This fragment from a temple hanging is one of a large group of South Asian printed and painted cotton textiles collected in the late nineteenth century by Sir Caspar Purdon Clarke. It would have been hung in a temple to tell the stories of the gods. 'Madras' in this context probably means 'Madras Presidency' as these come from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Based on the colours, this piece could be from Kalahasti, just north of Madras, today in Andhra Pradesh. The colours used are from natural sources, although synthetic dyes had been introduced to Madras by this period.