The Pahari schools of painting grew up in many hill centres, each shaped by an earlier style. Which one of the following centres is the odd one out with respect to the style that shaped its painting?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Garhwal
Option (1) Chamba — Shaped by Basohli. Artist ateliers from Basohli spread to Chamba, and its rulers were portrayed in the Basohli style.
Option (2) Mankot — Shaped by Basohli. Due to marital relations, a few artists from Basohli seem to have shifted to Mankot and built a similar school there.
Option (3) Kullu — Shaped by Basohli. Kullu artists were influenced by the styles of Basohli and Bilaspur, and Basohli offshoots continued there.
Option (4) Garhwal — Odd one out. The Garhwal School was influenced by the Kangra style of the Sansar Chand phase, not by Basohli.
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): “The Kangra School came to fore in the 1780s while the offshoots of the Basohli style emerged and continued in centres such as Chamba, Kullu, Nurpur, Mankot, Jasrota, Mandi, Bilaspur, Jammu and others with some of their specific characteristics.” “An artist named Molaram is associated with the Garhwal School. Several signed paintings by him have been discovered. This school was influenced by the Kangra style of Sansar Chand phase.” |