Painting picture courtesy Christie's Auction House Sometimes, a painting begins to ask more questions than it answers. A late eighteenth-century painting, attributed to the Mandi school and catalogued as showing Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra with a courtier, has intrigued me for some time. At first glance, the identification appears straightforward enough. Two men sit opposite each other, smoking hookahs, while attendants stand behind them holding fly-whisks. One figure is dressed in red, the other in white. The scene is informal, almost intimate, and yet unmistakably courtly. But the more I looked at the painting, the less convinced I became that the red-clad figure was Sansar Chand. The reason came from looking at other portraits. Among the surviving paintings associated with the Mandi court are several portraits of Raja Surma Sen, who ruled Mandi from 1781 until his death in 1788. One such portrait shows him seated smoking a hookah, attended by a fly-whisk bearer. Another depicts ...
Since Kathua is so infamous today, let us talk something about Basohli.
Basohli is part of the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir state, and was a principality of its own that could be traced back to at least 930AD, when it was part of a war between Chamba, Durgara (Jammu) and Trigarta (Kangra). Old Chamba copper plates of the time refer to this place, as per Hutchison and Vogel, as Sumarta, with its capital located in Vallapura. Sumarta itself was probably the nucleus of the Balor/Basohli state, and its Rajputs, the Sumarias, were famous for their martial skills. However, in modern times, Basohli is remembered more for its distinct sub-school within the Pahari paintings.
The original capital of this state was a place called Vallapura. This Vallapura, now known as Billawar, lies in Kathua district, and still houses ruins of the early gone eras. One of the interesting places there, which probably has survived the ravages of time and invaders, is the Maha Bilvakeshwar temple. It is a stone temple that is still in use, and is also known by the name of Harihar temple. As Hutchison and Vogel describe it:
"The temple faces west, and consists of a mandapa...the latter containing a stone linga. Of the mandapa, only the north and the west wall are still standing."
Bases for only three of the pillars survived, and it is interesting to note that there is not much knowledge even now on the builder of this temple. Local legends believe that it was built by the Pandavas themselves, which seems to be a recurring theme across several hill states. Interestingly, it is also believed that Babur had inflicted considerable damage on the temple, though this is disputed.
Sharing some wonderful pictures I came across during the research on Mapio shot by Parbodh C Bali.
Basohli is part of the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir state, and was a principality of its own that could be traced back to at least 930AD, when it was part of a war between Chamba, Durgara (Jammu) and Trigarta (Kangra). Old Chamba copper plates of the time refer to this place, as per Hutchison and Vogel, as Sumarta, with its capital located in Vallapura. Sumarta itself was probably the nucleus of the Balor/Basohli state, and its Rajputs, the Sumarias, were famous for their martial skills. However, in modern times, Basohli is remembered more for its distinct sub-school within the Pahari paintings.
The original capital of this state was a place called Vallapura. This Vallapura, now known as Billawar, lies in Kathua district, and still houses ruins of the early gone eras. One of the interesting places there, which probably has survived the ravages of time and invaders, is the Maha Bilvakeshwar temple. It is a stone temple that is still in use, and is also known by the name of Harihar temple. As Hutchison and Vogel describe it:
"The temple faces west, and consists of a mandapa...the latter containing a stone linga. Of the mandapa, only the north and the west wall are still standing."
Bases for only three of the pillars survived, and it is interesting to note that there is not much knowledge even now on the builder of this temple. Local legends believe that it was built by the Pandavas themselves, which seems to be a recurring theme across several hill states. Interestingly, it is also believed that Babur had inflicted considerable damage on the temple, though this is disputed.
Sharing some wonderful pictures I came across during the research on Mapio shot by Parbodh C Bali.
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