 in.); page: 20.2 x 31 cm (7 15/16 x 12 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 2018.94",
"current_location": null,
"title": "Kamakandala dies on hearing the news of Madhava\u2019s death, folio 19 from a Madhavanala-Kamakandala of Alam",
"creation_date": "c. 1720",
"creation_date_earliest": 1715,
"creation_date_latest": 1725,
"artists_tags": [],
"culture": [
"Northern India, Pahari kingdoms"
],
"technique": "gum tempera and gold on paper",
"support_materials": [],
"department": "Indian and Southeast Asian Art",
"collection": "Indian Art",
"type": "Painting",
"measurements": "Image: 17.6 x 28.5 cm (6 15/16 x 11 1/4 in.); Page: 20.2 x 31 cm (7 15/16 x 12 3/16 in.)",
"dimensions": {
"page": {
"height": 0.202,
"height_inch": 7,
"height_inch_fraction": 0.9375,
"width": 0.31,
"width_inch": 12,
"width_inch_fraction": 0.1875
},
"image": {
"height": 0.176,
"height_inch": 6,
"height_inch_fraction": 0.9375,
"width": 0.285,
"width_inch": 11,
"width_inch_fraction": 0.25
}
},
"state_of_the_work": null,
"edition_of_the_work": null,
"copyright": null,
"inscriptions": [
{
"inscription": "Takri number \u201819\u2019 on verso; four lines of Takri script; (in English) Roman numeral: VII; K. Iswari Singh of Sirmur; number 191. caupai. kapata nahe r\u0101j\u0101 ucara\u012b. duhu tana pr\u012bta par\u012bch\u0101 kara\u012b. mai dekhyo m\u0101dhavanala jog\u012b. nagara ujain\u012b birah\u012b biyog\u012b. n\u0101r\u012b b\u012byoge t\u0101h\u012b dukha bhayo. v\u012brahe sula vipa mar\u012b gayo. aise bacana jaba raye sunaye. lobha na dino su\u0101s ko gaye ah\u012b sa\u1e43g\u012b pr\u0101na. sunata hi jaise pi\u1e43gala kin\u0101. vaise jiyu kandal\u0101 jin\u0101. sakhiy\u0101\u1e43 jan jo n\u0101r\u012b dh\u0101r\u012b. jano baras ek ki m\u0101ri. baithe dasan jibha bhari k\u0101ri. jhamake naina chuti gayi n\u0101ri. rovati sakhi chori ke kes\u0101. r\u0101j\u0101 jibha mai kari andes\u0101. jiha laga bipa ito dukha kin\u0101. tina trih\u0101 bacana sunata jiva din\u0101. doh\u0101. ali biyoga jima malat\u012b sukh\u012b pallav\u0101 sul\u0101. dukhata muta bhay\u012b kama basa sah\u012b na sakata ur\u012b sula. caupai. gaye pr\u0101na k\u0101ma mari gayi. r\u0101j\u0101 ke man chint\u0101 bha\u012b. sir dhuni dhuni dehe pr\u0101na. kat ho bacana munavahi k\u0101na. kauna utar\u012b ho b\u012bp\u0101t\u012b deve. vaha mari j\u0101y\u012b dokha yohi leve. chali kar\u012b t\u012braha badha main k\u012bn\u0101. jan\u012b bujh\u012b p\u0101pa mai lin\u0101.",
"inscription_translation": "While Bikramaditya was convinced that Kandala's love for Madhava is as strong as Madhava's for her, Bikramaditya intended to put Kandala to a final test. He told Kandala that he saw a hermit in Ujjain by the name Madhavanala who was suffering with pangs of separation from his paramour. Unable to bear with the pain, the hermit gave his life. Kandala was deeply affected on hearing of Madhavanala's death from the king's own lips. She cried 'Oh beloved!' and collapsed in a faint. Her tongue started turning black and her friends out of shock began crying and wailing. Unable to bear the sorrow of Madhava\u2019s death, Kandala died within moments. Raja Bikramaditya became distressed with Kandala\u2019s death and regretted not being able to fulfil his promise to Madhava (of having him united with Kandala). Bikramaditya blamed himself for the death of Kandala and the sin of murdering a human unintentionally.",
"inscription_remark": null,
"sortorder": 1
}
],
"exhibitions": {
"current": [
{
"id": 680516,
"title": "Pahari Paintings: Art and Stories",
"description": "Pahari Paintings: Art and Stories. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 18-August 23, 2026).",
"opening_date": "2026-01-18T05:00:00"
}
],
"legacy": []
},
"provenance": [
{
"description": "Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Ralph Benkaim Collection",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": [],
"date": "?\u20132018",
"sortorder": 1
},
{
"description": "The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "2018\u2013",
"sortorder": 2
}
],
"find_spot": null,
"related_works": [],
"former_accession_numbers": [],
"did_you_know": "The scene is set at night with a star-studded sky.",
"early_education_description": null,
"artlens_description": null,
"description": "Having seen how desperately Madhava loves Kamakandala, King Vikrama decides to test Kamakandala to ensure she loves him equally. Time is compressed in this scene. King Vikrama is shown delivering the false news that Madhava died from a broken heart. In response, Kamakandala faints, and her friend sees that her tongue has turned black, according to the poem. Kamakandala then dies, and her friends cry and wail, letting their hair loose in an act of mourning; the king\u2019s groom looks downcast.
At the end, Madhava dies after hearing of Kamakandala\u2019s death. King Vikrama is seized with deep regret, until a celestial being restores their lives, and the lovers are reunited.",
"external_resources": {
"wikidata": [
"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60483031"
],
"internet_archive": [
"https://archive.org/details/clevelandart-2018.94-kandala-dies-on-hear"
]
},
"citations": [
{
"citation": "Griswold, William, Cameron Kitchin, Chase F. Robinson, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cincinnati Art Museum, and National Museum of Asian Art (Smithsonian Institution). Pahari Paintings: Art and Stories, edited by Sonya Rhie Mace, Sarang Sharma, and Vijay Sharma. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2026.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and reproduced: p. 102-109, no. 19e",
"url": ""
}
],
"url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/2018.94",
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"date_created": "2016-05-26T17:33:12",
"annotation": ""
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"creditline": "Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund",
"image_credit": null,
"sketchfab_id": null,
"sketchfab_url": null,
"gallery_donor_text": null,
"athena_id": 314221,
"creators": [],
"legal_status": "accessioned",
"accession_date": "2018-09-04T00:00:00-04:00",
"sortable_date": 1715,
"date_added_to_oa": null,
"date_text": "c. 1720",
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"cover_accession_number": null,
"is_nazi_era_provenance": false,
"impression": null,
"alternate_titles": [
"Raja Bikramaditya Breaks to Kandala the News of Madhava\u2019s Death",
"Kamakandala dies on hearing the news of Madhava\u2019s death, from a Madhavanala Kamakandala"
],
"is_highlight": false,
"updated_at": "2026-08-26 17:45:55.664000"
}
}