Painter’s Hub

Introduction:

The Garhwal school excels the other pahari schools in the treatment of women. Here they stand out more slender and charming there is more detail in the depiction of ornaments; the drapery is often transparent and attractive. This particular gift of the artists of the Garhwal school is demonstrated in several of the paintings reproduced here.

The Nayikas

The depiction of women according to their characteristics, feelings and erotic sentiments as given in nayikabhede was very popular with painters of the Pahari school, just as pictures of Baramasa and Ragamala (Garland of melodies) were popular themes of the Rajasthani painters. The pahari artists drew their inspiration for painting lovely women, as nayikas (heroines), from the Hindi poets of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, such as Keshav Das, Bihari, Mati Ram, Rahim, Raskhan and Nagari Das.

Painting the principal nayikas and describing them according to their characteristics, moods, sentiments and behaviour. He composedthe descriptive verses himself and wrote them in his own hand on the top of the picture of each nayika.

The incarnation of Narshima came out of a pillar and took Hiranyakashipu, the father of Prahlad, who was tormenting him. He took Hiranyakashipu into his lap in the door way, and tore open his stomach with his claws. Prahlad and his mother, Kaushalya were standing on either side of the door, with folded hands, seeing the destruction of the evil doer who attained salvation for having been killed by the God incarnation.

A drawing of Vipralabdha nayika carries a descriptive verse giving the characteristics of the Vipralabdha.  She stands on a bed of green leaves under a beautiful green tree. In front is another green tree adorned with spikes of pinkish flowers of the mandar a favourite motif of the Garhwal School. The flowering mandar is common in Garhwal. The nayika wears an orange dupatta studded with golden stars and with a golden border. Her lovely arms and hands, her arched, swan-like neck and heaving bosom are drawn exquisitely. The ornaments are drawn so realistically thet they can easily be identified. But the painting indicates that she did not care for her ornaments sincehe lover had not arrived at the rendezvous to admire them. She is depicted as throwing off her ornaments in disgust and disappointment.

The nayikas are typical specimens of the Garhwal School’s conception of womanly beauty. These pictures the artists have not only created chgarming women, but they have also drawn beautiful ornaments, trees and flowers.

Mythological Themes

A significant painting of a mythological theme “The  Temmtation of Shiva’. The flowering trees, the green meadow and lotuses are all there, so also is the chanden tika on Parvati’s forehead. While Mahadev performs tapasya in the Himalayas, Parvati, who is bent upon marrying him, goes there to seduce him with her beauty and music. He listens to her music; so does his vahan (mount) and constant companion, nandi, the bull. It is evident from Shiva’s face that he is not unmindful of Gauri’s charm, though his upstanding hair indicates anger.

Such themes are very common in minature paintings…