Pahadi Chitrkala

Pahadi Chitrkala
Himalayan PArt
Paintings of Himalaya
Art of Garhwal and Kumaun
Garhwali Paintings
Characteristics of Garhwali Painting
Dr Yashvant Singh Katoch
Translation by Bhishma Kukreti
The art critics call the art of Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Garhwal and Kumaun as ‘Pahadi Chitrkala or Paintings of Himalaya . Phadi Kala is part of of Rajputa Chitrkala but with difference.
There have been many experiments in Garhwali paintings on the basis of Mogul style from seventeenth century till Maularam came in existence. We may see this style in the paintings as ‘Manini’, Mastani (1771) and ‘Hindona’ pantings. There is visible effects of Mogul styled painting on the two paintings of Maharaj Fateh Shah. In one painting, Fateh Shah is in very indigence condition and is aiming at the target with arrow. In other painting, before Maharaj Fateh Shah a lion and a goat are taking water from a river together with peace and harmony. From subject point of view, though there is effects of Kangada style and Mogul style, there is specialty of Garhwali style in those paintings.
The famous art critic J .C French (who was a civil servant in Bengal Province ) states about Garhwali paintings in Himalayan Art( 1931), “ From design, subject, presentation and strenth poit of views, there is strong effects on Garhwali paintings ( seventeen to nineteenth centuries ) of Kangada. however, there is clear distinction from the point of views of line-flow, general atmosphere between Garhwali and Kangada painting (art) . There is lesser glossiness, luster, decoration and extreme tenderness in Garhwali paintings than Kangada paintings”. However, Ajit Ghosh says,” there is similarity between Garhwali and Kangada paintings from the angles of emotions, objectivities, inspiration and stimulation. But in many aspects, Garhwali art reached ahead of Rajput Style of paintings. As Garhwali artists (painters) are far ahead than Rajput Styled painters in terms of spender, radiant, ornamentation, fineness, and presentation of geographical natural scenes.
A world fame art critic K.Vaidya writes in Pahadi Hirakata ,” there is vast distinctions and differences in the faces of Hero and Heroines (Nayak Nayikayen) between garhwali paintings and Rajput Paintings and Kangada art. There are trees and plants gushing without leaves in many Garhwali paintings. The leaves are smaller in size and are round shaped in Garhwali paintings than Rajput Styled and Kangada Styled paintings . There are many other distinctions in Garhwali paintings that they are exclusive in nature and presentation.”
There are following main subjects of Garhwali Paintings or Garhwali Chitrkala :
1- Rukmani Mangal
2-Nayka Bhed
3-Ramayan
4-Mahabharat
5-Kamsutra
There have been paintings of Dasawtar, Ast Durga, Nav Grah too.
Initially there have been love scenes in Garhwali art . However, this style have been on its peak and best in the paintings of Krishna Leela . The love scenes of radha and Krishna had been the main subjects of painters. The patron of Garhwali paintings Mukundi Lal Barrister says,” no painter of other Himalayan paintings could reach on that height which Garhwali painters could achieve in showing the emotions and beauty of women. The women in Garhwali paintings are more lively, agile , swift and attractive than other Himalayan Paintings. The most important distinction in Garhwali paintings is that the women are having bigger round Teeka on their forehead”
There have been vry effective blending of poetry and art in Garhwali paintings. Most of the painters took the base of Bihari Satsai (Poems of Bihari of Braj language) , Keshav, Matiram and other poets of love subjects. Example, in one painting, Krishna is embracing his lover while falling down from the bed and in other painting, Radha becomes jealeous after seeing that another lover of Krishna putting her foot on the head of Krishna with tender love (from Bihari’s Satsai) . These painting is available in the collections of G .K. Joshi and Onkar Chand Sood respectively.
The Garhwali painters displayed very good expression of forests, animals, plants, birds and flowers. Mostly, painters showed flowery Mandar tree in their paintings. The audience becomes happily surprised to see the emotions of heroine in the scene of ‘Separation of Love’ in the paintings of Maularam . J. C French states,” There is special tenderness and attraction in the flowers shown in Garhwali paintings”
Famous art collector and critic Kumarswami rightly says,” The Rajput Styled paintings is nothing but a Folk Art and Garhwali Painting is Garhwali Folk art too. We find memoir of that time ,artistic views of people, religious and social thinking , belief of that time etc. all should do researches and preserve the past. All should take the work of Mukundi Lal Barrister ahead and should find more on Garhwali Art aand paintings”

Copyright@ Dr Yashvant Singh Katoch, Garhwal India