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{{Short description|Small, colorful, and detailed Indian paintings}}

'''Indian miniature paintings''' are a class of [[painting]]s originating from India.<ref name=":0" /> Made on canvases a few inches in length and width, the Indian [[Miniature (illuminated manuscript)|miniatures]] are noted for the amount of details that the artist encapsulates within the minute canvas frame; and the characteristic sensitivity with which the human, divine and natural forms are portrayed.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Miniature Paintings of India – Chronicling History Through the Ages |url=https://www.artisera.com/blogs/expressions/miniature-paintings-of-india-chronicling-history-through-the-ages |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=Artisera}}</ref>

They depict a variety of topics such as legends and myths, human passions and pains, aspirations, and physicality.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Miniature Painting & Art - History & Evolution, Schools & Techniques |url=https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-art/paintings/miniature.html |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.culturalindia.net |language=en}}</ref> From their origins in [[Cave paintings in India|cave paintings]], to the later [[Mughal painting|Mughal]] and [[Pahari painting|Pahari]] schools, the Indian miniatures represent a diversity of styles and themes, varying between the religious and the secular.<ref name=":0" /> Today most of these forms have perished, and are no longer practiced, due to the decline in royal patronage, and subsequent changes in the country's socio-cultural scenes.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2023-05-12 |title=History Miniature paintings |url=https://gaatha.com/history-miniature-paintings/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=gaatha.com |language=en-US}}</ref> However, several of these canvases today survive in museums and private collections, defining India, her lifestyle and the aesthetic idiom of her past, as well as the essence of her soil, her creative imagination, colours, and thought.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Miniature Painting |url=http://ccrtindia.gov.in/new-ccrt/miniature-painting/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=CCRT |language=en}}</ref>

== History of Indian Painting ==
In India, painting, one of the significant branches of ''[[Chitra (art)|chitra]]'',<ref>Isabella Nardi (2007). "The concepts of Painting and the Figure of the Painter as Described in Selected Sanskrit Sources". Archiv Orientální. 75 (3).</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Coomaraswamy |first=Ananda K. |date=1930 |title=One Hundred References to Indian Painting |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3248396 |journal=Artibus Asiae |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=41–57 |doi=10.2307/3248396 |jstor=3248396 |issn=0004-3648|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>Monier Monier Williams (2007). ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'' (Updated). Harvard University Press (Original published in 1899 by Oxford University Press).</ref> has a divine origin. It is said to have emerged as a spontaneous act by [[Vishnu]], who unconsciously sketched a portrait of [[Urvashi]] on his thigh, enthralled by the ravishing beauty of the apsara. It was then passed on to [[Vishvakarma|Viswakarma]], who taught the art of painting to the rest of mankind as per Vishnu's wishes.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title="Indian Miniature Paintings". Miniature Paintings Gallery. National Museum, New Delhi |url=http://www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/en/collections/index/13 |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in}}</ref> ''Chitra'' has several connotations, and forms an important part of the various ''Shilpa'' and the [[Agama (Hinduism)|Agamas]] text. The earliest paintings, as per anthropological evidences have been found in the rock-cut shelters such as in [[Bhimbetka rock shelters|Bhim-Betaka]] in [[Bhopal]]. Seven distinct phases of rock art have been discovered here, with the earliest dating back to 10,000 B.C.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mathpal |first=Yashodhar |date=1976 |title=Rock Paintings of India: An Ornithographical Interpretation |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/42930026 |journal=Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute |volume=35 |issue=3/4 |pages=83–93 |jstor=42930026 |issn=0045-9801}}</ref> [[Indus Valley Civilisation|Indus pottery]] defines the next stage of painting where the surfaces of earthen pots became the artist's canvas, these paintings were characterised by geometrical patterns, bright colours, floral themes, etc.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Satyawadi |first=Sudha |title=Proto-historic pottery of Indus valley civilisation: study of painted motifs; (illustrated with photographs, charts, and drawings) |date=1994 |publisher=D. K. Printworld |isbn=978-81-246-0030-6 |edition=1. publ |series=Perspectives in Indian art & archaeology |location=New Delhi}}</ref> The two epics [[Ramayana]] and [[Mahabharata]] provide depict several of the characters engaged in art activities. For instance, in [[Ayodhya (Ramayana)|Ayodhya]], there was a permanent space designated as ''chitra-vithi'', which was supervised by [[Lakshmana]], the brother of [[Rama|Ram]].<ref name=":0" /> In [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Banasura|Banasura's]] daughter, [[Uṣā|Usha]] has a friend, [[Chitralekha (Hinduism)|Chitralekha]], who is a skilled painter who painted [[Aniruddha]], [[Krishna|Krishna's]] grandson, after hearing about Usha's dream about him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2020-11-14 |title=Citralekha Unites Aniruddha with Usha [Chapter 120] |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/harivamsha-purana-dutt/d/doc485661.html |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref> The most glorious phase of Indian art spanned from the 4th-7th Centuries as seen in the delicate and exquisite murals at [[Ajanta Caves|Ajanta]] [[Ellora Caves|Ellora]] caves, temples, monasteries, etc.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Somathilake |first=Mahinda |date=2016 |title=Ajanta Murals and their Chronology: A Critical Analysis |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45211170 |journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=1–31 |jstor=45211170 |issn=1391-720X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Goetz |first=H. |date=1952 |title=The Kailāsa of Ellora and the Chronology of Rāshtrakūta Art |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3248615 |journal=Artibus Asiae |volume=15 |issue=1/2 |pages=84–107 |doi=10.2307/3248615 |jstor=3248615 |issn=0004-3648|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Evolution of Miniature Paintings ==
This form of painting, in the Indian subcontinent, emerged during the 10th Century. The earliest known example is the 999 A.D.-illustrated Buddhist text [[Prajnaparamita]], produced on a palm leaf. There are also the [[Kalpa Sūtra|Kalpasutra]] folios which have been discovered during the 10th-14th centuries.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Agrawal |first=Rashmi Kala |title=Early Indian miniature paintings: c. 1000-1550 AD |date=2006 |publisher=Sundeep Prakashan |isbn=978-81-7574-169-0 |location=Delhi}}</ref> The Kalpasutra tradition seems to have continued till 16th Century. These votive portable paintings earned the patronage of travelers, devotees and traders.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Page from a Dispersed Kalpa Sutra (Jain Book of Rituals) {{!}} India (Gujarat) |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/75067 |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |language=en}}</ref> The Mandu Kalpasutra, for instance, dated 1439 A.D., was rendered for Mandu, a Jain monk. The introduction of paper replaced the palm-leaf and revolutionised the art-scenario post-14th Century. Moreover, new mineral colours and pigments too were introduced in addition to the prior colours.<ref name=":0" /> [[Paper]] was tougher, smoother, and had a better colour-absorbing surface. Meanwhile, the [[Bhakti movement]] increased the demand for votive representations, while simultaneously rulers too began patronising painters to have their artistic styles preserved and reflected on the canvas. Against this scenario, the production of miniatures became profit-oriented, and artists began to carve their own distinctions while competing with others.<ref name=":0" /> This also gave birth to various art schools, marking a shift from the religious to secular themes, and feudal lords replaced the traders as patrons. The major chunk of miniatures, and consequent medieval art forms, evolved from the 15th to the 19th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Miniature Paintings from South Asia {{!}} Princeton University Art Museum |url=https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/object-package/miniature-paintings-south-asia/88413 |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=artmuseum.princeton.edu}}</ref>

== Essence of Indian Miniatures ==
The Indian miniatures are characterised by a direct expressive quality, and remarkable transparency where lines, colours, forms, etc., synthesize to expose all that is depicted in the canvas. Nothing is concealed and it is this frankness that potentially moves the viewers, emotionally, and generates a transcendental delight in them.<ref name=":0" /> Several Indian texts ranging from the [[Jataka tales|Buddhist Jatakas]], Jain [[Kalpa Sūtra|Kalpasutras]], the two Hindu epics, [[Bhagavata Purana|Bhagavata-Purana]], [[Kalidasa|Kalidasa's]] [[Shakuntala (play)|Shakuntala]], [[Rasamanjari]], [[Gita Govinda|Gita-Govinda]] by [[Jayadeva]], [[Rasikapriya]], Bihari-Satsai, and [[Janamsakhis|Janamsakhi]] are frequently portrayed in these miniatures.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ragamala – Kangra Art Museum |url=https://www.kangraartmuseum.in/ragamala/ |access-date=2023-06-07 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dehejia |first=Harsha Venilal |title=Rasikapriya: ritikavya of Keshavdas in ateleirs [sic] of love |date=2013 |publisher=D.K. Printworld |isbn=978-81-246-0688-9 |location=New Delhi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ghosh |first=Soma |date=2022-05-05 |title=Gita Govinda – Enchanting Paintings of An Epic Text from the Pahari School of Paintings |url=https://www.caleidoscope.in/art-culture/gita-govinda-paintings-1 |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=Caleidoscope {{!}} Indian Culture, Heritage |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |title=Indian art, archaeology and culture |date=2018 |publisher=B.R. Publishing Corporation |isbn=978-93-87587-38-0 |editor-last=Kumar |editor-first=Vinay |location=Delhi}}</ref> Persian texts like [[Shahnameh|Shahnama]], [[Tutinama]], [[Hamzanama]], Mughal memoirs like [[Baburnama]], [[Akbarnama]], etc., folk legends like [[Baz Bahadur|Bazbahadur]]-[[Roopmati]], [[Dhola Maru|Dhola-Maru]], [[Layla and Majnun|Laila-Majnun]], [[Nala]]-[[Damayanti]], [[Panchatantra]], etc., are also the staple content of Indian miniatures.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Ahluwalia |first=Roda |title=Reflections on Mughal Art and Culture |date=2021 |publisher=Niyogi Books |isbn=978-93-89136-78-4 |edition=1 |location=New Delhi}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=J. M. |title=Mughal miniatures |date=1993 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |isbn=978-0-500-27732-4 |series=Eastern art series |location=New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nizami {{!}} "Laila and Majnun in School", Folio 129 from a Khamsa (Quintet) of Nizami of Ganja |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/446603 |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Goswamy |first1=Brijinder Nath |title=Nala and Damayanti: a great series of paintings of an old Indian romance |last2=Karan Singh |date=2015 |publisher=Niyogi Books Amar Mahal Museum & Library |others=National museum of India |isbn=978-93-83098-89-7 |location=New Delhi, India Jammu}}</ref> Abstract emotions of love, pain and grief; beauty and nature; the [[Ragamala paintings|Ragamalas]], [[Barahmasa|Baramasa]], [[Tantra]]; history of court and village lives, various festivals and scenes of pleasure too are found in these paintings.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Daljeet |title=Ragachitra: Deccani ragamala paintings |date=2014 |publisher=Niyogi Books |isbn=978-93-83098-27-9 |location=New Delhi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Wangu |first=Madhu Bazaz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k8y-vKtqCmIC&dq=paintings+miniatures+goddess&pg=PA119 |title=Images of Indian Goddesses: Myths, Meanings, and Models |date=2003 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=978-81-7017-416-5 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Baramasa: The Painted Romance of Indian Seasons (Portfolio), Daljeet, National Museum |url=https://www.bagchee.com/books/BB57229/baramasa-the-painted-romance-of-indian-seasons-portfolio |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=www.bagchee.com}}</ref> [[Calligraphy]] played a significant role from the Buddhist and Jain depictions in the medieval age;<ref name=":2" /> while portraiture was encouraged by [[Akbar]] though only of male royal personages,<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Saafvi |first=Rana |date=2014-11-24 |title=Tradition of Mughal Miniature Paintings under Akbar |url=https://ranasafvi.com/tradition-of-mughal-paintings-under-akbar/ |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=Rana Safvi |language=en-US}}</ref> while [[Jahangir]] allowed portraits of royal females such as [[Nur Jahan]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Srivastava |first=Sanjeev Prasad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_QnFTzS2xh8C&q=miniature+paintings+during+akbar%27s+time |title=Jahangir, a Connoisseur of Mughal Art |date=2001 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn=978-81-7017-386-1 |language=en}}</ref> Nature played a very important role in these paintings, and despite the minute space, the expansive detailing seemed to seamlessly unite the world of nature and man on the canvas space. Decorated borders, intricate lines, balanced and perfectly executed compositions, unique shades and colour palettes, scenic depictions, and thematic portrayals depart a mysticism and emotive appeal that characterises the essence of Indian miniatures.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mitter |first=Partha |title=Indian art |date=2001 |publisher=Oxford university press |isbn=978-0-19-284221-3 |series=Oxford history of art |location=Oxford}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />

== Schools and Art Styles ==
The [[Pala Empire|Pala]] and [[Jain art|Jain]] schools comprise the early miniature styles, while the later schools comprise the [[Rajput painting|Rajasthani]], [[Mughal painting|Mughal]], [[Pahari painting|Pahari]], and [[Deccan painting|Deccan]] schools. [[Malwa painting|Malwa]], [[Raghogarh State|Raghogarh]], and [[Orchha|Orchha-Datia]], often grouped under the Rajasthani school, form separate schools of [[Central India]]. Depending on stylistic variations, the Mughal miniatures can be further classified into the early, later and provincial Mughal schools, with the last referring to the art styles that emerged in the [[Subah (province)|subas]]. On the other hand, [[Kangra painting|Kangra]], [[Basohli (town)|Basohli]], [[Garhwal District|Garhwal]], etc., form different sub-schools of the Pahari miniature style.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />

The paintings of the Pala school were produced in Bengal and the surrounding areas, and depict narratives, events, and tales from the life of [[The Buddha|Buddha]]. These paintings, composed on palm-leaf manuscripts, were created during the 8th-11th Century, under the patronage of Pala rulers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pala art {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pala-art |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The Jain-Kalpasutra paintings depict the life of the Thirthankara [[Mahavira]] and [[Parshvanatha|Parashvanath]]. These paintings of the Jain school are made on palm-leaf or on cloth, and are characterised by short-statured men with deep protruding eyes, angular facial features, pointed noses, bright ornaments, and costumes, painted in gold, warm colours with active lines, connoting a distinct rhythm and vitality of movement.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guy |first=Authors: John |title=Jain Manuscript Painting {{!}} Essay {{!}} The Metropolitan Museum of Art {{!}} Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jaim/hd_jaim.htm |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History |language=en}}</ref>

The principal centres of Rajasthani miniatures included [[Mewar painting|Mewar]], [[Bundi]], [[Bikaner]], [[Jodhpur]], [[Kishangarh]], [[Jaipur]], over fifteen smaller states, and [[thikanas]]. The Rajasthani miniatures are exceptionally expressive, characterised by primitive vigour, and exude the rich fragrant essence of the soil and the land. Serialised illustrations of texts and legends, depictions of [[Durbar (court)|Durbar]] scenes, festivals, processions, huntings, and harem life, have precedence over portraiture. The image of [[Krishna]]-[[Radha]] gave the Rajasthani painters an eternal source of sensuous delight, an ideal of the [[Sringara|shringara]] [[Rasa (aesthetics)|rasa]], and a way to transcend beyond the material into the spiritual.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Daljeet |title=Rajasthani miniatures: the magic of strokes and colours |date=2018 |publisher=Niyogi Books |isbn=978-93-86906-26-7 |location=New Delhi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Daljeet |title=Four centuries of Rajput painting: Mewar, Marwar and Dhundhar Indian miniatures from the collection of Isabella and Vicky Ducrot |last2=Cimino |first2=Rosa Maria |last3=Ducrot |first3=Vicky |date=2009 |publisher=Skira |isbn=978-88-572-0018-7 |location=Milano}}</ref>

Mewar paintings developed a sensitive portrayal of Hindu myths and legends. [[Sahibdin]], a Muslim artist, interestingly pioneered the Mewar idiom.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pande |first=Anupa |title=The rāgachitras of Mewar: Indian musical modes in Rajasthani miniature painting |date=2020 |publisher=National Museum Institute in association with Aryan Books International |isbn=978-81-7305-615-4 |location=New Delhi}}</ref> [[Nathdwara]] became an important centre of Mewar art. This was the result of the establishment of the [[Shrinathji|Shreenathji]] shrine here. Soon, the image of Shreenath became a dominant theme in these paintings.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Krishna |first=Kalyan |title=Nathdwara Paintings from the Anil Relia Collection: The Portal to Shrinathji |date=2021 |publisher=Niyogi Books |isbn=978-93-89136-72-2 |edition=1 |location=New Delhi}}</ref> The [[Kota, Rajasthan|Kotah]] paintings excelled in the depictions of hunting scenes, realistic portrayals of nature, and human figures.<ref>{{Cite web |title=..::Kota Garh ( City Palace)::.. |url=https://www.kotahgarh.com/collection.html |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=www.kotahgarh.com}}</ref> The Bundi miniatures too are superbly composed and reflect both secular as well as religious themes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-23 |title=Bundi Painting Rajasthan - Craft Documentation & Research |url=https://gaatha.org/Craft-of-India/bundi-painting-rajasthan/ |access-date=2023-06-07 |language=en-US}}</ref> The [[Bikaner style of painting|Bikaner miniatures]] are characterised by their affinity to the Mughal style, their portrayals of the Durbar scenes, delicate female forms and robust male figures.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-19 |title=The Bikaner School of Painting |url=https://www.memeraki.com/blogs/news/the-bikaner-school-of-painting |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=MeMeraki.com |language=en}}</ref> Art from Jodhpur, also known as the Marwar style, is defined by large thick eyes on well-defined physical features.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-02-05 |title=Marwar School of Painting |url=https://www.thefarhorizonmagazine.com/marwar-school-of-painting/ |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=The Far Horizon Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref> The Kishangarh artists championed the [[Bani Thani|Bani-Thani]] figures, that is the perfect model of womanhood, and were inspired by Raja Sawant Singh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kishangarh painting {{!}} Indian art {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Kishangarh-painting |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> A unique lyricism, elegance and rhythm characterise these masterpieces. The Jaipur style is distinguished by the presence of tall figures, with delicate eyes, ornate background, embellished costumes, etc., achieved by the amalgamation of Mughal and Rajasthani styles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jaipur school {{!}} painting style {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jaipur-school |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The Malwa miniatures are beautifully composed and emotionally charged,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mālwa painting {{!}} Indian art {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Malwa-painting |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> while the Orchha-Datia styles (also, known as the [[Bundelkhand]] school) are dominated by episodes from the [[Ramayana]], Bhagavata-Purana, folk narratives, and blue-black shades.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Seitz |first1=Konrad |title=Origins of Orchha painting |last2=Seitz |first2=Konrad |date=2022 |publisher=Niyogi Books |isbn=978-93-91125-91-2 |series=Orchha, datia, panna / Konrad Seitz |location=New Delhi, India}}</ref>

The Mughal art style was born in the hands of Akbar, whose liberalism led to the unification of Hindu and Islamic elements of art. His court saw the translations of Persian and Sanskrit texts, and illustrations of the same were carried on simultaneously.<ref name=":6" /> Miniatures produced during Jahangir's time testify to his sensitive eye for beauty. The paintings have a poetic fervour, neat lines, life-like portrayals of birds, and animals, etc. The influence of [[European painting|European styles]] too are visible in the paintings of this time owing to Jahangir's interactions with the Europeans.<ref name=":7" /> [[Portrait]]ure and random depictions gained immense popularity during [[Shah Jahan|Shah Jahan's]] time. Serialisation of romances like [[Dara Shikoh|Dara Sikhoh]] and Ranadil were significant in the miniatures of this period. Shah Jahan was a man of romantic and poetic fervour, and the paintings produced under his patronage show a delicate and typical softness.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Farago |first=Jason |date=2021-04-02 |title=What a Tiny Masterpiece Reveals About Power and Beauty |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/04/02/arts/design/shah-jahan-chitarman.html |access-date=2023-06-07 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The Mughal miniature artists shifted to the subas with the ascendance of [[Aurangzeb]], under whose rigid rule patronage was suspended, and all art was abhorred.<ref name=":0" /> The paintings which developed in the subas were referred to as the Provincial Mughal Miniatures.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" />

In Deccan, a fresh art style had started to develop, after areas of Deccan were conquered by Islamic rulers who brought them with their art styles, that mingled with the indigenous art forms alongside the influences from [[Persia]] and [[Turkey]]. Some of the distinct markers of this school are the exceptional synthesis of colour palette, the comely human figures, rich decorations, and indigenous ornamental patterns, etc.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lavanya |first=B. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LrtEMAAACAAJ |title=History, Miniature Art, and Women: Medieval Deccan 15th-17th Century A.D. |date=2008 |publisher=Bharatiya Kala Prakashan |isbn=978-81-8090-185-0 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Deccani painting {{!}} Indian art {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Deccani-painting |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

The Pahari miniature style developed at various centres spread across the lower Himalayan regions and [[Punjab]] hills. The major centres were Basohli, [[Guler State|Guler]], [[Chamba, Himachal Pradesh|Chamba]], [[Mandi, Himachal Pradesh|Mandi]], and [[Kangra painting|Kangra]], while the minor ones included those at [[Jammu]], [[Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh|Bilaspur]], Garhwal and Punjab.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Goswamy |first1=Brijinder Nath |title=Pahari paintings: the Horst Metzger collection in the Museum Rietberg |last2=Fischer |first2=Eberhard |date=2017 |publisher=Niyogi Books Artibus Asiae Publishers |others=Museum Rietberg |isbn=978-93-85285-72-1 |series=Artibus Asiae Publishers. Supplementum |location=New Delhi, India Zürich, Switzerland}}</ref> Pahari paintings derive their timelessness and emotive quality from the compositional details, rich symbolism, sensitive portrayals of humans, and natural landscapes. They have an unmatched serenity, and picturesque quality.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pahari painting {{!}} art {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/Pahari-painting |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> The Basohli style is marked by the indiscriminate use of the lotus symbol, and human figures with large eyes, and broad foreheads.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Basohli Painting |url=http://www.indianculture.gov.in/ebooks/basohli-painting |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=INDIAN CULTURE |language=en}}</ref> Royal portraits of the Chamba sub-school are well known. It is also noted for its unique technique of mixing colours, and representation of womenfolk.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Laharu and mid-Eighteenth Century Chamba Painting |url=https://www.sahapedia.org/laharu-and-mid-eighteenth-century-chamba-painting |access-date=2023-06-07 |website=Sahapedia |language=en}}</ref> Guler style is defined by rounded faces, refined lines, and a sensitive depictions of nature.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Randhawa |first1=M. S. (Mohinder Singh) |url=http://archive.org/details/gulerpainting00rand |title=Guler painting |last2=Randhawa |first2=Doris Schreier |date=1982 |publisher=Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India |others=Public Resource}}</ref> Kangra paintings represent the pinnacle of Pahari miniatures, and Himalayan art, characterised by mature technical finesse, and portraitural quality that imparts an almost pulsating softness of music, emotions, and colours. The Radha-Krishna legend forms the primary theme of the Kangra school.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharma |first=Vijay |title=Painting In The Kangra Valley |date=2020 |publisher=Niyogi Books |isbn=978-93-89136-65-4 |location=New Delhi, India}}</ref>

== References ==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Indian paintings]]
[[Category:Miniature painting]]

Indian miniature paintings - Revision history

Nxtleveledit at 09:03, 29 November 2025