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Mola Ram or Maula Ram ( deva, मौला राम) (1743–1833), p.119 was an Indian painter, who originated the
Garhwal Garhwal may refer to the following topics associated with Uttarakhand, India: Places *Garhwal Himalaya, a sub-range of the Himalayas *Garhwal Kingdom, a former kingdom *Garhwal District (British Garhwal), a former district of British India *Garh ...
branch of the Kangra school of painting., pp.75–76 He was also a poet, historian and diplomat., p.25 Much research about him was done by
Mukandi Lal Mukandi Lal (14 October 1885 - 10 January 1982) was an Indian advocate, judge, freedom fighter, politician, writer and art critic from Garhwal. Early life Mukandi Lal was born in Patali village, Malla Nagpur patti in Chamoli, Garhwal in the ...
.


Life and career

He was born in
Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its ...
(now in
Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
) to Mangat Ram and Rami Devi and worked for the
Garhwal Kingdom Garhwal Kingdom was an independent Himalayan kingdom in the current north-western Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, India, founded in 688 CE by Kanak Pal, the progenitor of the Panwar dynasty that ruled over the kingdom uninterrupted until ...
from 1777 until its annexation first by the
Gorkhas The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Gorkhas and are recruit ...
in 1803 followed by the
British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...
in 1815. It is said, p.129 that two miniature painters of the Mughal imperial court at Delhi, Sham Das and his son Har Das (or Kehar Das), accompanied Sulaiman Shikoh, the son of
Dara Shikoh Dara Shikoh ( fa, ), also known as Dara Shukoh, (20 March 1615 – 30 August 1659) was the eldest son and heir-apparent of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Dara was designated with the title ''Padshahzada-i-Buzurg Martaba'' ("Prince of High Rank ...
, when he escaped from his uncle
Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
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. Mola Ram was one of their descendants. The inception of the Garhwal school of painting is also sometimes credited to him. His son Jwala Ram and grandson Atma Ram continued the tradition, but further descendants suspected a curse and gave up painting. However, one of his descendants, Tulsi (often confused with Tulsi Mistri, another contemporary painter) was also a painter. Mola Ram worked during the times of Garhwal rulers Pradip Shah, Lalit Shah, Jayakrit Shah and Pradyumna Shah from 1777 to 1804. He continued to work for the development of art and literature during the period of the Gorkha rule (1803–15) and the British rule over Garhwal. Mola Ram himself initially painted in the Mughal style until visiting Kangra, e.g. his painting ''Mastani'' is in the Mughal idiom, while his later paintings, e.g. ''Vasakasajja Nayika'', are in the Garhwal style, and can be called Garhwali Paintings in true sense. Some of his paintings are signed. He wrote the historical work ''Garhrajvansh Ka Itihas'' (History of the Garhwal royal dynasty) which is the only source of information about several Garhwal rulers. He starts with Shyam Shah and goes on to describe Dularam Shah, Mahipati Shah, Pritam Shah, Medini Shah, Lalit Shah, and Jayakrit Shah. He also wrote ''Ganika Natak'' or ''Garh Gita Sangram'' in 1800. 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. Mola Ram wrote ''Garhrajvanshkavya'', ''Ran Bahadur Chandrika'', ''Shamsher-e-Jang Chandrika'', ''Bakhtawar Yash Chandrika'' and others. When Kaji
Bakhtawar Singh Basnyat Bakhtawar Singh Basnyat ( ne, बख्तावर सिँह बस्न्यात) was Mulkazi (Chief Kazi) of Nepal. Mulkazi Kirtiman Singh Basnyat who was backed by Queen Regent Subarna Prabha Devi, was secretly assassinated on 28 Septem ...
reached
Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its ...
on 1867 V.S. (i.e. 1810 A.D.), Mola Ram described the Gorkhali administration since 1861 V.S. (i.e. 1804 A.D.). In appreciation of Mola Ram's works, Kaji Bakhtawar gave 61 gold sovereigns, a horse, a robe, some weapons and restored his
jagir A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, starti ...
villages and daily allowances. Mola Ram dedicated ''Bakhtawar Yash Chandrika'' in praises of Kaji
Bakhtawar Singh Basnyat Bakhtawar Singh Basnyat ( ne, बख्तावर सिँह बस्न्यात) was Mulkazi (Chief Kazi) of Nepal. Mulkazi Kirtiman Singh Basnyat who was backed by Queen Regent Subarna Prabha Devi, was secretly assassinated on 28 Septem ...
. He also wrote about the past, present, and future of the Gorkhali administration in Kumaon and Garhwal, which had predicted the possible collapse of Gorkhali rule as mentioned in his another work ''Garhrajvanshkavya''. Mola Ram died in
Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its ...
in 1833.


Tribute

A large collection of Mola Ram's paintings are preserved at the
Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University(HNBGU) (formerly known as Garhwal University) is a Central University, established in 1973, located in Srinagar, Uttarakhand in Northern India. The university is named after Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, f ...
Museum in
Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its ...
,
Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
. Some of his paintings can also be viewed at the Boston Museum, USA, at the Bharat Kala Bhawan in
Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...
, and at the Kastur Bhai Lal Bhai Sagrahaalaya,
Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per ...
.
Mukandi Lal Mukandi Lal (14 October 1885 - 10 January 1982) was an Indian advocate, judge, freedom fighter, politician, writer and art critic from Garhwal. Early life Mukandi Lal was born in Patali village, Malla Nagpur patti in Chamoli, Garhwal in the ...
wrote the book 'Garhwal Paintings' published by the Publications Division of Government of India in 1968 which traced the history of Garhwal school of painting showcasing Mola Ram's various paintings and sketches.


References


Bibliography

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External links


Mola Ram, Garhwal Paintings and Garhwal School of Painting

The story of Mola Ram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ram, Mola Indian male painters 1743 births 1833 deaths 18th-century Indian painters 19th-century Indian painters People from Uttarakhand Painters from Uttarakhand People from Pauri Garhwal district 19th-century Indian male artists