WALL PAINTINGS ON THE TEMPLES OF HIMACHAL

The Krishna cult predominates as the theme in Pahari painting and the paintings of the women-folk are superb. Krishna has been depicted both as human and as divine. After Krishna cult comes Siva - Parvati there. Different aspects of Siva and Parvati have been painted including the five-faced Siva. Then come the stories of Ramayana and Mahabharat and Bhagawat Purana. Ragamala is another difficult theme where a Raga is humanized and expressed delicately. The particular atmosphere of a Raga is difficult to express and this has been delicately and effectively in the Pahari painting. A love-lorn woman playing on a Vina and a wild deer listening to the tilt enraptured expresses the Ragini todi.

K. L. Vaidya could be quoted :

"In National Gallery of Art, New Delhi, there are several Pahari paintings which are illustrative of the Ragas and Raginis, such as Raga Kanhra, Raga Ma-lava (sons of Sri Rama), Raga Pancham (son of Bhairava), Raga Lahul (son of Hindola), Raga Kal Naga (son of Deepak), Raga Bhaskar (son of Hindola), Raga Vasanta (son of Hindola), Ragini Suhi (of Mantha), Ragini Kankari (of Megha), Ragini Bhairavi (of Bhairava), Ragini Ahiri (of Hindola), Ragini Gunakali, Raga Hindola, Ragini Devagandhari, Ragini Seehuti, Raga Vinod, Raga Kumbha, Raga Lalit, Ragini Swairi, Ragini Gandhari etc.

How these ragas and raginis have been translated in painting may be understood by the following account. Vasanta is illustrative not only of flowering season but also the yellow garments which the young prince or Krishna wears. In Pahari or Rajasthani a scene presents painting Vasanta where Krishna is playing holi with Radha and her maids. Krishna and Radha illustrate Sri Raga in a forest, picking beautiful fragrant flowers.

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