Kangra painting

Kangra painting (Hindi: कांगड़ा चित्रकारी) is the pictorial art of Kangra, named after the Kangra State, a former princely state of Himachal Pradesh, which patronized the art. The art style became prevalent with the fading of the Basohli school of painting in the mid-18th century.^[1][2] Later, Kangra paintings were produced in such magnitude, both in content and volume, that the Pahari painting school came to be known as the Kangra painting school.^[3] Kangra painting style was registered under the Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 on 2nd April 2012.^[4]

Historically, the main centres of Kangra paintings have been Guler, Basohli, Chamba, Nurpur, Bilaspur and Kangra.^[5] Later, this style also reached Mandi, Suket, Kullu, Arki, Nalagarh and Tehri Garhwal (represented by Mola Ram), and is now collectively known as Pahari painting, covering the style that was patronized by Rajput rulers between the 17th and 19th centuries.^[6][5]

Pahari paintings, as the name suggests, were paintings executed in the hilly regions of India, in the sub-Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh.^[7] It is in the development and modification of Pahari paintings, that the Kangra School features. Under the patronage of Maharaja Sansar Chand (c.1765–1823), it became the most important center of Pahari painting. The Maharaja Sansar Chand Museum has various masterpieces of Kangra art.^[8] The museum is adjoining the Kangra Fort and was founded by the founded by the former Royal Family of Kangra.^[8]

Kangra art are is also part of international collections and museums, including in the Reitberg Museum in Zurich, the London Museum, and the Boston Museum in the USA.^[8]