Which is the Guler painter Manaku’s most outstanding set of works?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Gita Govinda
Option (1) Bhagvata Purana — Incorrect. This series is one of the greatest achievements of Kangra artists; its principal master is believed to be a descendant of Nainsukh.
Option (2) Shangri Ramayana — Incorrect. This set was painted in the Kullu Valley in the last quarter of the seventeenth century, not by Manaku.
Option (3) Nala Damayanti — Incorrect. Nala Damayanti is named among the popular themes of the Kangra style, not as Manaku’s set.
Option (4) Gita Govinda — Correct. Gita Govinda, composed by Jayadeva, is Manaku’s most outstanding set of works.
NCERT (2026-27): “Awaiting Krishna and the Hesitant Radha Artist Pandit Seu had two talented sons, Manak or Manaku and Nainsukh. Their contribution in maneuvering the style of Pahari painting from the stage of Basohli to that of Kangra is immense. Their sons, in turn, represent the glorious period of Kangra. This painting is categorised in the Guler–Kangra phase, wherein, experimentation for change had already been initiated. Gita Govinda is Manaku’s most outstanding set of works.” |