In this guide
Indian painting is a large field, and the syllabus does not narrow it. The way through is to organise it into a few families — murals, manuscripts, miniatures, modern and folk — and to learn two or three distinctive features and examples for each. That structure covers most of what UPSC asks.
Prehistoric rock art
The Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh contain paintings spanning many thousands of years — hunting scenes, animals, dancing figures — in red and white pigments. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Similar rock art is found at many sites in central India.
Murals
| Site | Period / patrons | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ajanta (Maharashtra) | From about the 2nd century BCE to the 5th–6th century CE; much of the finest work in the Vakataka period | Jataka tales; figures such as the Bodhisattva Padmapani; painted on a prepared plaster surface |
| Bagh (Madhya Pradesh) | Around the 5th–6th century | Buddhist; close in style to Ajanta |
| Ellora (Maharashtra) | Roughly 8th–10th century | Traces of paintings in several caves, including the Kailasa temple |
| Sittanavasal (Tamil Nadu) | Jain cave; commonly associated with the Pallava–Pandya period | Lotus pond scene |
| Lepakshi (Andhra Pradesh) | Vijayanagara period (16th century) | Large ceiling paintings in the Veerabhadra temple |
| Kerala murals | Later medieval | Temple and palace walls (e.g. Mattancherry palace) |
Manuscript painting
- Pala school (eastern India, roughly 8th–12th centuries) — small illustrations on palm-leaf Buddhist manuscripts, such as the Prajnaparamita; associated with monasteries like Nalanda and Vikramashila.
- Western Indian (Jain) school — illustrations in Jain texts such as the Kalpasutra, with angular figures and a characteristic protruding far eye.
Mughal painting
Mughal painting blended Persian refinement with Indian naturalism and, later, European techniques.
- Humayun brought Persian painters Mir Sayyid Ali and Abd al-Samad to India.
- Akbar established a large imperial atelier. Its landmark project was the illustrated Hamzanama; the atelier also illustrated the Akbarnama, the Razmnama (Persian Mahabharata) and others. Indian painters such as Daswanth and Basawan were prominent.
- Jahangir — Mughal painting reached its peak of refinement; a focus on portraits, nature and court scenes. Ustad Mansur was famous for birds and animals, Abul Hasan for portraits. Painters were sometimes signed and individually celebrated.
- Shah Jahan — formal portraits and court scenes, with rich ornamentation.
- Aurangzeb — reduced imperial patronage; many painters moved to regional courts, carrying Mughal techniques with them.
Rajasthani (Rajput) painting
Rajput courts developed distinctive styles from roughly the seventeenth century, often illustrating religious poetry (Krishna themes), ragamala (musical modes) and court life.
| School | What stands out |
|---|---|
| Mewar | Bold colours; early centre of Rajasthani painting |
| Bundi and Kota | Lush landscapes; hunting scenes (Kota) |
| Kishangarh | Elongated, stylised faces with arched eyebrows; the famous Bani Thani, associated with the painter Nihal Chand |
| Marwar (Jodhpur) and Bikaner | Court portraits; Mughal influence at Bikaner |
| Jaipur (Amber) | Mughal influence; portraiture |
Pahari painting
In the hill states of the western Himalayas (present-day Himachal Pradesh and Jammu), painting flourished in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries.
- Basohli — bold, intense colours, strong lines, and beetle-wing cases used to mimic emeralds.
- Guler and Kangra — lyrical, delicate, naturalistic; Krishna and Radha, the Gita Govinda, and landscapes. The family of Pandit Seu, including Nainsukh and Manaku, is associated with this tradition.
Deccani painting
The courts of Bijapur, Golconda and Ahmednagar developed a distinctive style mixing Persian, Turkish and local influences, with rich colours and gold.
Company painting and the modern era
- Company painting — Indian artists painting for British patrons in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, depicting Indian life, occupations, flora and fauna in a European-influenced style.
- Raja Ravi Varma — used oil painting and European realism for Indian subjects, including mythological scenes; his oleographs spread widely.
- The Bengal School — led by Abanindranath Tagore (for example, Bharat Mata), with E.B. Havell; a nationalist reaction against Western academic art, drawing on Mughal, Rajput and Ajanta traditions. Nandalal Bose was a leading figure.
- Later, the Progressive Artists' Group (founded in Bombay in 1947, including F.N. Souza, S.H. Raza and M.F. Husain) turned towards modernism.
Folk and tribal painting
Many folk traditions have received Geographical Indication (GI) tags — a frequent Prelims theme.
| Tradition | Region | Distinctive feature |
|---|---|---|
| Madhubani (Mithila) | Bihar | Bright colours; dense patterns; traditionally painted by women on walls and floors |
| Warli | Maharashtra | Simple white figures of circles, triangles and lines on a mud background |
| Pattachitra | Odisha and West Bengal | Cloth scrolls; Jagannath and mythological themes |
| Kalamkari | Andhra Pradesh | Hand-painted or block-printed textile; pen (kalam) work |
| Gond | Madhya Pradesh | Dots and dashes filling vivid figures of nature |
| Phad | Rajasthan | Long scroll paintings narrating the epics of folk deities such as Pabuji |
| Tanjore | Tamil Nadu | Rich colours and gold foil; devotional subjects |
| Kalighat | West Bengal | Bold, satirical paintings sold near the Kalighat temple in the 19th century |
Practice questions
- Prelims-type: Which school of painting is associated with Bani Thani? Under which Mughal emperor was the Hamzanama illustrated?
- Mains-type (150 words): How did Mughal painting blend Persian and Indian traditions?
- Mains-type (150 words): "The Bengal School was as much a political movement as an artistic one." Discuss.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Union Public Service Commission website .
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