Ganesha Basohli miniature circa 1730 Dubost p73

Basohli (formerly Vishwasthali) is a town near

Kathua Kathua is a city and municipal council located in Kathua district of Jammu Division of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, near its border with Punjab, India and Himachal Pradesh. The city is headquarters of Kathua district a ...

in Kathua district in the union territory of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

, India. It is situated on the right bank of River Ravi at an altitude of 1876 ft. It was founded by Raja Bhupat Pal sometime in 1635. It was known for the palaces which are now in ruins and miniatures paintings (Basohli school of Pahari painting). The Battle of Basoli was fought in this region.

Geography

Basohli is located at . It has an average elevation of 460 metres (1509 feet). Basohli is situated in the uneven lofty hills of Shiwaliks. It is situated in the right bank of Ravi river. Basohli's Thein dam has made it almost landlocked.

Demographics

According to 2011 census, Basohli had a population of 5433. Males constituted 52.01% of the population and females 47.99%. Basohli had an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 57% of the males and 43% of females literate. 12% of the population was under 6 years of age.

Religion

The religious distribution of the population is as follows - Hindu 83.01%, Muslim 16.38%, other 0.61%.

Basohli painting

Basohli is widely known for its paintings, which are considered the first school of Pahari paintings, and which evolved into the much prolific Kangra paintings school by mid-eighteenth century.Pahari centres
''Arts of India: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Music, Dance and Handicraft'', by Krishna Chaitanya. Published by Abhinav Publications, 1987. . ''Page 62''. The painter Nainsukh ended his career in Basohli. File:Radha and Krishna in Discussion.jpg,

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

and Krishna in Discussion, (An illustration from Gita Govinda) Gouache on paper (ca.1730). File:Goddess Bhadrakali Worshipped by the Gods- from a tantric Devi series - Google Art Project.jpg, Goddess Bhadrakali, adored by the Gods. Basohli. India. c 1660–70. File:Maharaja Sital Dev of Mankot in Devotion.jpg, Maharaja

Sital Dev Sital ( fa, سيتل) may refer to: * Sital (25°27′ N 61°15′ E), Chabahar Sital ( fa, سيتل, also Romanized as Sītal) is a village in Negur Rural District, Dashtiari District, Chabahar County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran ...

of Mankot in Devotion, Ink, opaque watercolor, and silver on paper (ca. 1690). File:Ragaputra Velavala of Bhairava.jpg, Ragaputra Velavala of Bhairava, opaque watercolour with gold on paper (ca. 1710). Raja Amrit Pal (Reigned 1757-1776) of Basohli LACMA M

Raja Amrit Pal (Reigned 1757-1776) of Basohli LACMA M

Basohli painting was a vigorous, bold and imaginative artistic style, rich, stylish and unconventional. A style of painting characterized by vigorous use of primary colours and a peculiar facial formula prevailed in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries in the foothills of the Western Himalayas in the Jammu and Punjab States. The earliest paintings in this style have been dated to the time of

Raja Kirpal Pal ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being atte ...

(1678–93).A Review of Basohli Style in Indian Painting, Chandramani Singh, Kailash - Journal of Himalayan Studies vol 2, Number 1&2, 197

Originating in Basohli State, the style spread to the Hill States of Mankot, Nurpur, Kulu, Mandi,

Suket Suket is a census town, near city of Kota in Kota district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is well known for mining of natural limestone named kota stone (Yellow & green limestone) and some of the renowned firms like ASI & Gafoor & sons ar ...

, Bilaspur, Nalagarh, Chamba, Guler and Kangra. The first mention of Basohli painting is in the annual report of the Archaeological Survey of India for the year published in 1921. Referring to the acquisitions of the Archaeological Section of the Central Museum, Lahore, the report states that "a series of old paintings of the Basohli School were purchased, and the Curator concludes that the Basohli Schools is possibly of pre-

Moghul Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

origin, and so called Tibeti pictures are nothing but late productions of this school".

History

The Battle of Basoli was fought in Basohli between the

Sikhs Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...

and the Mughal Empire aided by the Rajputs of the hill states in 1702.

Geography

Demographics

Religion

Basohli painting

History

See also

References

Further reading