Pahari painting

'a painting from the mountainous regions, pahar meaning a mountain in Hindi') is an umbrella term used for a form of Indian painting, done mostly in miniature forms, originating from the lower Himalayan hill kingdoms of North India, during the early 17th to mid 19th century, notably Basohli, Mankot, Nurpur, Chamba, Kangra, Guler, Mandi and Garhwal.

[5][6] The Pahari school developed and flourished during the 17th and 19th centuries, stretching from Jammu to Garhwal, in the sub-Himalayan India, through Himachal Pradesh.

[8] The Kangra style reached its pinnacle with paintings of Radha and Krishna, inspired by Jayadeva's Gita Govinda.

[12] The tradition of painting later developed in the hill states of Jasrota, Mankot, Lakhanpur, Samba, Bhoti, Bandralta, Bhadrawaha, Poonch, and Rajauri.

Both male and female figures are exquisitely drawn, and made alluring, as are the representations of deities, which are given an anthropomorphic appeal, particularly visible in the portraits of Radha and Krishna.

[15] The figures have round faces, semicircular foreheads above small, deep set eyes that distinctly define this school of miniature art.