Mola Ram

He was born in Srinagar (now in Uttarakhand) to Mangat Ram and Rami Devi[6] and worked for the Garhwal Kingdom from 1777 until its annexation first by the Gorkhas in 1803 followed by the British Raj in 1815.It is said[7] that two miniature painters of the Mughal imperial court at Delhi, Sham Das and his son Har Das (or Kehar Das[4]), accompanied Sulaiman Shikoh, the son of Dara Shikoh, when he escaped from his uncle Aurangzeb in 1658 and sought refuge from Prithvi Shah of the Garhwal Kingdom, which had its capital in Srinagar.

The painters remained in Srinagar as the royal tasbirdar (picture-makers), and developed the Garhwal style of miniature painting.

[14] Mola Ram himself played a part in politics, helping Jayakrit Shah obtain help from Raja Jagat Prakash of Sirmur to quell a rebellion at the battle of Karparoli.

In appreciation of Mola Ram's works, Kaji Bakhtawar gave 61 gold sovereigns, a horse, a robe, some weapons and restored his jagir villages and daily allowances.

[6] A large collection of Mola Ram's paintings are preserved at the Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University Museum in Srinagar, Uttarakhand.

Some of his paintings can also be viewed at the Boston Museum, USA, at the Bharat Kala Bhawan in Varanasi, and at the Kastur Bhai Lal Bhai Sagrahaalaya, Ahmedabad.