An early dated Mewar Ragamala set was painted by Nisardin. At which place was this set painted?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Chawand
Option (1) Udaipur — Incorrect. Udaipur is named in the inscription of Maru Ragini, painted by Sahibdin for Rana Jagat Singh, not in Nisardin’s set.
Option (2) Chawand — Correct. Nisardin painted this Ragamala set at Chawand; its colophon page records the place.
Option (3) Chunar — Incorrect. Chunar is where the Bundi Ragamala was painted, in the reign of Bhoj Singh of Bundi.
Option (4) Nathdwara — Incorrect. Nathdwara, a Vaishnava centre near Udaipur, emerged as a school only in the late seventeenth century.
NCERT (2026-27): “Mewar School of Painting …Mewar is conjectured to be a significant early centre of painting in Rajasthan, from where, hypothetically, one would have been able to formalise a continuous stylistic tradition of painting — from pre-seventeenth century bold, indigenous styles to the subsequent refined and finer style post Karan Singh’s contact with the Mughals. However, long wars with the Mughals have wiped out most early examples. Therefore, the emergence of the Mewar School is widely associated with an early dated set of Ragamala paintings painted at Chawand in 1605 by an artist named Nisardin. The set has a colophon page that reveals the above vital information.” |