Basohli Painting

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Basohli, a town of Kathua, is widely known for its paintings called Basohli Paintings. Immortalised by their artistic eminences and their connoisseur patrons, Basohli today is a metaphor for a vigorous, bold and imaginative artistic style, rich, stylish and unconventional. A style of painting characterized by vigorous use of primary colours and a peculiar facial formula prevailed in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries in the foothills of the Western Himalayas in the Jammu and Punjab States. The earliest paintings in this style have been dated to the time of Raja Kirpal Pal (1678-93) ^[1]. Originating in Basohli, the style spread to the Hill States of Mankot, Nurpur, Kulu, Mandi, Suket, Bilaspur, Nalagarh, Chamba, Guler and Kangra. The first mention of Basohli painting is in the annual report of the Archaeological Survey of India for the year published in 1921. Referring to the acquisitions of the Archaeological Section of the Central Museum, Lahore, the report states that "a series of old paintings of the Basohli School were purchased, and the Curator concludes that the Basohli Schools is possibly of pre-Moghul origin, and so called Tibeti pictures are nothing but late productions of this school".

Radha and Krishna in Discussion, (An illustration from Gita Govinda) Gouache on paper (ca.1730).	Goddess Bhadrakali, Gouache on paper (ca. 1660-70).	Maharaja Sital Dev of Mankot in Devotion, Ink, opaque watercolor, and silver on paper (ca. 1690).	Radha Talking to Cowherd with Krishna Seated (ca. 1685).
Ragaputra Velavala of Bhairava.jpg, opaque watercolour with gold on paper (ca. 1710).