Key Points

The term 'Pahari' means 'hilly' and refers to painting schools that flourished from the 17th to 19th centuries in the towns of the western Himalayas, including Basohli, Guler, Kangra, and Kullu.

Pahari painting began with the coarsely flamboyant and bold Basohli style, evolved through the Guler or pre-Kangra phase, and culminated in the exquisite and lyrical Kangra style.

Scholar B.N. Goswamy argued that attributing styles to regions is misleading due to fluid political boundaries. He proposed that artist families, like that of Pandit Seu, were the true bearers and developers of a particular style.

The Basohli School is characterized by a strong use of primary colors, warm yellow backgrounds, and a distinctive technique of using shiny green beetle wings to simulate emeralds in jewelry.

Raja Kirpal Pal was a significant patron of the Basohli school. The most popular theme was the 'Rasamanjari' by Bhanu Datta, along with the 'Bhagvata Purana' and 'Ragamala'.

This famous set of paintings, depicting the Ramayana, was created in the Kullu Valley. It shows influence from the Basohli style and is known for its varied artistic styles, suggesting multiple artists worked on it.

The Guler School marks the transition from the bold Basohli style to the refined Kangra style around 1730-40. This new 'Guler-Kangra kalam' was more subdued and elegant.

Artist Pandit Seu and his highly talented sons, Manak (Manaku) and Nainsukh, are credited with leading the transformation of Pahari painting from the Basohli to the Guler-Kangra style.

Nainsukh of Guler became the court painter for Raja Balwant Singh of Jasrota. He is renowned for his unique and intimate portraits that provide a detailed visual record of his patron's daily life.

The Kangra style, which blossomed under the patronage of Raja Sansar Chand (1775-1823), is considered the most poetic and lyrical of Indian styles.

The Kangra style is defined by its delicacy of line, brilliant colors, and minute decorative details. A distinctive feature is the female face with a straight nose in line with the forehead.

Popular themes in the Kangra school included the 'Bhagvata Purana', Jayadeva's 'Gita Govinda', 'Nala Damayanti', 'Bihari Satsai', 'Ragamala', and 'Baramasa'.

This Kangra painting from the Bhagvata Purana depicts Nanda's family migrating to Vrindavan. It is noted for its naturalistic landscape, detailed expressions of fatigue and emotion, and a 'flush-cut' composition resembling a photograph.

This Guler painting from the Gita Govinda series, created between 1760-1765, showcases the refined and elegant style of the Guler-Kangra phase, depicting the divine love between Krishna and the gopis.

A popular theme in Pahari painting was the depiction of the 'Ashta Nayikas' or eight heroines in different emotional states. The 'Abhisarika Nayika', who braves dangers to meet her lover, was a particularly dramatic and favored subject.

Baramasa paintings consist of a series of twelve paintings illustrating the moods of love and life as experienced through the twelve months of the year, often based on the writings of poets like Keshav Das.