Rajasthani Painting Traditions travel guide

Main forms

Phad, miniatures, gemstone painting

Major schools

Mewar, Dhundhar, Marwar, Kishangarh

How the tradition grew

Rock paintings in the region show that people were making images here in prehistoric times. The medieval roots of Rajasthani painting lie in western Indian manuscript illustration, much of it made for Jain patrons and shaped by artists who came from Gujarat. Early works illustrated texts such as the Kalpasutra and the lives of the Tirthankaras, in the style often called Apabhramsha. From the sixteenth century onward, the Rajput courts developed their own distinctive schools, many of them absorbing influences from Mughal painting.

Main forms

• Phad: long cloth scrolls painted with the stories of folk deities such as Pabuji and Devnarayan, used by singer-storytellers.
• Miniatures: finely detailed paintings on paper, made for royal patrons, often with gold and bright mineral colours.
• Gemstone painting: pictures in which powdered semi-precious stones are used as pigment.

Schools and themes

Each court developed its own style. The Mewar school of Udaipur is among the oldest, and the Dhundhar school around Amber and Jaipur is another major branch; the Marwar, Hadoti and Kishangarh styles are also well known. Common subjects include episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the life of Krishna, court scenes, hunts, festivals and the landscapes and daily life of Rajasthan. Artists traditionally used natural and mineral pigments on handmade paper or cloth.

Where to see them

Palace museums and libraries in Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Bikaner hold important collections, and many old manuscripts and paintings are carefully preserved there. In cities such as Jaipur and Udaipur you can also visit workshops where painters still work in the traditional way, and buy directly from them. We can help plan a Rajasthan itinerary that includes these visits.

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