What were the large backdrops painted on cloth at Nathdwara for the deity Shrinathji called?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Pichhwais
Option (1) Phads — Incorrect. A phad is the painted scroll of Pabuji’s story from Bhilwara, a living folk tradition, not a backdrop for Shrinathji.
Option (2) Pichhwais — Correct. At Nathdwara, large backdrops painted on cloth for Shrinathji were called pichhwais.
Option (3) Nakals — Incorrect. Nakals were the copies of older works made in the Bikaner studio.
Option (4) Bahis — Incorrect. Bahis were the royal archival day-to-day diaries of Bikaner.
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): “Mewar School of Painting …Nathdwara, a town close to Udaipur and a prominent Vaishnava centre, also emerged as a school of painting in the late seventeenth century. Large backdrops called pichhwais were painted on cloth for the deity, Shrinathji, for several festive occasions.” “Bikaner School of Painting …Apart from its activities of making new miniatures, the studio was entrusted with the task of marammat or repairing and making nakals (copies) of older works.” |