Scholars have proposed theories on the beginning of the Pahari School of Painting. Which style is generally understood to be the earliest prevailing pictorial language of the Pahari School?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Basohli-like style
Option (1) Kangra style — Incorrect. Kangra is the mature, final stage of Pahari painting, not its earliest language.
Option (2) Provincial Mughal style — Incorrect. Examples of the Provincial Mughal style only carried Mughal painting into the hills. It was an outside influence, not the Pahari language.
Option (3) Basohli-like style — Correct. The flamboyantly bold Basohli-like style is generally understood to be the earliest prevailing pictorial language.
Option (4) Rajasthani style — Incorrect. The Rajasthani style was known in the hills through the family ties of hill Rajas with the courts of Rajasthan. It too was an outside influence.
NCERT (2026-27): “The Pahari Schools of Painting …The emergence of the Pahari School remains unclear, though scholars have cautiously proposed theories concerning its beginning and influences. It is widely accepted that Mughal and Rajasthani styles of paintings were known in the hills probably through examples of Provincial Mughal style and family relationships of hill Rajas with the royal courts of Rajasthan. However, the flamboyantly bold Basohli-like style is, generally, understood to be the earliest prevailing pictorial language.” |