Guler appears to have a long tradition of painting amongst all the Pa…

Guler appears to have a long tradition of painting amongst all the Pahari schools. Consider the following statements:

(A) Artists were working in Haripur–Guler ever since the reign of Dalip Singh.

(B) Bishan Singh succeeded his father Dalip Singh on the throne of Guler.

(D) Prakash Chand was succeeded on the throne of Guler by Govardhan Chand.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 1

The correct answer is Option (1) → (A) and (C) only

(A) Artists were working in Haripur–Guler ever since the reign of Dalip Singh. — Correct. Portraits of Dalip Singh and his son Bishan Singh from before the 1730s show that artists worked there in his reign.
(B) Bishan Singh succeeded his father Dalip Singh on the throne of Guler. — Incorrect. Bishan Singh died during the lifetime of his father. So his younger brother Govardhan Chand came to the throne.
(C) Manak’s set of Gita Govinda painted at Guler retains some of the elements of the Basohli style. — Correct. Manak’s Gita Govinda keeps some Basohli elements, most strikingly the lavish use of beetle’s wing casings.
(D) Prakash Chand was succeeded on the throne of Guler by Govardhan Chand. — Incorrect. The order is the other way round. Prakash Chand was the successor of Govardhan Chand.

NCERT (2026-27): “Guler School …Guler appears to have a long tradition of paintings amongst all Pahari schools. There is evidence that artists were working in Haripur–Guler ever since the reign of Dalip Singh (1695–1743) as many of his and his son Bishan Singh’s portraits, dating back to earlier than 1730s, i.e., before the beginning of the Guler–Kangra phase can be found. Bishan Singh died during the lifetime of his father Dalip Singh. So, his younger brother Govardhan Chand ascended to the throne that witnessed a change in painting style. Manak’s most outstanding work is a set of Gita Govinda painted in 1730 at Guler, retaining some of the elements of the Basohli style, most strikingly the lavish use of beetle’s wing casings.”

“Guler School …Manaku, too, did numerous portraits of his enthusiastic patron Raja Govardhan Chand and his family. Prakash Chand, successor of Govardhan Chand, shared his father’s passion for art and had sons of Manaku and Nainsukh, Khushala, Fattu and Gaudhu as artists in his court.”