The Pahari Schools of Painting — NCERT Solutions

(a) Nainsukh

Nainsukh was one of the most important painters of the Pahari schools. He helped transform painting from the bold Basohli manner into the more refined Guler–Kangra style. His work is known for individual portraiture, especially his celebrated pictures of Balwant Singh of Jasrota, where the patron is shown in daily activities like puja, surveying a building site, or sitting in a camp. His palette used delicate pastel shades with white or grey, and his paintings are noted for their calm, intimate atmosphere.

(b) Basohli paintings

Basohli paintings are the earliest and most dramatic hill paintings. They are marked by a strong use of primary colours, warm yellows, stylised vegetation, and the use of raised white paint to imitate pearls. Their most famous feature is the use of small shiny green beetle-wing particles to suggest emerald jewellery. The style is bold, vibrant and decorative. Popular themes included Rasamanjari, Bhagvata Purana, Ragamala, and portraits of local rulers.

(c) Ashta Nayikas

The Ashta Nayikas are the eight types of heroines commonly painted in Pahari art. They show women in different emotional states such as longing, waiting, anger, repentance and love. For example, Utka waits eagerly for her beloved, Vasaksajja decorates her bed for his return, and Abhisarika bravely goes through danger to meet him. These paintings are admired for their expressive emotion, graceful figures and poetic treatment of love and courtship.

(d) Kangra kalam

The Kangra kalam is the most poetic and lyrical style of Pahari painting. It is marked by delicacy of line, brilliance of colour, and minute decorative detail. The female face with a straight nose in line with the forehead is a distinctive feature. Kangra paintings often show naturalistic landscapes, serene beauty and refined composition. Popular themes included Bhagvata Purana, Gita Govinda, Nala Damayanti, Ragamala, and Baramasa. The style reached its peak under Raja Sansar Chand.