Miniature Painting
The origins of Hindu miniature painting
lie in the royal art of the Moghul court,
where miniature painting and portrai-
ture were well-established genres. In the
seventeenth century other centers for
miniature painting began to arise, per-
haps spurred by Moghul artists seeking
patronage in Hindu vassal kingdoms.
Although portraiture and court scenes
continued to be important, the minia-
ture genre expanded to include other
themes such as the illustration of the
musical modes known as ragas, which
are associated with particular times
and/or seasons. Another prominent
theme was Hindu religious imagery,
reflecting the influence of the devotional
(bhakti) movement, which was in full
flower in northern India. Religious
themes first concentrated mainly on the
mythic exploits of the god Krishnaand
portrayals of the god Shiva. At times,
these two major themes were com-
bined. Miniature paintings were also
used to illustrate manuscripts, thus
integrating literature, art, music, and
religious images.
The development of Hindu minia-
ture painting can be broadly divided
into three schools, each corresponding
to a geographical area: Rajasthani,
Deccani, and Pahari. The earliest devel-
oped school was the Rajasthani, which
flourished in seventeenth and eigh-
teenth centuries in the Malwaregion of
the state of Madhya Pradeshand the
small kingdoms that surrounded the
region. The Rajasthani style is character-
ized by a flat perspective; visual power
is derived from vivid bands of colors that
often serve as a backdrop to the paint-
ing. The Deccani style was established in
central India and showed little variation
from Moghul court art. The Pahari
(“mountain”) style flourished in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in
the small kingdoms in the Shiwalik Hills
north and west of Delhi. The Pahari style
first appeared in Basohli, where the
influence of the Rajasthani school is evi-
dent, and later developed in Jammu,
Guler, Garhwal, and Kangra. The devel-
oped Pahari style differs from the
Rajasthani style in its emphasis on more
linear drawing—perhaps influenced by
European art—and a more restrained
use of color, giving the paintings a more
lyrical feel. For further information see
W. G. Archer, Indian Painting, 1957. See
also Moghul dynasty.Minorities
In any society, minority groups are
defined according to a particular social
context. In India the two most promi-
nent minority groups are Muslims and
Christians. Muslims—about twelve per-
cent of the population—are viewed with
suspicion, due to India’s troubled rela-
tions with Pakistan. Christians and
Muslims are viewed as having religious
loyalties that lie outside of India—
Mecca for Muslims, and Rome or
Jerusalem for Christians. These two
communities have been perceived very
differently from other religious commu-
nities, such as the Sikhs and the Jains,
who are part of the Indian cultural tradi-
tion. Cultural and political organiza-
tions espousing forms of Hindu
nationalism (Hindutva), particularly the
Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sanghand its
affiliates, have often stressed the “other-
ness” of these communities. Such
organizations have as their express
purpose the unification of Hindus
from all regions, castes, and back-
grounds, but do so through criteria that
exclude these minorities.Mirabai
(early 16th c.?) A poet-saint who was a
devotee (bhakta) of the god Krishna.
Although little is known about her,
Mirabai’s songs remain some of the
best-known devotional (bhakti) poetry.
According to tradition, Mirabai was
born into a royal family in a small king-
dom in Rajasthan. From her earliest
days, she was passionately devoted to
Krishna. Although her parents arranged
a marriage with the scion of anotherMirabai