Which school of painting flourished between 1600 and 1700 CE and is described as most representative of the Hindu Rajput courts?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Malwa
Option (1) Mewar — Incorrect. An early Mewar Ragamala set was painted at Chawand in 1605 by Nisardin. It is not the school the question describes.
Option (2) Bundi — Incorrect. The earliest phase of Bundi is the Bundi Ragamala, painted at Chunar in the reign of Bhoj Singh. It is not called most representative of the Hindu Rajput courts.
Option (3) Malwa — Correct. The Malwa School is the one dated 1600 to 1700 CE and called most representative of the Hindu Rajput courts.
Option (4) Kota — Incorrect. Kota painting grew out of the Bundi School and is known for its hunting scenes. It is not the school described here.
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): “Malwa School of Painting The Malwa School flourished between 1600 and 1700 CE and is most representative of the Hindu Rajput courts. Its two-dimensional simplistic language appears as a consummation of stylistic progression from the Jain manuscripts to the Chaurpanchashika manuscript paintings. Unlike the specificity of Rajasthani schools that emerged and flourished in precise territorial kingdoms and courts of their respective kings, Malwa School defies a precise centre for its origin and instead suggests a vast territory of Central India, where it got articulated with a sporadic mention of few places, such as Mandu, Nusratgarh and Narsyang Sahar.” |