Raja Sansar Chand was the great patron of the Kangra School of painting. Given below are two statements: one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other is labelled as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): Painting activity under Sansar Chand was severely affected around 1805.
Reason (R): Less number of paintings was done in Kangra as it remained under the Mughals till 1786, and later, the Sikhs.
In the light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is NOT the correct explanation of (A).
Assertion (A): Painting activity under Sansar Chand was severely affected around 1805. — True. Work suffered badly in that year.
Reason (R): Less number of paintings was done in Kangra as it remained under the Mughals till 1786, and later, the Sikhs. — True. Kangra stayed under the Mughals till 1786 and later the Sikhs, so fewer paintings were made there.
Why R does not explain A? R explains why few paintings were made in Kangra town over many years. It says nothing about the blow around 1805. The correct reason for A: the Gurkhas besieged the Kangra fort, and Sansar Chand had to flee to his hill palace at Tira Sujanpur.
NCERT (2026-27): “Kangra School …Raja Sansar Chand established supremacy of Kangra over all surrounding hill states. Tira Sujanpur emerged as the most prolific centre of painting under his patronage. … Less number of paintings was done in Kangra as it remained under the Mughals till 1786, and later, the Sikhs.” “Kangra School …During Sansar Chand’s reign, the production of Kangra School was far greater than any other hill state. … The Kangra style soon spread from Tira Sujanpur to Garhwal in the east and Kashmir in the west. Painting activity was severely affected around 1805 when the Gurkhas besieged the Kangra fort and Sansar Chand had to flee to his hill palace at Tira Sujanpur.” |