The town of Erachh (Jhansi District), with remains of mosques and tombs, seen on the left bank of the river Betwa, which recedes in the middle into the distance - 1818

Watercolour of the town of Erachh in the Jhansi District, part of the Hastings Albums, by an anonymous artist working in the Calcutta style, c. 1818. Inscribed below the drawing: 'A view of Erich on the Betwa River'.

This drawing forms part of the Marquess of Hastings collection. He was the Governor-General of Bengal and the Commander-in-Chief from 1813-23. On his many expeditions throughout India he was often accompanied by an artist. The district of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh was ruled by a succession of dynasties, the most noted being the Chandella kings who ruled from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The majority of the ruins that remain date to this period. This drawing shows the remains of mosques and tombs around the town of Erachh, seen on the left bank of the river Betwa. The river recedes into the distance in the middle of the drawing, creating a vanishing point perspective.

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