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82
83
Map of India (detail) from Stella Kramrisch,
Painted Delight: Indian Paintings from Philadelphia Collections
,
Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1986, p. xxiii
P
ahari is the term used to classify paintings from the Rajput
kingdoms of Punjab and the Garhwal hills, which include
Basohli, Chamba, Mankot, Jammu, Guler, Kangra, Nurpur, and
Garhwal. Pahari miniatures emerged as a distinct style by the late 17
th
century, and flourished until the 19
th
century.
Like Rajasthani painting, Pahari miniature painting thrived under the
patronage of local rulers. Pahari paintings incorporate influences from
Mughal and Rajasthani paintings. “The precision of the Mughalized
realism and a symbolism derived from classical and medieval literature
were combined; the sublime and sensuous were lyrically woven together.
Besides, the beauty of the local landscape played an important role in
someof the greatworks painted in the Pahari ateliers.” (AnjanChakraverty,
Indian Miniature Painting
, New Delhi: Lustre Press, Pvt. Ltd., 1996, p. 75)
While portraits of rulers were mostly limited to court scenes, paintings
depicting
nayikas
, or scenes of Krishna and Radha, or Krishna and the
gopis
from the
Bhagavata Purana
, are set against the natural beauty for
which the hill region is renowned.