Basohli (town)

Basohli (formerly Vishwasthali) is a town near Kathua in Kathua district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is situated on the right bank of the River Ravi, at an altitude of 1876 ft. The town was founded by Raja Bhupat Pal sometime in 1635. It was known for the palaces which are now in ruins and miniatures paintings (the Basohli school of Pahari painting). The Battle of Basoli was fought in this region.

Basohli
Town
Basohli Location in Jammu and Kashmir, India Show map of Jammu and Kashmir Basohli Basohli (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 32.50°N 75.82°E / 32.50; 75.82
Country	India
Union Territory	Jammu and Kashmir
District	Kathua
Elevation	1,200 m (3,900 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	5,433
Languages
• Official	Dogri, Pahari, Hindi, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)

Shri Ganesha (c. 1730).^[1]

Basohli is known for its unique 'Basohli Paintings'. In the late 17th century, Basohli emerged as a great centre of Pahari paintings. According to well known Dr. Herman Goltz, "Basohli painting are among the great achievements of Indians". Their central inspiration is Vashnavism, the themes have been taken from the spics and the Puranas.

The different themes of the paintings are religious (Gita Govinda and Ramayana), secular, historical, contemporary and literary. Besides the paintings bring out extreme emotion combined with a lyrical sense of Basohli landscape.

Basohli paintings are said to have been described as 'Poems in colours'. The paintings are marked by strikingly blazing colours bold lines, rich symbols and peculiar features giving an accumulative impact of highly sensuous environs.

Geography

Basohli is located at 32.50°N 75.82°E / 32.50; 75.82.^[2] It has an average elevation of 460 metres (1509 feet). Basohli is situated in the uneven lofty hills of Shiwaliks. It is situated in the right bank of Ravi river. Part of the Ranjit Sagar Dam falls in the area of Basholi.^[3]

Demographics

According to 2011 census,^[4] Basohli had a population of 5433. Males constituted 52.01% of the population and females 47.99%. Basohli had an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 57% of the males and 43% of females literate. 12% of the population was under 6 years of age.

Religion

The religious distribution of the population is as follows - Hindu 83.01%, Muslim 16.38%, other 0.61%.^[5]

Basohli painting

Basohli is widely known for its paintings, which are considered the first school of Pahari paintings, and which evolved into the much prolific Kangra paintings school by mid-eighteenth century.^[6] The painter Nainsukh ended his career in Basohli.^[7]

• 
  Radha and Krishna in Discussion, (An illustration from Gita Govinda) Gouache on paper (c. 1730).
• 
  Goddess Bhadrakali, adored by the Gods. Basohli. India. c. 1660–70.
• 
  Maharaja Sital Dev of Mankot in Devotion, Ink, opaque watercolor, and silver on paper (c. 1690).
• 
  Ragaputra Velavala of Bhairava, opaque watercolour with gold on paper (c. 1710).

Raja Amrit Pal (Reigned 1757–1776) of Basohli

Basohli painting obtained the geographical indication tag in March 2023.^[8] Basohli paintings have a vigorous, bold and imaginative artistic style, rich, stylish and unconventional.^[9][10] A style of painting characterized by vigorous use of primary colours and a peculiar facial formula prevailed in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries in the foothills of the Western Himalayas in the Jammu and Punjab States. The earliest paintings in this style have been dated to the time of Raja Kirpal Pal (1678–93).^[11]

Originating in Basohli State, the style spread to the Hill States of Mankot, Nurpur, Kulu, Mandi, Suket, Bilaspur, Nalagarh, Chamba, Guler and Kangra.^[12] The first mention of Basohli painting is in the annual report of the Archaeological Survey of India for the year published in 1921.^[13] Referring to the acquisitions of the Archaeological Section of the Central Museum, Lahore, the report states that "a series of old paintings of the Basohli School were purchased, and the Curator concludes that the Basohli Schools is possibly of pre-Moghul origin, and so called Tibeti pictures are nothing but late productions of this school".^[13]

History

The Battle of Basoli was fought in Basohli between the Sikhs and the Mughal Empire aided by the Rajputs of the hill states in 1702.^[14]

See also

• Battle of Basoli

References

1. National Museum, New Delhi. For description of the work see: Martin-Dubost (1997), p. 73, which says: "Ganesha getting ready to throw his lotus. Basohli miniature, circa 1730. National Museum, New Delhi. Attired in an orange dhoti, his body is enitirely red. On the three points of his tiny crown, budding lotuses have been fixed. Gaṇeśa holds in his two right hands the rosary and a cup filled with three modakas (a fourth substituted by the curving trunk is just about to be tasted). In his two left hands, Gaṇeśa holds a large lotus above and an axe below, with its handle leaning against his shoulder. In the Mudgalapurāṇa (VII, 70), in order to kill the demon of egotism (Mamāsura) who had attacked him, Gaṇeśa Vighnarāja throws his lotus at him. Unable to bear the fragrance of the divine flower, the demon surrenders to Gaṇeśa."
2. "Basholi". Falling Rain. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2008.
3. "Ranjit Sagar Dam". Pathankot. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
4. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
5. "Bashohli Town Population Census 2011 - 2024". census2011.co.in. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
6. Chaitanya, Krishna (1987). "Pahari centres". Arts of India: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Music, Dance and Handicraft. Abhinav Publications. p. 62. ISBN 81-7017-209-8. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
7. Toshakhānī, Śaśiśekhara; Warikoo, Kulbhushan (2009). Cultural Heritage of Kashmiri Pandits. New Delhi: Pentagon Press. pp. 288–289. ISBN 978-81-8274-398-4.
8. Khajuria, Sanjay (3 April 2023). "Kathua's 'Basohli Painting' gets GI tag". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
9. "Basohli Painting". Indian Culture. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
10. "Basholi Paintings". kathua.nic. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
11. Singh, Chandramani (1974). "A Review of Basohli Style in Indian Painting" (PDF). Kailash - Journal of Himalayan Studies. 2 (1&2): 133–147. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 September 2006.
12. The March of India. Vol. 12. New Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. 1960. p. 12.
13. Randhawa, M.S. (2013). "Basohli Painting" (PDF). New Delhi: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. pp. 1–3. Retrieved 12 August 2024 – via Internet Archive.
14. Sikh History In 10 Volumes (Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer), vol. 1.

Further reading

• Hutchinson, J. & J. PH Vogel (1933). History of the Panjab Hill States, Vol. I. 1st edition: Govt. Printing, Pujab, Lahore, 1933. Reprint 2000. Department of Language and Culture, Himachal Pradesh. Chapter XVIII Basohli State, pp. 587–613.
• Kossak, Steven (1997). Indian court painting, 16th-19th century. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 0870997831. (see index: p. 148-152, for information about Basholi painting)