Radha being persuaded by her handmaiden, & the conversing with Krishna

Radha being persuaded by her handmaiden, & the conversing with Krishna

Kangra in Himachal Pradesh, late 18th century

Water colour on paper

Kangra was an important location from the hills of Himachal while most of the Indian subcontinent was under the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan. The power of Kangra was due to its appropriate locations and the fort which was ruled by Sansar Chand. This great Hindu ruler was a connoisseur of art from a very early stage in his life with keen interest in painting the scenic beauty of the hills camouflaged with the stories of Krishna from the epics of Mahabharata. The subject matter of Kangra miniatures shows the cult of Krishna which is understandable in context to the Rajput society where arranged marriages were the norms and the vibrantly romanticized character of Krishna with gopis, especially with Radha a married women was fascinating.

Late periods of 18th century have seen mature stages of Kangra painting, which were closer to Raja Sansar Chand’s death. This painting is at its peak in defining the beauty of nature along with Radha, the female who is always the important feature of attention. The canvas is divided in two haves with abundant greenery of trees with flowers which have curled up to create the two diagonal spheres in the canvas to portray the story of Radha anxiously waiting for her lover Krishna while being persuaded by her handmaid and the other half shows how she is pleased to be in company with Krishna.


The elegant portrayal of Radha’s body in the first space is complimentary to the flowering tree next to which she sits on a bed of leafs. The contrast in colours highlights the main focal point of the painting. The viewer to browses through his/her eyes from the left scene to the right one as if they are meant to be read as a story which the artist has taken efforts to emphasize along with the natural beauty of the hills of Kangra. The natural beauty and scenery has always affected the paintings in the hills, whether it is from Kullu, Kangra or Basholi (closer locations). The curves of the female body and the orientation of the trees express the sensuality of an ideal embodiment. The style has a unique sense of freedom and is closely connected with its local surrounding.


Kangra style of paintings had considerable influence on the art of other states of Garhwal. The beautiful cascading colours with all the vitality and sentimental appeal having compelling animated love scenes, transparent body curvatures and the charm of the slender figures are a few features of kangra miniatures which were followed over the generations before the artists finally had to shift from hills to the Mughal courts.


Reference Reading

1.Centres of Pahari Painting by Chandramani Singh

2.Indian Miniature Paintings by Anjan Chakraverty

3.Love of Krishna in Indian Painting and Poetry by W G Archer

4.Indian Art – A Concise History by Roy C Craven

Radha & Krishna in the Grove - Kangra Painting, Himachal

Radha & Krishna in the Grove

Time Frame: Circa 1780 AD
 
Pahari Kangra Painting
 
Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Pahari Paintings are one of the fascinating Schools of painting which evolved in the Northern or North Eastern zones of India whereas Pahari literally derives itself from the word Pahar(in Hindi), i.e. of the hill or from the hill. So paintings which were done during the late 18^th century in regions like Garhwal, Kullu, Basholi, Kangra, Jammu, even in Punjab are commonly assembled under this school, although it’s essential to notice that each zone had some or the other distinct feature of its own as per the artist choice of subject, keens towards overall details, as demanded by the local ruler, etc.

Pahari paintings flourished under the local rulers who served at the Mughal Court. While Mughal court practiced and promoted miniature paintings through the vision of Persian artist at that time, Pahari Paintings continued to holds its strength over the hills. The strategic location of the Kangra fort and the power of the local rulers of the hill were well known by the then Mughal emperor, who took no chances to disrupt the balance in their political relationship.

The majority of the local kings were Hindus with more or less homogeneous group as they were matrimonially related to each other. Among these Hill states Kangra was the oldest and biggest centre for the importance of the fort, political power and rich land with historical records. During the ruling period of Sansar Chand II in 1775 (when he was just 10 yrs old) onwards, the history of Kangra witnessed remarkable prosperity and growth. He was a great builder who laid gardens, fond of drawings and had employed many local artists. His keen interest in art  is clear enough in his large collection of paintings with themes mostly religious from Krishan’s life from Mahabharat or Ramayan. There were portraits of neighbouring rulers also. The most famous Gita-Govind series is painted in Guler-Kangra style, which was most probably presented as part of the dowry given to the Garhwal prince.

The selected painting belongs to the Gita-Govind series, which narrated themes or stories of love of Radha and Krishna along with backdrops of nature, animals, flowing water, etc. It’s quite amazing to observe this painting as it captures the essence of love in the very moment with its blissful depiction of Radha in the arms of Krishan. The scene expresses pure charm of love to the viewer through the flowers, branches of the tree, the swans, the tree itself and the lotuses in the flowing water. At first the calm and charming look at Krishna’s face attracts attention which then flows towards Radha who seems to have surrendered herself to her lover. The beauty of Radha has been embraced with flowing curves of her delicate body which synonymously affects the form of the tree along with its branches. The choice of colours and supporting elements of the painting adds pure delight to the common theme of the painting. The elegance of the paintings just doesn’t rely on the two main characters, but also on the effort that has been taken to depict the beauty in nature which is usually left unobserved. The idea of setting the theme amongst nature adds attention to the idea of love which is common around for all creatures. There couldn’t have been more similarities to express this pure magic called love………

Paintings with similar themes were becoming common and were also done in and around Pahari region, i.e in Kishnagrh, Basholi, etc. In these regions, the local artists were following techniques learnt over the years from Indian Miniature paintings done in Rajput courts, although Persian artists had arrived by now in the Mughal court. As compared to Mughal court paintings, Pahari Kangra paintings worked around religious themes, with love stories of Radha & Krishna set against the backdrop of natural beauty as it was common of these artists due to there stationed location in Pahar. The beauty of the hills, the freshness of air, the peace of chirping birds, the elegance of flowing water streams, etc did effect the taste of the artist to depict all the beauty around them in the valley. Although the paintings are beautiful with real and non realistic elements but still they succeed in fulfilling the desire of the viewer.