Bani Thani was a singer and poet in Kishangarh in the time of Raja Sawant Singh (1748–1764), whose mistress she became. After he abdicated the throne the couple retired to a comfortable life in Vrindavan, a place associated with the life of Krishna and Radha, to whom Sawant Singh was greatly devoted. A group of Indian paintings of around 1750 attributed to Nihâl Chand from the Marwar school of Kishangarh show Radha Krishna, using the same models, who are assumed to be Sawant Singh and Bani Thani.
Bani Thani, Kishangarh miniature from c. 1750, at the National Museum, New Delhi.
Raja Savant Singh and Bani Thani as Krishna and Radha, ca. 1760.
Radha and Krishna in the boat of love
Krishna and Radha, Opaque watercolor and gold on cotton, ca 1750.
Kishangarh is a city and a Municipal Council in Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is served by Kishangarh Airport.
Phool Mahal Palace, Kishangarh
Savant Singh (reigned 1748-1757) and Bani Thani in the Guise of Krishna and Radha Cruising on Lake Gundalao, Kishangarh
Prithvi Singh (r.1840-1879), 15th Maharaja of Kishangarh, early 1870s.