Themes and features

The essentials

Pahari painters drew mainly on Vaishnava devotional literature. The love of Radha and Krishna was seen both as human love and as the longing of the soul for the divine. Painters therefore filled their works with tenderness and emotion.

Key points

• Gita Govinda of Jayadeva (12th century Sanskrit poem): the love, separation and reunion of Radha and Krishna. Manaku's Gita Govinda and later Kangra sets are famous.
• Bhagavata Purana: Krishna's childhood and youth in Gokul and Vrindavan, his pranks, killing of demons, and the lifting of Govardhana.
• Nayaka-nayika bheda: types of heroes and heroines from texts like Rasamanjari and Rasikapriya, e.g. the heroine waiting for her lover (vasakasajja nayika) or the heroine going to meet her lover at night (abhisarika nayika).
• Bihari Satsai: Hindi verses by Bihari on love.
• Ramayana and devi (goddess) themes, and portraits of rulers.
• Baramasa and Ragamala sets also appear.

Features

• Nature is used to express emotion: flowering trees for love, storms for separation.
• Graceful women with fine features are a hallmark, especially in Kangra.
• Night scenes with moonlight, rain and lightning are common in nayika paintings.
• Text of the verse is often written on the back or top.

Exam tips

• Know the meaning of key nayika types: vasakasajja (prepared and waiting), abhisarika (going to meet the lover).
• Gita Govinda is by Jayadeva; do not confuse with the Bhagavata Purana.

Common mistakes

• Thinking nayika paintings are portraits of real queens; they show literary types.