a memorial (6m long) to the Rajasthani royal warhorse my object symbolizes, Chetak, who gave his own life at the battle of haldighati (1576) to save the king.

bleeding heavily, Chetak managed to flee the battlefield and jump across a river 6m wide, losing all pursuers, delivering the king to safety before dying in his arms.

sindoor powder, "the mark of a married woman" in Rajasthani culture, worn along the part of the hair, "symbolic of a river of red blood, the source of life, vitality."

and yet, known to be toxic.