In the Golconda School of Painting, what do the earliest five miniatures, bound up in the Diwan of Hafiz, represent?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Court scenes of a young ruler
Option (1) Scenes of a Ragamala series — Incorrect. A series of Ragamala paintings is linked to the feminine dress of Ahmadnagar, not to these five Golconda pages.
Option (2) Court scenes of a young ruler — Correct. These five miniatures represent court scenes of a young ruler, seated enthroned with a long, straight Deccani sword.
Option (3) Portraits of Sufi saints — Incorrect. A Sufi saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, appears in a later provincial painting from Hyderabad, not in these miniatures.
Option (4) Battle scenes of the Sultan — Incorrect. Battle scenes fill most of the 12 miniatures in the Ahmadnagar volume of poems, not these Golconda pages.
Note: This topic was not named in the CUET 2026 syllabus, but it was part of the NCERT chapter. In 2025 and 2026, NTA also asked questions on topics in NCERT that the CUET syllabus did not name. So our mocks have questions from every part of the NCERT chapter, to give you enough practice. Read the whole chapter, not only the sub-topics named in the syllabus.
NCERT (2026-27): “Golconda School of Painting …The earliest five miniatures, identified as Golconda work, were bound up in Diwan of Hafiz, dated 1463. These paintings represent court scenes of a young ruler, who is depicted seated enthroned, holding a typically long and straight Deccani sword, in the centre of one of the painting folios. The Prince is seen wearing a white coat with embroidered vertical bands. All five painted pages are lavishly enriched with gold, touching deep azure sky. Dancing girls are seen entertaining the royal gathering.” |