The magnificence of Mughal miniatures was succeeded by Pahari painting which developed at the princely hill states of Punjab, mainly in Himachal Pardesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Basohli, Chamba, Guler and Kangra are the most distinguished schools of this tradition along with many others.

The Lahore Museum arranged an exclusive exhibition, the first from its collection of Pahari paintings, titled as Lyrical Lines and Colours; Stories from the Punjab Hill States that was inaugurated by Prof B. N. Goswamy; a distinguished Indian art critic and historian.

For visitors, this array of small frames was a gigantic collection as most art lovers have only seen these images in books published from India. It was surprisingly refreshing to see that most of the Pahari school paintings are in permanent collection of the Lahore Museum. The original Pahari miniature paintings from 17 schools were displayed; alphabetically these schools are: Basohli, Bandralta, Bhoti, Bilaspur, Chamba, Garhwal, Guler, Hindur, Jammu, Kangra, Kalur, Kullu, Mandi, Mankot, Nurpur, Sirmur, and Suket.

Lahore Museum exhibits an exclusive and rare collection of Pahari paintings, displaying the last era of the royal lifestyle and taste in the subcontinent

The secular doctrine and artistically lavish Mughal lifestyle, with a special taste for art and architecture, declined under the regime of Aurangzeb Alamgir (1658-1707); mainly covering the latter half of the 17th century. As a result, the skilled painters of the Mughal atelier started to look for alternative patronage. The royal states in Rajasthan and on the hills of Punjab were the rare surviving courts, in the 18th and the early half of the 19th century, which ultimately attracted the unemployed painters of the Mughal court. The Pahari style of painting evolved in diverse schools where an amalgamation of the Rajasthani and Mughal styles was evident as most of the painters originated from here.

However, most rulers of these states were Hindu, who encouraged artists to derive the main subject of their painting from Bhagwatgita Purana or Mahabharata; holy scriptures of the Hindu religion. Furthermore, secular subjects of ever popular Ragmala were also manifested in these paintings. After that, there were few portraits of rulers and courtiers as well.

It is also believed that, when the Mughals were the ultimate power, the Rajas of the hill states and their courtiers used to visit the Mughal courts admiringly. Unconsciously, their aesthetics infiltrated into their taste for art, which made them receive, patronise and encourage artists coming from the sinking Mughal courts. Later, these artists insinuated the lavish patterns of Mughal miniature while rendering the green landscape of the Himalayan Mountains in a fascinating and absorbing manner.

The Basohli School seems least inspired by Mughal influence, but the Guler school carried inspirations of Mughal miniatures, especially in its naturalism as this school developed under artists of the family of Pandit Sue, who had been trained and skilled at the Mughal atelier and also worked for Basohli, Chamba and Kangra Schools. In addition to the Sue family artists, Nainsukh was another master, known for his redefined line, who worked for various patrons from the hill states and was associated with the Guler school.

The Kangra style evolved as the sequel to the Guler style but in a very mature and complete manner. The painters of both schools were of Mughal origin but the Kangra style painting, comparatively accepted more patterns of Mughal miniatures, in technique and colour tones. However, both styles celebrated Hindu scriptures as the main subject or theme. The ruler of Kangra, Raja Sansar Chand also commissioned many official portraits of the royal family and the courtiers; a distinct feature of the Kangra School. The two styles together merged to coin the Guler-Kangra style as well which emerged as an aesthetically enchanting style.

The Chamba School, owing to its protected and faraway situation, near the boundaries of captivating environs of Ladakh at the North-West by Jammu and Kashmir, was the most peaceful and suitable place for artists to evolve a distinct style and skills. Along with scintillating surroundings as the backdrop, the painters of this school accentuated colour, facial expressions and extravagant flowery dresses within the small vasli frames.

The Pahari painting displays the last era of the royal lifestyle and taste in the subcontinent. The hill states of Punjab came under Sikh rule, who had other priorities at that time to safeguard their rule. The miniature tradition then gave way to the realistic Western style brought here by British painters.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, April 3rd, 2016