Indian art is heavily inspired by nature, with the artists using their imagination and creativity to bring to life their surroundings and their beliefs linked to what they observe in their surroundings, through their artworks, be it landscapes, earth, water, flora, fauna or the sky. Since time immemorial, artists have looked up at the night sky and found inspiration in its vast mysteries. In India, the sun, moon, planets and stars were never just distant lights above, they were living symbols of energy, rhythm and divine presence. Indian traditional, folk and tribal paintings often placed these celestial beings at the heart of their storytelling. They informed rituals, guided farmers, inspired poets and made their way through the brushstrokes of artists onto canvas and cloth, transforming them into cosmic maps of meaning. To the viewer, these artworks are not just a representation of the sky above, but also the spiritual universe within.
The Sun
tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi |
dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt || (Rig Veda 3.62.10)
This verse from the Rig Veda, translates to, “We meditate upon the divine light of Savitṛ (the Sun God), May that radiant brilliance inspire and guide our intellects.” It presents the sun not only as a physical source of light, but also as the inner light of wisdom and consciousness. Even today, the sun is very important as a theme, symbol and motif used in traditional Indian art.
The Sun God Surya, is depicted with a radiant appearance, usually with two or four hands, holding lotuses, which symbolise purity and awakening, with the right hand in the abhaya mudra or gesture for protection. He is crowned, adorned with ornaments and wearing a long robe. His expressions are calm, majestic and beneficent, embodying vitality and authority.
He is seated on his chariot, which has a single wheel, symbolising the cyclic nature of time and the year, sometimes marked with twelve spokes, representing the twelve months of the solar year. It is drawn by seven horses which represent the seven days of the week, with the charioteer Aruna, symbolising dawn, bringing about the arrival of Surya.
The Divine Revelation: Lord Surya and Deities in Stone Dust painting by Amita Sachdeva
The image of Surya riding his golden chariot drawn by seven horses is considered deeply auspicious in Indian tradition, symbolizing the flow of life, time and cosmic harmony. As the giver of light and prana, Surya brings vitality, clarity and prosperity into the house, dispelling darkness and negative energies. His seven horses embody multiple layers of meaning, representing the seven days of the week, the seven colours of light and the seven chakras of the human body, thus harmonizing the outer universe with inner life. According to Vastu Shastra, placing this image in the east direction of the house is believed to invite success, good health and spiritual growth. Revered as the eternal witness and guardian of truth, Surya’s presence in the household is believed to be protective, energizing and transformative, not just decorative.
In Madhubani paintings of Bihar, the sun is often depicted as a radiant circle with bold outlines and intricate geometric or floral patterns. Artists depict it both as a deity and a cosmic presence, with a human like face - with eyes, nose, smile and a tilak, along with natural motifs like fish, birds and trees, thus linking the cycle of life to solar energy.
Surya Devta in Madhubani by Ambika Devi
The worship of the sun is also depicted in Madhubani paintings. This elegant Madhubani painting depicts a serene Chhath Puja scene, where a woman in a traditional saree adorned with floral motifs offers prayers to the Sun God while standing in tranquil blue waters. Holding a puja thali with fruits, a diya and incense sticks, she radiates devotion and grace. The Sun God, enclosed in a glowing orange sunburst, symbolizes divine energy.
A Women and Sun in Madhubani by Priti Karn
In the Mata ni Pachedi paintings from Gujarat, the sun appears above deities or is woven into the temple-cloth shrines as a singular motif, symbolising divine power, protection and cosmic authority. Its presence turns the fabric into a portable temple where the gods reside. As seen in the below painting, the sun is depicted as a radiant circle with a human-like face, with beautiful eyes, eyebrows, a nose, lips, a moustache and adorned with a tilak and other ornamentation.
Surya Devta Mata Ni Pachedi By Dilip Chitara For Home Decor
Chromatic Sacredness Mataji Expedition Mata Ni Pachedi By Dilip Chitara For Home Decor
In the Warli paintings from Maharashtra, the sun is drawn as a simple circle, with either dotted or radiating strokes, embodying warmth, time and the unbroken cycle of day and night around which agrarian life revolves. Across these traditions, the sun motif connects the earthly with the divine, serving as a timeless reminder of sustenance, rhythm and sacred order.
Joyful Harmony In Warli By Dilip Bahotha
The Moon
The moon in Indian thought is never a silent witness. It is a living deity, visible for all, calming yet powerful. The Rigveda (1.105.1) praises Chandra as:
“pratyancaṃ jātavedasaṃ devaṃ vahanti ketavaḥ | dṛśe viśvāya candramaḥ ||”
(The shining rays bear the god Chandra, turned towards us, Chandra, visible for all to see.)
In this verse, the moon is celebrated as the light that is shared by all beings, a presence in the sky that belongs to everyone equally. This universality echoes in traditional art, where the moon is often painted as a gentle companion to divine stories, being the cool counterpoint to the blazing sun. Chandra appears as the quiet force that governs emotion, rhythm and time, a celestial reminder that beauty can be both radiant and serene.
While the moon was also depicted like the sun, with a human face in folk and tribal art forms like Phad, Kalamkari, etc., it is a beautiful theme and motif in Pichwai art.
The Dynamic Pabuji: Phad Painting by Kritika Joshi
The moon is associated with an important festival, Sharad Purnima, characterised by the Raas Leela, the divine dance of love between Radha Krishna and also Krishna with Gopis. According to tradition, this night is when the moon is at its brightest and closest to the earth, bathing the world in a soft, silvery glow. In Vaishnava lore, Sharad Purnima is the night when Krishna multiplies himself to dance with each gopi, fulfilling their longing for union with the divine. The moon in these paintings is not just a symbol in the backdrop, it is a sacred witness to the divine leela.
In Pichwai art, the full moon is often shown as a luminous white disc hovering above the scene, casting its cool light over the beautiful dance of Krishna and the gopis in Vrindavan. The whiteness of the moon also symbolizes purity, devotion and the nectar or amrita lie grace, believed to descend on this night, nourishing body and soul alike. Artists emphasize on its fullness to remind devotees of abundance, completely and the perfection of divine love. The moon in Sharad Purnima Raas Leela Pichwai paintings is not merely decorative, it is the celestial presence that sanctifies the dance, transforming Vrindavan into a cosmic stage where divine love, rhythm and harmony unite under its glow.
As described in the Bhagvata Purana (10.29.3–4),
śaradotphulla-mallikā-
sugandhī-yāmunopavana |
jātodyānta-surabhayo
virarāja śaśāṅkaraḥ ||
Translating to, “It was the autumn season; jasmine flowers had bloomed, filling the groves along the Yamuna with fragrance. Amidst this beauty, the full moon (śaśāṅka) rose gloriously, shining over the land.”
The Dance of Devotion: Sharad Purnima in Pichwai by Shehzaad Ali Sherani
The Divine Dance of Raas Leela: Sharad Purnima in Pichwai by Naveen Soni
Stars and planets
The night sky in Indian imagination is never empty, it is alive with stars and planets, each carrying stories, destinies and cosmic rhythms. In Indian art, stars often shimmer above forests and animals, representing ancestral spirits watching over the living. Starry backgrounds frame gods and goddesses, highlighting that divinity is always set within the vastness of the cosmos.
Radha Krishna's Eternal Love in Pichwai by Shehzaad Ali Sherani
Constellations or nakshatras, were not just astronomical markers but also guides for rituals, festivals and human fate, making their presence in art a subtle reminder of time’s flow. The planets, revered as the Navagrahas, embody cosmic forces that influence every aspect of life. The Zodiac signs and planets have been depicted in this striking Mandana painting.
Celestial Odyssey: Zodiac Signs and Planets in Mandana by Vidya Soni
Here are a few planets as depicted in Kantha embroidery and Kerala mural.
The Celestial Planet in Kantha by Mahamaya Sikdar
The Planetary Cosmos in Kantha by Mahamaya Sikdar
Mars in Kerala Mural by Adarsh
Celestial bodies and their connection to human life
Indian art is a reflection of the Indian society, which is heavily dependent on and influenced by nature. Their dependence on and connection to celestial bodies is depicted through art, as can be seen in the below paintings -
This Warli painting depicts the circle of human life, surrounded by trees in nature and the sun and moon on either side, being the cause of creation of the energy which sustains human life.
Trees birds sun and moon: Warli painting by Dilip Rama Bahotha
This Gond painting highlights the day and night, showing the sun, moon and stars in the sky, looking down at the earth and nether world, full of living beings and elements of nature.
Teen Lok in Gond by Braj Bhooshan Dhurwey
This Gond painting is a visual interpretation of the "Karma Song" of the Gondi Tribe, centering on the celestial duo of Suraj-Chaand, the Sun and Moon. The sun, depicted in an eclipsed form against a black background, symbolizes darkness and the intense heat of the May-June season, while the moon represents coolness. This extreme heat spurs the villagers to action, as they diligently tend to their farms and homes. This period is crucial for both cultivation and home repairs, showcasing how human activity is deeply intertwined with the rhythms of the seasons.
Sun and Moon in Gond by Gareeba Singh Tekam
The below Zardosi piece depicts the zodiac of Gemini, with two ethereal female figures in a crescent moon-like frame, representing the different traits of Gemini, as affected by the position of celestial bodies.
Gemini Zodiac in Zardozi by Md. Bilal
From the radiant sun and serene moon to the mysterious stars and powerful planets, celestial symbols in Indian art reveal how deeply the cosmos is woven into cultural imagination. These motifs are not mere decorations but reflections of belief, time, rhythm and divine presence. Whether painted, embroidered, sculpted or drawn, they remind us of the intimate bond between human life and the universe. Each brushstroke and pattern carries forward an ancient worldview that the heavens above and the world within are in constant dialogue. By depicting the celestial bodies as living symbols of light, energy and destiny, Indian traditional, folk and tribal art transforms the vastness of the sky into a meaningful canvas connecting spirituality, nature and human existence into a single cosmic whole.
