Ajit Singh (1679–1724) became king of Jodhpur after Durgadas Rathore recaptured Marwar. Which type of portraits of Durgadas became popular in Ajit Singh’s period?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Equestrian portraits
Option (1) Life-size portraits — Incorrect. Life-size portraits belong to Jaipur, which preferred large size formats. For Durgadas, the portraits that became popular showed him on horseback.
Option (2) Hunting portraits — Incorrect. Paintings of a ruler hunting wild animals are linked with Bishen Singh of Bundi, not with Durgadas.
Option (3) Portraits with gurus — Incorrect. Portraits in the company of the Nath gurus survive of Man Singh of Jodhpur, a follower of the Nath Sampradaya.
Option (4) Equestrian portraits — Correct. Durgadas and his heroism were celebrated in poems and court paintings, and his equestrian (horse riding) portraits became popular.
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): “Jodhpur School of Painting …His successor Ajit Singh (1679–1724) became the king after 25 years of war with Aurangzeb, which was fought by legendary warrior Veer Durgadas Rathore, who successfully recaptured Marwar. Durgadas and his heroism got popularly celebrated in poems and court paintings of Ajit Singh’s period. Durgadas’s equestrian (horse riding) portraits became popular.…” |