Kangra art lovers recount BN Goswamy's contribution to miniature paintings

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, November 17

Kangra art conservationists and lovers in the district have condoled the death of Dr BN Goswamy in Chandigarh today at the age of 90. It’s Dr BN Goswamy, who is given credit for his work in preserving the heritage of ‘Pahari miniature painting’.

Flourished under Katoch dynasty

• Raja Sansar Chand of the Katoch Dynasty was one of the rulers during whose reign the Kangra art form flourished and its fame spread to distant lands
• Under his rule, thousands of Kangra paintings were commissioned
• Kangra art forms depict stories of Mahabharata, Ramayana, Radha Krishna, Rajput chivalry, battle and court scenes, festivals and portraits of the rulers

Raghav Guleria, who is working for the preservation of Kangra and Guler art forms in Kangra district, said that Dr Goswamy has made tremendous contribution through his publications on Pahari miniatures. His books Nainsukh of Guler, Manaku of Guler, Pahari Masters, The Spirit of Indian Painting and A Sacred Journey have documented each and every minute detail of this great art form that flourished in the Kangra hills during the 18th century.

The master artists continuing this tradition and art lovers involved in the revival of this art in Kangra district gathered at Dharamsala to remember and pay tributes to Dr Goswamy. Dhani Ram, Mukesh Dhiman, Poonam Katoch paid tributes to Dr Goswami. Raghav Guleria, who is involved in the revival of Kangra Kalam, said that it was Dr Goswamy, who found the great Pahari artist Nainsukh in the Bahis of Haridwar. “We have lost a person who will live through his voluminous books on Kangra paintings,” he said.

Mukesh Dhiman said that since the history of Kangra and Guler paintings were lost due to the lack of documentation, it was Dr Goswamy who can be given the credit for not only reviving but also documenting the history of the rich Kangra art form and Guler miniature art forms.

Haripur, capital of Guler, can be regarded as the birthplace of the Kangra School of Art. Earlier, under the patronage of Raja Dalip Singh and later Raja Govardhan Chand, the Guler style of painting flourished.

Kangra art forms depict stories of Mahabharata, Ramayana, Radha Krishna, Rajput chivalry, battle scene, court scene, festivals and portraits of the rulers. The hill chiefs and people being ardent followers of Radha and Krishna, it was natural that this became the predominant theme of Guler and subsequently, Kangra School of Art.