Tira Sujanpur is a town in Hamirpur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, which is located on the bank of River Beas. It is well-connected to all the major towns of Himachal Pradesh.

Tira Sujanpur is also called Sujanpur Tira or Sujanpur Tihra, is a beautiful town inhabited by Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch who was the King of Kangra and later shifted from Kangra to Sujanpur Tira after the war with Muslim kings who wanted to capture Kangra fort. Maharaja Sansar Chand constructed his palaces, temples and courts on the peak of hillock called Tira overlooking Sujanpur's famous Chaugan. Maharaja Sansar Chandra was the greatest patron of painting in the Punjab Hills, who was born in 1766 at Bijapur, a small village in Palampur, now in Himachal Pradesh. During his period famous series of paintings of the Gita Govinda, the Sat Sai and the Baramasa, and Bhagvata purana, Nala and Damyanti were created. 

Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch built large palaces and temples. Some of the temples are a piece of great architecture and Kangra paintings. Murlimanohar temple stands on the left side of the ground (Chowgan), Narvadeshwar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva-Parvti is full of great paintings inside the walls overlooking the bank of river Beas.All paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend India.

Bilaspur is situated in Himachal Pradesh in Satluj valley. The town of Bilaspur was founded in 1663. The state later became a princely state of British India, and was under the authority of the British province of Punjab. It saw the rise of the paintings in the mid 17th century. The earlier paintings were portraitures that were succeeded by illustrations of the Bhagavata Purana, Ramayana and Ragamala series in the 18th century. Besides these, painters at Bilaspur also executed paintings on coverlets for ceremonies and rituals. Bilaspur was as the centre of painting the seventeenth century. It was overshadowed by Basohli (a state that was neither very rich nor very large). 

 The faces are now naturalistic, yet they belong to a particular style or tradition  an unusually sweet typewhich would continue to the last paintings of this school. The treatment of landscape is more idealized and rich and introduces a number of decorative trees and shrubs. It is curious to find that its slate gray trunks are heavily muddled and stylized. The swaying branches of the shrubs create a very romantic setting. These paintings have a porcelain quality. They are warm in expression. Every detail is made luminously decorative. Lush vegetation is shown with knotted tree trunks. Bilaspur painters show a preference for gold which is frequently used here; even the gray patches on Cows are picked out with gold. A fine leaf' from the Tehri-Garhwal Palace collection, illustrating the game of "Blindman's buff", is strikingly similar to the Bhagavata group of Bilaspur paintings.All paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend India.

Sikh painting is a distinct contribution to Indian art. The paintings originated in the days of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who was a liberal patron of arts. He commissioned painters to decorate the walls and the panels of the wonderful Golden Temple, Amritsar. Thus the story of Sikh Paintings began. Apart from the ruler, many rich merchants and religious leaders commissioned painters to carry out paintings on diverse subjects. Sikh Paintings primarily depict historical characters and events. The phase when the Sikhs got stability in their rule in the Planes, under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, caused these painters to come down again and work for a court which was very friendly with art and artists and became a true patronage for them. The 2nd half of the 19th century marked the development of such paintings. 

In Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time, Sikhism had royal patronage, and the Sikhs began to devote themselves to the magnificence and splendour, the cult of the Gurus and the Sikhs' passionate adoration of their spiritual leaders demanded artistic expression. The walls of over 700 shrines associated with the Sikh Gurus in the Punjab were available for embellishment. The endowments and grants worth thousands of rupees' made possible the building of these shrines in pucca masonry. Contributions in the form of money, grain and labour by the Sikhs for the construction of these shrines, was a ritualistic of the bhakti (devoutness) cult imbibed by this faith. Many individuals had portions of the walls painted as acts of dedication. Representation of the Sikh Gurus constitutes the major portion of themes pertaining to the Sikhs and more than half of the murals portray Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh, the first and the last of the Sikh Gurus. 

Their popularity as national saints of the Sikhs' has been remarked. From among the extant remains of wall paintings in Punjab, the earliest rendering of Guru Nanak is from the late eighteenth-century mural panel in the temple of Shri Nam Dev at Ghoman in district Gurdaspur. By the end of the first quarter of the nineteenth century, representations of the first master became much more popular, being based on traditional accounts. 

Guru Nanak often appears accompanied by Bala and Mardana. Except in one of his portraits in the gurudwara of Satkartarian at Sri Hargobindpur, where he is seen wearing a head-dress resembling a Mughal crown, he is shown with his head covered with a cap (topi). Under a tree, on which birds mostly parrots are shown perching, he sits in characteristic meditative pose, not very different from how he is seen in many modern calendar paintings, his back supported by a round pillow, a rosary in his right hand, the left hand resting on the mat on the floor. A typical example of this type of representation is seen in the Bairagi temple at Ram Tatwali in district Hoshiarpur. Another important theme is the siddha goshti, Guru Nanak's religious discourse with the siddhas, usually representing Nanak facing the leader of the siddhas backed by a number of siddha ascetics sitting in their hierarchical order.

Many a time the Guru appears along with his sons, Shri Chand and Lakshmi Das, sitting respectfully before him. Apart from several similar themes, there are lengthy series of murals illustrating, in a detailed fashion, his entire life based on tradition as well as on large corpus of literature called the Janam Sakhis. The most representative extant series are to be seen in the gurudwara of Baba Kala Dhari at Una, and in the shrine of Baba Alat at Amritsar. Beginning with the birth of Guru Nanak, the first part of the series illustrates themes from the Guru's childhood consisting of scenes of the Guru attending school, disagreeing with his teacher's lessons on worldly knowledge, grazing his father's buffaloes and cows, feeding the poor etc. 

Guru Gobind Singh often appears on horseback holding a falcon and accompanied by a hound and a few attendants. The best extant wall-paintings on this theme, which is repeated over and over again, is to he seen in the samadh of Baba Dyal Das at Barnala and in the Golden Temple at Amritsar. Guru Gobind Singh baptizing the 'Five Beloved Ones' is another popular theme and one of its representative examples still survives amongst the wall-paintings of Akal Takhat. Paintings depicting him in a sitting posture with an attendant behind are also seen painted but not often. In one of the wall-paintings of gurudwara Gurusar at Bargarhi in district Faridkot, he is portrayed playing dice with Rai Jagga, the Chief of Kot Kapura. 

A mural in the samadh of Baba Mohar Singh at Tanda, in district Hoshiarpur, represents Guru Gobind Singh along with his four sons. Murals depicting other Sikh Gurus show the Guru sitting with an attendant behind, waving a yak's tail fly-whisk or peacock-feather fan. Scenes from the lives of Gurus were also painted on the walls of a dharmshala (inn) of Lehru, a village in district Ludhiana. Wall paintings illustrating interesting themes related to Guru Har Gobind appear on one of the panels in the samadh of Mangni Ram at Amritsar, portraying his religious discourse with Mian Mir. Wall-paintings representing Guru Nanak flanked by the rest of the Gurus were painted several times, but the theme portraying all the Gurus in a single panel seems to have come into vogue not earlier than the second half of the nineteenth century.

After the Gurus came, in terms of popularity, themes that depict Sikh martyrs, who became victims of Muslim bigotry. The most prominent among them are Ajit Singh, Jojhar Singh, Fateh Singh and Zorawar Singh, the four sons of Guru Gobind Singh. They have usually been illustrated in action in the battlefield, and are best represented in a panel in gurudwara Pothi Mala at Guru Harsahai in district Ferozpur. A number of other martyrs Dip Singh, Nena Singh, Gurbaksh Singh, Kharag Singh adore the walls of the shrine of Baba Atal. Banda Bahadur, one of the most courageous leaders and martyrs of the Sikhs, after Guru Gobind Singh, has been depicted only once in the Darbar Sahib at Tarn Taran. Nihang Singhs form one of the most interesting themes in the murals of nineteenth-century Punjab. Their may of life is elaborately represented in the paintings. 

They appear as doorkeepers or guards with drawn swords, beating drums, riding horses and elephants, hunting, fencing etc. Many wall-paintings relating to them are extant in the gurudwara Bargarhi near Kot Kapura, in the samadh of Rani Jind at Hoshiarpur and in the samadh of Baba Mohar Singh at Tanda. In gurudwara Lohgarh at Dina, in district Faridkot, are to be seen two most prominent leaders of the Nihangs, Akali Phula Singh mounted on an elephant and Nena Singh riding a horse, their names being indicated in Gurumukhi characters above their heads. Sikh themes are also to be seen in a considerable number of paintings connected, one may or the other, with nineteenth-century royalty and nobility.

A considerable number of portraits, some based on life and others on imagination, mostly depicting nineteenth-century Sikh royalty and aristocracy, are to be seen among the extant wall paintings all over the Punjab. Among the portraits, Maharaja Ranjit Singh's remains the dominating figure. In one of the frescoes in the Royal Palace at Lahore, Ranjit Singh was portrayed in the presence of Baba Nanak with his hands joined in supplicatory manner. At Ram Tatwali, in district Hoshiarpur, a remarkable painting portrays the Maharaja seated in a chair while Dhian Singh, Gulab Singh and Suchet Singh, the Dogra brothers stand with folded hands before their master. 

Other interesting murals delineating the Maharaja in different situations are to be seen at Shri Palkiana Sahib near Jaura, a village in district Amritsar, in the mansion (haveli) of Seth Panna Lal Phul Chand Sharda at Ferozpur, in the house of Shri Anant Ram at Tanda, in the Shiv temple at Bhunga in district Hoshiarpur and in the temple of Baba Hari Har at Nut Mahal. Individual portraits of Sher Singh, Dhian Singh, Gulah Singh, Suchet Singh and Fakir Aziz-ud-Din appear in the Bairagi temple at Ram Tatwali. 

Some renowned Sikh painters were; Gian Singh who had created world famous fresco paintings in the Golden Temple, Pandit Bihari was another great Sikh painter. Amongst contemporary painters, renowned ones are Sobha singh, S. Kripal Singh and S.G. Thakur Singh.All paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend India.

Garhwal or Gadhwal is a region and administrative division of Uttaranchal, lying in the Himalayas. Like the Mughal, the Rajasthani and the Kangra paintings, the Garhwal painting too has its own peculiar characteristics. Garhwal painting originated in Himachal and was first dominated by the Mughal style. Later, it started reflecting the cruder version of Kangra traditions. Garhwal painting was deeply indebted to the Kangra school. For example, human figures, architectural motifs and landscape were definitely based on the Kangra tradition. A rich collection of Garhwal paintings is displayed in the University Museum in Srinagar, Garhwal. Some of them can be seen in 'Bharat Kala Bhawan, Banaras', 'Kastur Bhai Lal Bhai Sagrahaalaya, Ahmedabad' and few in the art galleries of Kolkata, Allahabad, Lucknow and Delhi.

In 1658, a Mughal prince, fleeing from his uncle the emperor Aurangzeb, had brought to Garhwal a Mughal artist and his son. These artists were well versed in the Mughal Style of Miniature paintings. After nineteen months, the prince left Garhwal but his court painters enchanted by the environs, stayed behind. These painters settled in Srinagar, Garhwal and the then capital of the Panwar dynasty and introduced the Mughal style of painting in Garhwal, Uttaranchal. With the passage of time, the successors of these original masters became expert painters and also developed an original style of their own using very natural colors. 

This style later on came to be known as the Garhwal School of painting. In Garwal paintings, passionate romance was treated with innocent grace while line itself was used to express a sense of musical rhythm. For centuries backward and aloof, within a decade Garhwal had made one of the greatest contributions to Indian paintings. The Folk Art of Kumaon known as Aipan, has been practiced by the women folk of Kumaon. Another kind of painting is known as Peeth, where floor of the seat of Gods and goddess is decorated with geometrical patterns.

Special features of the Garhwal paintings include beautiful women with fully developed breasts, thin waist line, soft oval shaped force, delicate brow and thin nose with definite nose bridge with a warm and cold color range of harmonies.All paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend India.

Kulu is a picturesque hill station and valley town in Himachal Pradesh (India). It is a favorite destination of nature lovers, vacationers, honeymooners and adventure enthusiasts. Blessed with outstanding natural beauty, Kulu draws the attention of tourists from all over the world. The valley of Kulu has nature’s treasure with beautiful wild flowers. Beautiful meadows, lively valleys, ancient temples, picturesque landscapes, trekking trails etc. are popular attractions of Kulu tours and travels. 

Colorful hand woven borders of the traditional Kulu shawls and caps are very famous. The paintings of kulu are very famous all over the world. The later half of the 18th century is the glorious period for Kulu style paintings. The style followed in the series Ragamala, the Bhagawad Purana and Madhu-Malti. Human figures are short but not heavy. They seem to be slow moving and their wide open eyes give them a doll like look. The costumes of females are also different from other style of pahari paintings, particularly in the treatment of scarves (odhanis), which is worn in different way. Female dresses are often dotted. Male costumes are more or less similar to that in other pahari styles, and turban is of Katoch type. This Katoch turban shows an indirect influence of the Kangra style on the Kulu paintings. 

Sultanpur Palace is an architecturally beautiful palace in Kulu. It is one of the major attractions in valley. It is well-known for some beautiful miniature paintings in Kulu style. The paintings are based on simple themes showing rural backgrounds without human figures in them. The paintings of Kulu style include a Bhagavata Purana, two Madhumalati manuscripts etc. All paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend India.

Chamba is a city in Northwestern Himachal Pradesh State. It is an important centre of Pahari painting, which is situated in the Ravi Valley in the heart of the Himalaya Mountains. It derived its name from a princess and a tree with fragrant golden flowers champaka or chamba as it is known in the hills. It was a sacred tree of the Hindus and is grown in temple gardens. It was once the seat of an ancient Hindu kingdom, founded in the middle of the sixth century, which continued its rule unaffected by the vicissitudes that overtook the kingdoms in the plains of Northern India.

The town of Chamba derived its name from Champavati, a daughter of Raja Sahila Varman (920 A.D.). Champavati happened to see the plateau on which the town now stands. A flat piece of land in the hills is indeed a rarity, and the Raja's daughter took a fancy to the site and asked her father to build a town upon it. But this piece of land had been earlier gifted to Brahmins, who were unwilling to part with it. Ultimately a deal was struck and the Raja agreed to give them eight copper coins in perpetuity on the occasion of every marriage in the family. On this condition the land was given, and the town was built, and named Champa, after Champavati. 

Like most hill capitals, Chamba has a large ground. The most outstanding buildings are the palaces of the Raja. Of these the Rang Mahal (Painted Palace), which looks like a feudal castle is the most interesting. It was built by Raja Umed Singh in the mid 18th century. There is one room whose walls are painted with murals depicting episodes from the Ramayana and the Bhagavata Purana in bright red and blue. Raj Singh (1714-1794) was one of the most renowned rulers of Chamba, and the rise of painting in the Guler-Chamba style was due to his patronage.

There are a number of portraits of Raj Singh which indicate that he was a patron of art. After the demise of Raj Singh, patronage of painting was continued by his son and successor Jit Singh (1794-1808). His artists were Harkhu and Chhaju, sons of Nikka, who painted Nayika and Baramasa paintings of haunting beauty. Jit Singh died in 1808 and his successor was a minor son Charhat Singh (1808-1844). The paintings of Charhat Singh period are dull and crude. It is an art which is no longer felt, hence decadent. The line is shaky and lacks the confidence, which the artists of the previous generation displayed in their masterly works. It appears an ageing art. There was a brief revival of painting during the rule of Sri Singh (1844-1871) by an artist Tara Singh who painted a Ramayana series. Tara Singh died in 1871 and with him the old art of miniature painting came to an end at Chamba. 

Chamba paintings are quite similar in appearance to Mughal style of paintings, with strong influences of Deccan and Gujarat style also. The Chamba paintings are very authentic and informative social documents of the history of those times. The Chamba paintings also derived inspiration from natural surroundings and are remarkable in their composition. The Chamba style is similar to that of Guler paintings as numerous artists of this school came from Guler. 

The Chamba rulers were great patrons of arts and culture, and the Museum houses outstanding collections of Guler-Kangra style Paintings. Bhuri Singh Museum at Chamba is named after the illustrious King Raja Bhuri, who had contributed his family compilation of paintings to the museum. 

The paintings of Chamba encompass both miniatures and murals. Chamba is famous for the miniature Pahari paintings. Raja Udai Singh and Raja Jai Singh patronized this school of painting. During the reign of Raja Charhat Singh, this school of art got a further boost from folk art as the common people adopted the form.

Mughal influence is also discerned in these paintings. The themes used in this style of paintings were religious, such as legends of Radha Krishna, lord Shiva-Parvati, Rama Darbar, Yashoda and Krishna etc. Romantic ambiences of the rainy season in Chamba have also been painted in various moods and styles, in Basholi colors by the artists of Pahari miniature art.All paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend India.

Guler
was a small State in the Punjab Hills, and its capital was Haripur, a town, now in a state of decay. The name Guler is derived from the word Gwala which means cowherd and its former name was Gwaler, the place of the cowherd. It was founded by Raja Hari Chand who was the ruler of Kangra in 1405. The kings of Guler, Rup Chand (1610-1635), Bikram Singh (1635-1661) and Dalip Singh (1695-1743), were in touch with the Mughal culture. Guler has the longest tradition in the art of paintings. During the reign of Dalip Singh (1695–1743) artists were working at Haripur Guler. However it was during the reign of Govardhan Chand (1743–1773) that an active school of painting developed at Haripur Guler. There are numerous portraits of this Raja in the Chandigarh Museum. It is Guler which is the birthplace of Kangra paintings. Govardhan Chand's son Prakash Chand (1773–1779) continued the patronage of artists. He was a spendthrift and was heavenly in debt. In paintings we see him with his moneylenders. His son Bhup Chand (1790–1826) also had artists working under him. Painting in Guler continued right up to the close of the 19th century.

In the middle of the eighteenth century, some Hindu painters sought the patronage of the Rajas (rulers) of Guler in Kangra valley. These painters were trained in the Mughal style. Slowly they developed a style of painting, which has a delicacy and a spirituality of feeling. They were known as the Guler Painters. Guler painters, who had earlier dealt with only on Rajput themes, now began to experiment with Sikh themes like the portraits of Sikh Gurus and Sikh dignitaries. Guler painting is marked by liquid grace and delicacy. The drawing is delicate and precise. The colors which emphasize cool blues and greens are handled with skill. The art of Guler style painting flourished in families with distinguishable styles and techniques, most significant amongst them were that of Pandit Seu of Guler, who died in about 1740, and his sons, the remarkable Nainsukh and Manaku. Later while Manaku worked at Guler, Nainsukh migrated to Jammu. 

It seems that during the latter part of Dalip Singh's rule, artists were already in Guler. In the Dalip Ranjani which is dated 1707, and contains genealogy of the Rajas (rulers) of Guler. Most of the paintings of Dalip Singh are in the early primitive style which is named after Basohli. The daughter of Dalip Singh married Medini Pal of Basohli, and the sister of Medini Pal married Govardhan Chand. This may have led to migration of some artists front Basohli to Guler. It was Govardhan Chand (1743-1773) who was the most distinguished patron of painting at Haripur Guler. There are numerous portraits of this Raja (ruler) in the Chandigarh Museum, as well as in other museums and private collections. This indicates that he was a patron of art. In one of these, he is shown dressed in magnificent clothes mounted on a powerful horse. He enjoyed a peaceful reign and his reign proved to be the most creative it the history of art in Northern India. 

Paintings from Guler have great charm. Their color is pure and delicate. The line is firm and unswerving in its flow. The artists were great masters and painted with confidence. The role of Guler in the evolution of Pahari paintings is thus summed up by Archer, “The state of Guler played a decisive part in the development of pahari paintings in 18th century. Not only did it develop a local art of the greatest delicacy and charm, but the final version of this Guler style was taken to Kangra in about 1780, thus becoming the Kangra style itself. Guler is not merely one of the thirty-eight centers of pahari art. It is the originator and the breeder of the greatest style in all the Punjab Hills." All paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend India.

Nurpur is famous for an old fort and a temple of Brij Raj. Nurpur acquired its name in 1672, when the Mughal emperor Jahangir named it after his beloved wife Noorjahan. Built in the late 16th century by Raja Basu, the Nurpur Fort is massive and sprawling. According to the folklore, the idol of Lord Krishna that has been enshrined in the temple is the one that used to be worshipped by Meera Bai. Nurpur fort was constructed more than one thousand years ago. Initially, it was known as Dhameri. The famous Brij Maharaj temple, inside the fort complex, is dedicated to Lord Krishna and it has a beautiful black stone idol of the Lord. It was brought from Rajasthan during Raja Jagat Singh’s reign. The walls are decorated with exquisite paintings from Indian mythology. 

The paintings of Nurpur style are very famous all over the world. The skilled artists of pahari made very excellent paintings. Nurpur paintings of Himachal Pradesh usually employ bright colors and flat backgrounds. However, in the later periods, the dazzling colors were replaced by muted ones.

Today, Nurpur is more famous for its shawls and silk than the fine paintings that once flowed out of its ateliers, yet some remains can be seen on the walls of the temples in the fort. The Nurpur paintings are characterized by tall women who have long limbs particularly below the waist and are always elegantly attired. All paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend India.

Kangra is situated in the eastern part of Himachal Pradesh. It is the most populous district of the state of Himachal Pradesh. Today Kangra is also known as Bhawan or Nagarkot. Bhawan because of the Bajreshwari Devi Temple, and Nagarkot because of the fort Nagarkot. Various schools of miniature paintings, collectively called Pahari, flourished between the 17th and 19th centuries in the sub-Himalayan states. Perhaps the most famous, or at least the most prolific school, was that of the Kangra School, from which came an extensive range of delicate and beautifully detailed paintings. 

The Kangra school of paintings is an integral part of art literature. Kangra paintings belong to the school of Pahari paintings that were patronized by the Rajput rulers between the 17th and 19th centuries. Kangra paintings is not a folk art, it is essentially aristocratic art, the patrons of which were the rulers of had fine sensibility and good taste, thus like the best of Europe, Kangra painting is the art of elite. Though the main centre of Kangra paintings are Guler, Basohli, Chamba, Nurpur, Bilaspur and Kangra. Later on these styles also reached Mandi, Suket, Kullu, Nalagarh and Tehri Garhwal and now are collectively known as Pahari painting.

The Kangra School became widely popular with the advent of Jayadev's Gita Govinda, of which many extant manuscripts feature exquisite Kangra illustrations. This style was copied by the later Mughal painting, many of whom were patronized by the Rajput rulers who ruled various parts of the region. The pictorial art of Kangra is the finest gift of India to the art-world. This great art originated in a small hill state ‘Guler’ in the Lower Himalayas in the first half of the eighteenth century when a family of Kashmiri painters trained in Mughal Style of painting sought shelter at the court of Raja Dalip Singh (1695-1741) of Guler. The Kangra paintings reached their maturity during the reign of Maharaja Sansar Chand (1775-1823 AD.). Maharaja Sansar Chand was a great patron of Kangra art. Being a liberal patron, the painters working at his atelier received large commissions while others accepted a permanent settlement in the form of lands. He was also an ardent devotee of lord Krishna and used to commission artists to paint subjects based on the loves and life of Lord Krishna.

Kangra paintings were influenced by the Bhagavad Purana. They portrayed incidents and scenes from the life of lord Krishna. The other popular themes were the stories of Nala and Damayanti and those from Keshavdas's Baramasa. In Baramasa (the Twelve Months) paintings, the artists tried to bring out the effects of seasons round the year on the emotions of human beings. Kangra paintings depict the feminine charm in a very graceful manner. The figure of youthful coy nayika (heroine) seen in Kangra miniatures is an ideal physical type which is slender and elegant, radiating infinite charm, sensitiveness and refinement. Facial features are soft and refined. The female figures are outstandingly beautiful. Apart from female beauty, landscapes, countryside, rivers, trees, birds, cattle, flowers etc. are meticulously portrayed in these paintings.

The Kangra painters used colors made of vegetable and mineral extracts. They employed cool and fresh colors. Fattu, Parkhu and Kushana were important artists of this school. The Kangra artists were hereditary painters who worked in the quiet of their cottages in the sylvan retreats of the Kangra valley. Sons and nephews were usually accepted as pupils and they served the master artists by carefully grinding mineral colors, a work requiring skill and patience. It thus they were initiated into the art and technique of painting. Life was simple and the rulers provided food grains and a cow for milk to the artists. Whenever they presented a beautiful painting to the rulers, they were handsomely rewarded. Thus their economic needs were taken care of by their patrons and they were free to devote their time to paintings. In Kangra paintings, there is an art which celebrates life and love. This art is truly a record of human joy. The eyes of lovers meet and a world of feeling and tenderness is revealed in them.

Bhakti cult was the driving force and the love story of Radha and Krishna was the main source of spiritual experience, which was also the base for the visual expression. Bhagvata Purana and the love poems Gita-Govinda of Jaidev were the most popular subjects dealing with the legends and the amorous plays of Radha and Krishna symbolizing soul’s devotion to God. The Gita Govinda is a forest idyll and its Kangra paintings, the drama of loves of Radha and Krishna is played in the forest or along the river bank. In the paintings of the Sat Sai the background of the architecture provides the setting for the love drama of Radha and Krishna. Kangra painting presents a pure melody of flowing lines and glowing colors, breathing out a sense of space, tranquillity and poetic sentiment. Even the unfinished pictures and sketches reveal their own charms.All paintings are courtesy of Art of Legend India.

Basohli is a town in Himachal Pradesh, which is famous for a particular style of painting known as Basohli Paintings. The Basohli school is the oldest one amongst Pahari schools in the hill area. The early stage of development of the Pahari painting started in the mid 17th century. The school took its name from the small independent state of Basohli. The town of Basohli is situated on the bank of the river Ravi in Himachal Pradesh. Basohli school of paintings has produced superb Devi series (magnificent series of the manifestations of the Supreme Goddess). Apart from that, it is also known for the magnificent depiction of the Rasamanjari text. Artist Devidasa painted it under the patronage of Raja Kirpal Pal. Gita Govinda of 1730 is also believed to have Basohli origin.

The chief characteristics of the Basohli paintings were geometrical patterns, bright colors and glossy enamel. Besides the bold colors, lustrous enamel like colors were also employed. The decorative conventions and dramatic compositions where the figures were shown clad in rich costumes, stylized faces, and large bulging eyes lent unique individuality to these paintings.

The popular themes of the Basohli paintings are the portraits of local rulers, the Hindu gods, figures from Hindu mythology, Radha-Krishna, Madhava-Malati love themes and themes from the Bhagavata Purana. Figures in Basohli paintings were often depicted in rich costumes with stylized faces and large bulging eyes. Basohli paintings evolved by fusion of Hindu mythology, Mughal miniature techniques and folk art of the local hills. In these paintings the faces of the figures painted are characterized by the receding foreheads and large expressive eyes shaped like lotus petals. The landscape is stylized and trees are often depicted in circular form. The composition is simple but unique. The paintings themselves are mostly painted in the primary colors of Red, Blue and Yellow. One of the most popular themes in Basohli painting particularly during the reign of Kripal Pal was the Rasamanjari written by the poet Bhanu Datta. A Basohli Rasamanjari series was illustrated by Devidas, a local painter of Basholi belonging to the Tarkhan community, which produced many skilled artists.

The first mention of Basohli painting is in the annual report of the Archaeological Survey of India for the year 1918-19 published in 1921. Referring to the acquisitions of the Archaelogical Section of the Central Museum, Lahore, the report states that "a series of old paintings of the Basohli School were purchased and the Curator concluded that the Basohli Schools is possibly of pre-Moghul origin, and so called Tibeti pictures are nothing but late productions of this school”.All paintings are ourtesy of Art of Legend India.

The style of painting which flourished in Basohli, Jammu, Garhwal, Chamba, Kangra, Guler and Mandi in the hilly areas in the northwest has been termed the Pahari school. The art of miniature painting in the Punjab hills known as Pahari painting was influenced to some extent by the Mughal painting of Aurangzeb’s period. Rajput paintings in the region of the Punjab Hill states of North India, in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and few areas in erstwhile Pakistan are known as Pahari paintings. Scholars have categorized Pahari paintings on the basis of geography and family style. These paintings developed and flourished during the period of 17th to 19th century under the patronage of Rajput kings. Indian Pahari paintings have been made mostly in miniature forms. 

Developed in the 18th century, this style is an eternal legacy of the Rajasthani style. With the eclipse of Mughal art some artists from the Mughal court were sheltered by Rajput royalty. Under the impact of environment the paintings they produced acquired the name of new Pahari school. Pahari painting, like the earlier Rajasthani style, adopted the same parameters for drawings of sentiment and artistic portrayal. On the basis of expressing different moods of Radha-Krishna many paintings were drawn in the Pahari style. 

Paintings executed on the basis of texts like Bhagwad-Purana, Geet-Govind, Sursagar, Rasikpriya, Bihari-Satsai, nayika-bheda and rag-ragini are the main heritage of the Kangra and Basohli styles. In the Basohli style, like the Mewar style, indicative colors and folk art predominate. In the Pahari school of paintings, expression of sentiment, rhythm in line and color and diversity of subject matter are unique in the Kangra style. From the point of view of development of art, the contribution of Raja Sansar Chand (1775-1783) was invaluable. In respect of steadiness of brush, selecting colors, pleasing figures of males and females, drawing of nature in seven colors, diversity in animals and birds and expression of sentiment, the Kangra style is much renowned. Application of seven colors and beauty prevalent in Bundi and Kishangarh styles is particularly noticeable in the Kangra style. This similarity in the Pahari and Rajasthani schools are two strains of the traditions of Indian paintings. 

Pahari paintings have been widely influenced by the Rajput paintings, because of the family relations of the Pahari rulers with royal court at Rajasthan. Pahari Paintings are different from other types of Indian folk paintings because they use shading extensively. This gives them a sense of depth which most other folk paintings lack. One of the most extensive and exquisite collections of Pahari miniatures may be found in the Bhuri Singh Musuem in Chamba, Himachal Pradesh.

The art of miniature painting in the Punjab hills known as Pahari punting was influenced to some extent by the Mughal painting of Aurangzeb's periods as well as paintings from Nepal, probably via Kashmir, particularly in its stylized tree forms. Pahari paintings had its beginning under the ruler Kripal Pal of Basohli (1678-1731), a literary minded ruler who was also a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. This school has many styles and sub-styles as these paintings developed at various centers such as Basohli, Guler, Chamba, Tehri, Garhwal, Nurpur, Mankot, Mandi, Kullu, Bilaspur etc. under the patronage of their respective rulers. 

Lord Krishna’s legend was a very popular subject for the Pahari painters. Episodes and scenes from lord Krishna's life were illustrated against the background of beautiful Pahari backgrounds. Besides themes taken from mythological legends and epics like the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata Purana, the Krishna Lila and the Gita-Govinda, some very interesting paintings of Devi were also painted. Nayaka-Nayika (heroes-heroines) themes, portraits, huntings scenes, toilet scenes and festivals such as Holi, love stories namely Madhu Malti and Nala - Damyanti were also frequently illustrated. 

Both male and female costumes in Pahari paintings were influenced by the fashions adopted at the Mughal court from time to time. Nevertheless, there were also distinctive Pahari costumes, particularly those worn by females and they are quite visible in these paintings. The Basohli School is the oldest one amongst Pahari Schools in the hill area. There is no evidence of any Pahari painting earlier than the reign of Kripal Pal. The distinctive style of Basohli with its primitive vitality emerged in the last quarter of the 18th century under Raja Kripal Pal. It is characterized by vivid and bold colors. Faces in the early Basohli paintings are oval in shape with receding foreheads and large expressive eyes like lotus petals.

The landscape is stylized and trees are often depicted in circular form. The composition is simple but unique and attractive. Sometimes, a section and figures of the architecture are placed separately into a square frame indicating a true understanding of space sense. The Basohli Style spread over the neighboring states remained in vogue till the middle of the 18th century. A popular theme in Basohli painting particularly during the reign of Kripal Pal was the Rasamanjari written by the poet Bhanu Datta. Bhanu Datta was a Maithili Brahmin, who lived in the 16th century in an area called Tirhut in Bihar. A Basohli Rasamanjari series dated 1693 is a landmark. It was illustrated by Devidas, a local painter of Basholi belonging to the Tarkhan community, which produced many skilled artisans. Amongst other styles of Pahari painting, those of Guler and Kangra, are marked by far more naturalistic treatment of figures and landscapes than seen in Basohli paintings. The figures which are well-modelled and naturalistic are painted in soft and harmonious colors. Whereas paintings of Garhwal school, developed from the Kangra style, show an extensive use of leafless trees, the Kullu Style has folk elements with squarish and somewhat ungainly figures. 

The Nurpur paintings are characterized by tall women who have long limbs particularly below the waist and are always elegantly attired. The Chamba Style is similar to that of Guler paintings as several artists of this school came from Guler. In Mandi School, we again find some folk elements particularly in the work done during the reign of Raja Shamsher Singh. While Bilaspur also had a style of its own, which extended to Sirmur, the work at Jammu was dominated by the masterly and expressive draughtsmanship of the Nainsukh whose patron was Raja Balwant Singh of Jammu, who is portrayed extensively in Nainsukh paintings in all walks of life. Nainsukh was the master-artist of Jammu school just as his elder brother Manak was of Guler school. Both were sons of Pandit Sen of Guler. 

The family of Pandit Sen is known for a number of well-known artists who worked in various Pahari states developing their own styles. After the death of Govardhan Chand of Guler in 1773, Manak, his two sons Kaushala and Paltu and his nephew Godhu worked at the court of his successor Prakash Chand till circa A.D. 1785. Prakash Chand, a great lover of arts had spent so lavishly by that time that he became a bankrupt. Thereafter, Manak with his sons and nephew joined the court of Raja Sansar Chand, paramount ruler of the hills, and painted there five sets of paintings during 1785 and 1795. They are: the famous Bhagavat Purana, beautiful Ramayana series, a Satsai series painted as we know by Paltu, a Ragamala now in the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi and a Baramasa in the possession of the descendants of Sansar Chand (Lambagaon family). The style of these sets as the work of Manak, his sons and nephew is remarkable and these sets are amongst the greatest achievements of Pahari paintings. 

The processes and techniques followed by the artists were almost uniform, simple and indigenous. Handmade paper was mainly used as the base of the paintings. Thin sheets of paper, were joined together to get the requisite thickness, on which the outline was drawn in the light reddish brown or grey-black color. A thin transparent white coating was applied to the paper. Thereafter, a final drawing was made over the white coating and then the colors were filled in. The pigments were obtained from minerals and vegetables which were suspended in water with gum, for the latter acted as a binding medium. Squirrel and camel hair were used in brushes. Quite often, the painting was burnished, with glass or agate or stone from the river Beat called 'Golla' to obtain the quality of brightness.

The Pahari rulers often visited the courts of the Mughal rulers. They were influenced by their traditions and tastes and this Mughal influence is visible in their paintings. For instance, the translucent clothing of the women and men depicted in the paintings is a Mughlai feature. The paintings are also marked by features characteristic of Rajasthani and Malwa paintings.All paintings are courtesy of Art of  Legend India.