Kishangarh painting

The essentials

Kishangarh is a small state near Ajmer. In the 18th century it produced one of the most distinctive styles of Indian miniature painting. Its golden period came under Raja Sawant Singh, a devotee of Krishna who wrote poetry under the pen name Nagari Das. His court artist Nihal Chand created a highly idealised type of human figure.

Sawant Singh's devotion and his love for a court singer-poetess known as Bani Thani are believed to have inspired many paintings of Radha and Krishna. The famous painting called "Bani Thani" shows the profile of a woman with an elongated face and very stylised features, and it is often described as an Indian "Mona Lisa".

Key points

• Faces: long and narrow, sharply curved arched eyebrows, long lotus-petal or fish-shaped eyes slanting upward, pointed nose and pointed chin, thin lips.
• Figures: tall, slender and graceful, with long necks and fingers.
• Themes: Radha and Krishna as idealised lovers, often modelled on Sawant Singh and Bani Thani.
• Settings: wide panoramic landscapes, lakes, boats, pavilions and distant palaces in soft colours.
• A famous example is the "Boat of Love" (Nauka Vihar), showing Radha and Krishna on a lake.
• Colours are refined, with soft greens and whites alongside rich colours.

Exam tips

• Remember the trio: Sawant Singh (Nagari Das), Nihal Chand, Bani Thani.
• Any description of a face with arched brows, slanting eyes and pointed chin is almost certainly Kishangarh.

Common mistakes

• Thinking Bani Thani is the name of the artist; it is the subject (a court singer) and the painting's popular title.
• Confusing Kishangarh's elongated figures with Basohli's large-eyed bold figures.