The Lotus Queen is a historical fiction based in 14th century Chittor in the state of present day Rajasthan. For this book cover, we worked with traditional craftsmen from the state to design a kaavad, which we as a canvas to portray a key event in the tale of Rani Padmini, the lotus queen.
The kaavad, which is a portable shrine, is an artform native to the Chittor district of Rajasthan. It is used to tell many mythological stories, which, traditionally were mainly the Mahabharat and the Ramayan. Today, the kaavad has transformed into a modern storytelling device and there are numerous kinds of kaavads used today whether for school children or adults.
Illustration by Kaavad artist, Dwarka Prasad
**The design for Skin Ink has been published in the book, One By One, by Hesign (Beijing, Berlin) (2011)
