Art Merges Into Craft in Chamba

Pahari painting developed in the independently ruled hill states in two different forms, the Basohli and the Kangra styles.

The former was bold with strong colours, while the latter took on a more poetic and lyrical quality with softer, washed colours. This distinction continued but often merged for some years, occasionally blurring their styles.

When political instability in the plains of India increased, many miniature artists fled to the more isolated hill areas, seeking patronage and protection from the rulers there.

The influence of Rajasthan’s miniature art form strengthened the distinct Kangra style, which came into full bloom after 1770, under the patronage of Raja Sansar Chand and later under Raja Bhuri Singh, in the early 20th century.

Rajput kings were keen promoters of the arts. Raja Bhuri Singh was said to have presented the skills developed under him in the form of gifts to important personalities at the great Delhi Durbars in 1907 and 1911.

He was befriended and assisted by European scholars in creating a large collection of Chamba rumals which he placed in the Chamba Museum, later renamed after him.

Today these museum pieces are among the finest Chamba rumals in the world, while some have made their way to the National Museum in Delhi, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Calico Museum in Ahmedabad.

The subjects of these paintings tend to be depictions of scenes from love poems set in forests or flowered gardens or of feats during battles.

Religious epics like the Ramayana or episodes and avatars from the many Hindu legends are also painted and then embroidered.

A crafts map done by well-known Kangra artist Vijay Sharma was specifically commissioned to manifest the environment, history and crafts of Himachal Pradesh. On the left side of the middle section, the artist shows a woman embroidering a Chamba rumal.

The fine clear lines of a Kangra art work are easy for an embroiderer to follow.

The ambience of a palace and interactions between royal figures are indicated in this drawing.

A Kangra painting slowly emerges on paper, as its corresponding art work is drawn on the fabric that will be embroidered.

A religious theme is being developed in this Kangra art work for a Chamba embroiderer.

A woman with a child offers a saintly person some food. Saintliness is also emphasized by the image of the lion sleeping contentedly behind them and Lord Ganesh grinding food in a bowl as a gesture of devotional service.

Detail of the outline of the face of Guru Nanak, delineated in charcoal or a fine paint brush, in the initial steps of a Kangra painting.

This may be a commissioned piece that will be embroidered and hung in a Sikh temple.

The preliminary work on a painting of Guru Nanak with prayer beads in his hand completes this portrait which may have been commissioned by a Sikh devotee or for a gurudwara, a Sikh temple.

An artist begins drawing on a fresh piece of white muslin fabric for the Chamba embroiderer.

The Chamba rumal grows as the needle and thread carefully follow the outlines of the illustration made by the Kangra artist.

The embroiderer choses what style of stitch she will use on each image. Colours follow the artist’s indications or imitates an old piece.

The back and forth satin stitch ensures that both the surface and its reverse side appear the same. This is called the do-rukha, or two-faced style.

This Chamba rumal is done in a folk-art style not typical of the classical Kangra school of painting.

This piece has distinctly different forms of animals and human figures. They have a playful naiveté and randomness as in the placing of peacocks.

An embroiderer puts up small art works of different vintages and done by family members of different age groups on the wall of her home.

Read more about Chamba rumal embroidery here:

- The enchanted world of embroidered handkerchiefs
- The needle creates fine art in Chamba