Gauri Ragini, First Wife of Malkos Raga, Folio from a Ragamala (Garland of Melodies) Print

Gauri Ragini, Malkos Raga's first consort in the Rajasthani system of ragamala classification, originates from early Deccani ragamalas like those described in the Sangita Darpana by Damodara Mishra around 1625. This melancholic winter melody, associated with the afternoon's second quarter, portrays a heroine mourning her faithless lover. In Rajasthani tradition and this early Deccani depiction, she is often depicted with a vina, holding flowers, enjoying wine and music with companions, amidst a forest setting featuring a golden sky, lush mango trees, and symbolic tree trunks reflecting her yearning for love, as described in Sanskrit texts attributed to Kohala.