Kangra Paintings-The Month of Bhadon

Krishna and Radha as eternal lovers were portrayed rejoicing the moments of love. The Kangra miniatures are also noted for portraying the famine charm with a natural grace.

The paintings based on Ragmalas (musical modes) also found patronage in Kangra. Some of the famous Kangra Ragmala Paintings include Ragini Gujari, Raga Lalit and Ragini Sorathi.

Kangra School in its later stage included scenes under star-studded skies and also portrayed storms with lightning running across the horizon. These features were conspicuously absent in the other schools of panting. Later, Kangra miniatures also depicted towns and cluster of houses in the distance but curiously mountains above the height of 13,000 ft were never made a part of the paintings.

Kangra miniatures were adopted as a model of pictorial expression at many places of Pahari paintings including Chamba.

The miniature artists faced hardships after they lost the patronage of the royalty, due to the changed political equations. Today, it is a dying art form as many of the artists have embraced other professions

The classic miniatures of the yore are preserved in museums. However, reproductions of these miniatures are also available that can be made a part of private collection.

The Kangra Miniatures of the Pahari School made a mark in the 18th century. Though influenced by the Mughals, the Kangra School retained its distinctiveness.

The paintings were naturalistic and employed cool, fresh colors. The colors were extracted from minerals, vegetables and possessed enamel-like luster. Verdant greenery of the landscape, brooks, springs were the recurrent images on the miniatures. Texts of the Gita Govinda, Bhiari's Satsai, and the Baramasa of Keshavdas provided endless themes to the painters.

The purple clouds are gathering, the thunder
rolls and rain pours in torrents.
The wind blows fiercely, the cicadas chirp,
the lions roar, and elephants fell the trees.
The day is dark like the night, and
one's own home is the best.
Pray leave me not in the month of Bhadon
for separation pains like poison.

This painting illustrates the rainy month of Bhadon (August-september). The lovers are seated in a balcony of a house in a garden watching a flight of cranes.On hearing the thunder-clap following a flash of lightening the lady embraces her lover. The painting is inspired by following poem of the renowned hindi poet Keshav Das :