Under Raja Sansar Chand, painting in the Kangra style flourished at centres on the banks of the river Beas. Given below are two statements:
Assertion (A): Less number of paintings was done in Kangra itself.
Reason (R): Sansar Chand had to flee to his hill palace at Tira Sujanpur when the Gurkhas besieged the Kangra fort around 1805.
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): Less number of paintings was done in Kangra itself. — True. Tira Sujanpur, Alampur and Nadaun were the main centres of painting under Sansar Chand.
Reason (R): Sansar Chand had to flee to his hill palace at Tira Sujanpur when the Gurkhas besieged the Kangra fort around 1805. — True. The siege severely affected painting activity.
Why R does not explain A? R tells us about one event of about 1805. It does not say why Kangra had fewer paintings through the whole period.
The correct reason for A: Kangra remained under the Mughals till 1786, and later, the Sikhs.
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. An earlier phase of Kangra kalam paintings is witnessed in Alampur and the most matured paintings were painted at Nadaun, where Sansar Chand shifted later in his life. All these centres were on the banks of river Beas. …Less number of paintings was done in Kangra as it remained under the Mughals till 1786, and later, the Sikhs.” “Kangra School …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.…” |