Asavari Ragini is most commonly represented by a solitary woman wearing a leaf-skirt and communing with cobras in the forest. The name Asavari comes from Savaras, an ancient jungle tribe known for its snake-charming skills, and the ragini is based on its melodies. In keeping with these origins, the heroine is shown teaching or taming the snakes in various ways: with her hands, a small stick, or a wind instrument. The emphasis on gestures of the hands, stick, and flute reflects the South Asian belief that these movements—rather than the sounds of the flute—hypnotize the cobras. Usually played during the first quarter of the day, this ragini is described as tender and full of melancholy.
The ragini portrayed here has been transformed into the goddess Savari, the tutelary deity of the Savaras associated with the god Shiva. Her identity and divinity are indicated by her blue skin denoting her tribal origins, sectarian forehead markings, golden nimbus, and copious jewelry. Her crescent moon is emblematic of Shiva. In place of a simple stick, the goddess tames a cobra by waiving an ascetic's crutch. The painting includes a male snake-charmer playing a pungi or bulbous flute. The lush blooming trees are stylistic trademarks of Bundi painting.
Curiously, this illustration of Asavari Ragini is inscribed in the upper border as “the ragini of Dipak Raga, no. 36” instead of being the more customary wife of Shri Raga. See also M.85.139.3, AC1999.127.28, and AC1999.127.29.
