Rajasthani Schools of Painting

About this unit

This unit covers the painting traditions that grew up in the courts of Rajasthan from about the 16th to the 19th century. Rajasthani painting is one of the two great branches of Rajput painting (the other is Pahari). It includes many regional sub-schools such as Mewar, Bundi, Kota, Marwar (Jodhpur), Bikaner, Amber-Jaipur and Kishangarh. Each had its own patrons, artists, favourite themes and recognisable style. These schools matter because they show how Indian painters combined older indigenous traditions with influences from the Mughal court. Check the official syllabus PDF for the exact paintings listed.

Key ideas

• Rajasthani painting grew out of the western Indian (Jain manuscript) tradition and the early indigenous style.
• Paintings were usually made in sets (series) on paper, often illustrating a text.
• Popular texts: Ragamala, Rasikapriya, Rasamanjari, Gita Govinda, Bhagavata Purana, Ramayana.
• Bright flat colours, strong outlines and stylised figures are typical.
• Each sub-school has a "signature": Bundi's lush vegetation, Kota's hunting scenes, Kishangarh's elongated faces.
• Mughal contact brought finer modelling and portraiture, especially in Bikaner and Jaipur.

How to prepare

• Make a one-line "identity card" for every sub-school: patron, famous artist, famous work, key visual feature.
• Learn the names of the main literary texts and what each is about.
• Practise describing a painting in words: figures, colours, setting and theme.
• Expect matching questions (school with artist or feature) and identification questions.