Indian Painting B.A. II Dr. O. P. Parameswaran, Assistant Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Post Graduate Govt. College for Girls, Sector-11, Chandigarh.

Unit-1: History of Indian Painting (BA-3) 2.1Gita Govida from Kangra (Pahari painting), about 1781 A.D

Introduction: The art of miniature painting that found patronage in the Rajput princedoms of the Punjab (now Himachal Pradesh) and Garhwal hills came to be known as the Pahari School. It developed during the late 17th centuries and flourished down to the 19th century.

Origin: Amid the natural beauty of the Kangra Valley, Pahari painting developed into an art of great charm and delicacy under the influence of its own early tradition as well as refined Guler and Mughal styles. In the late 18th century Kangra became the most powerful hill state at the time when the patronage of painting declined in Guler after Govardhan Chand’s death. During the reign of Raja Sansar Chand ( ) the art of miniature painting in Kangra was brought to its zenith.

Its major flowering is believed to have occurred between 1780 and 1805, with a second important phase from 1810 to Sansar Chand ascended the throne at the age of 10, and soon showed an active interest in painting.

The subject matter: The subject matter of Kangra miniature shows the cult of Krishna. Themes of the paintings were selected from Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavata Purana, Rashika priya of Krishna Das, the Sat Sai of Bihari lal, the Baramasa and the Ragamala etc.

Like all Indian painting the Kangra style based on line. Nowhere, however, are the lines so fluid, so refined and deceptively free. By means of thin squirrel-hair brushes they succeeded in painting extremely fine line to depict rains, jewellery and other details.

Though the Kangra artist never mastered the complexities of perspective, the richness of their varied coloring, their mastery of line and sensitive portrayal of nature more than compensate for this. Inspired by the experiments in Guler lovely faces and graceful forms, gracious poses and gestures, a harmonious blending of choice of colors and the inclusion of nature in its varied moods- the Kangra artists gave eloquent expression to the Rajput ideals of beauty. In their paintings music and poetry, romance and religion are intertwined.

Their fertile output includes two main themes. The first records the royal activities and the second depicts the finest religious and romantic compositions ever painted in India. Above all they created an idealized type of feminine beauty- the focal point of all Kangra art. The most favored pose was a slightly inclined head.

The dress and veil, forming a curve as though filled by a gentle breeze, suggest a graceful forward movement. The stiff architectural forms mostly of dazzling white marble help to emphasis the lithe rhythm of the human figures and the delicate colouring of their features.

A Gita Govinda series comprising more than a hundred and forty paintings of which many formed part of the Tehri Garhwarl Royal collection, exemplifies the mature Kangra style in every way. The Gita Govida celebrating in Sanskrit lyrics the ecstatic love of Radha and Krishna was generally sung at weddings

 This series may have been commissioned for Sansar Chand’s marriage around 1781, and have come to Tehri Garhwal through his two daughters who married Raja Sudersham Shah of Tehri Garhwal in 1829.

 To increase the devotee’s emotional participation in the adventures of their God, the Kangra artist transformed lush grows and orchards of their country side into the sacred land of Brindavan. The river Beas, its emeralds green water laced with white foam as it winds along between Sujanpur and Alampur, becomes the holy Jamuna. Krishna himself resembles handsome Pahari prince and Radha a lovely young hill princess, while local maidens and villagers were changed into idealized gopies and companies of the mischievous young god.

The theme of the Gita Govinda is based on Krishna-Radha. Passionate and intense are the visions of the Love of Radha and Krishna passing through the phase of fervent longing and languishing, pathetic separation and joyous union. Here the images of Radha-Krishna are depicted symbolically. They represent the relation between the human body and soul.