The House of Bijapur: Visual Analysis of the Painting & Muslim Rulers

This essay provides a visual analysis of 'The House of Bijapur,' a painting by Kamal Muhammad and Chand Muhammad, showcased at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting depicts the lives and rule of the Muslim rulers of the Bijapur kingdom, particularly focusing on Sikander, the last ruler, and other Adil Shahi rulers. The analysis highlights the painting's depiction of the kingdom's vastness, the key of legitimacy being handed to Yusuf by Ismai'l, symbolizing loyalty to Shiite Islam, and the emergence of Hinduism and Sufism. The artists' use of ink, watercolours, gold, and silver on opaque paper contributes to the painting's ancient feel, portraying the peaceful nature of Bijapur under the Adil Shahi rulers. The essay concludes that the painting offers a descriptive and beautiful image of life during the Muslim rule in India, providing historical insights and artistic details.

Running head: HOUSE OF BIJAPUR
House of Bijapur
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HOUSE OF BIJAPUR
House of Bijapur
The House of Bijapur is one of the paintings which was made by the artists named
Kamal Muhammad and Chand Muhammad. The painting was first showcased in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in the located in New York, The United States of America in
the year 1982. The painting tells the audience about the lives of the rulers of Bijapur. The
image is one of the well-documented forms of historical images based in India which was
made available to the international museums for the audiences themselves.
The purpose of this essay us to make a visual analysis of the painting of The
House of Bijapur painted by Kamal Muhammad and Chand Muhammad.
When the audience starts to analyse the painting of The House of Bijapur, at first
glance, it tells the audience about the life of the Muslim rulers of the kingdom of Bijapur and
how the Muslim rulers of the kingdom of Bijapur used to govern the subjects of their states
during the period of their rule. When the audience sees the image of The House of Bijapur for
the first time, they are of the opinion that it is one of the most beautiful pictures of the
Muslim rulers. A closer look at the image gives a details of the action that is happening in the
image itself (Overton, 2013). The audience sees the rule of Sikander, the last of the rulers of
the Sultanate of Bijapur itself. Apart from Sikander, the audiences are also able to see the
images of the other eight rulers belonging to the Adil Shahi rulers. The other things which the
audiences of the image can see for themselves in the image itself is the waterbodies
surrounding the kingdom which tells the audiences about the vastness of the kingdom of
Bijapur, before it was overtaken by the Mughals themselves.
Some other features of the image which comes to the notice of the audiences in the
image is the key of the legitimacy which is being handed by the founder of the Safavid
Dynasty Ismai’l to the founder of the Bijapur Dynasty named Yusuf (Haider et. all, 2015).

2HOUSE OF BIJAPUR
The readers can conclude from this act that the Adil Shahi rulers of Bijapur were loyal to the
Shiite sect of Islam itself. Moreover, this image is also an example of the Hinduism and the
Sufism views which increased in greater numbers in the state of Bijapur itself. Moreover, the
image is also an example of the liberal mindedness of Ibrahim II of the Bijapur Muslim rulers
themselves. It is also from the image itself that the audiences gets to know about the
emergence of Sunnism, which can be seen in the state of Bijapur during the rule of Ibrahim II
in India itself. All of these factors in the image of The House of Bijapur can be seen by the
audiences from the image of the painting itself (Khan, 2013).
In terms of the analysis of The House of Bijapur itself, it can be stated by the
audiences that the image as well as the artists provide their own analysis of the events which
are happening in the image itself (Khan, 2015). The audience can analyse the fact that not
much is known about the artists named Kamal Muhammad and Chand Muhammad, however,
it is through their work that the audiences of the image gets to know the history behind the
painting itself. It can be said by the audience of the painting itself that the painting is of
ancient nature itself. The audiences also create the opinion form the painting itself that the
artists themselves had used ink, watercolours as well as the use of the gold and the silver on
the paper to pain the image itself. The artists had used the gold and the silver colours to show
the beaches around the kingdom of Bijapur itself (Haider et. all, 2015). In addition to this, the
artists have made the paintings opaque with the use of the water colour to make sure that the
image looks to be ancient in nature. In addition to this, the paper which has been used by the
artists during those times, were also opaque in nature, which is used to signify the ancient
nature of the painting itself.
The painting itself tells the audiences interesting bits about the time period which it is
centred on. This can be seen in the action which is happening in the painting itself. Firstly,
the painting tells the readers about the rulers of the Adil Shahi dynasty and the time period

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during which they used to rule the country if India. The audiences about the nine different
Muslim rulers of the times. In addition to this, the audiences in the images also gets to know
about the emergence of the Hinduism and the Sufism which increased in large numbers in the
country itself (Becherini, 2017). The image also tells the audiences about the liberal
mindedness of the Adil Shahi rulers of Bijapur and the way they used to rule the subjects in
the country. Moreover, the image is also an account of the relationship which the rulers used
to share with the Safavid Muslims. This is evidenced by the key of Legitimacy which is being
handed by the founder of the Safavid Dynasty Ismai’l to the founder of the Bijapur Adil
Shahi dynasty named Ibrahim II. In addition to this, the artists have also used the bright gold
and the silver colours in the image to portray the peaceful and the happy nature of the
kingdom of Bijapur during the times of the Adil Shahi rulers of the times itself (Mazhar,
2013).
Thus, from the above paragraphs, it can be stated by the readers that the artists Kamal
Muhammad and Chand Muhammad had indeed painted one of the most descriptive and
beautiful images of life during the times of the Muslim rulers in the country of India itself. It
is from this painting itself that the audience would get to know about the history behind the
image as well as the way the painting had been made by the artists themselves during that
time in the country itself.

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