Arts and crafts > Articles > Following the Trail of Mountain Paintings: an Itinerary

Day 01 - The starting point towards the painting heartland should be Jammu in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, where you can reach by air, rail or road. Resting by the banks of the river Tawi, this ancient town was one of the places where some excellent miniatures were executed.

Built on the lines of a French chateau, the Amar Mahal was the former palace of the princely rulers of Jammu and Kashmir. Today, this is a museum which has several exhibits that include some of the technically perfect examples of the paintings. The courtship and love of the legendary lovers Nala and Damyani, an ancient Indian tale, is superbly depicted in a series of forty-eight paintings. In one, there is a street with a row of shops, each about the size of a thumbnail and within them, can be found wares and human figures. Most have been finished with a brush that held a single hair. For example, a beard will have the brush strokes showing each hair with touches of salt and pepper. Fruit laden trees, vines full of flowers, a finery of carpets and rooms with profuse mosaic -work are almost reduced to the commonplace by their large number. The old palaces in the heart of town, the ‘ Purani Mandi’ also have examples of wall paintings.

The museum also holds the resplendent throne of the state of Jammu and Kashmir and paintings of the celebrated artist, Sobha Singh - whose gallery at Andretta near Palampur can be visited on Day 5.

Day 02. Leave for Pathankot by rail or road. Drive on to Chamba, via Nurpur - distance of 100km via Jot. A longer but less demanding option in terms of road conditions is via Banikhet and Dhar, but adds another 20 km. The little town of Nurpur - 30 km from Pathankot - holds the fork for the hill station of Dalhousie and for Chamba. And there hangs a tale. Nurpur was once a little principality called Dhameri, till the Mughal empress Nur Jahan decided to make a stop en route to Kashmir. The local ruler promptly renamed the place in her honour, but did a double take when the ‘Light of the World’ declared that she was quite enchanted by the place and would like a palace built for her. He wrangled his way out of considerable expense and the breath of imperial power down his neck by collecting a host of ugly and disfigured labourers to work on the site. Nur Jahan noticed their looks and good king airily remarked that it had to do with the air and water of the area - which made the lady who had shaken an empire with her looks abandon all plans of staying on. Today, Nurpur is more famous for its shawls and silk than the fine paintings that once flowed out of its ateliers, yet some remains can be seen on the walls of the temples in the fort. Overnight at Dalhousie or Chamba.

Day 03. By the surging waters of the river Ravi, Chamba is built on an irregular plateau. The wall paintings in its Akhand Chandi palace have partly succumbed to time, but the Bhuri Singh Museum has a fine collection of miniatures - and some wall and door panels. Some of the fresh proponents of the style also live and paint in Chamba - and their pieces can also be purchased. They can be contacted through the museum.

Day 04 - Leave for Dharamsala, via Jot and Shahpur, a distance of 124 km. This is the district headquarters of Kangra and is home to the Kangra Art Gallery that houses paintings and several other artefacts of the region. The town can also serve as the base for day-trips that need not necessarily be confined to paintings, but can encompass architecture and some of Kangra’s landscapes too. The presence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the large Tibetan community can also show some thangka, trans Himalayan religious paintings too. Haripur is one place that can be visited from Dharamsala. This was the one time capital of the princely state of Guler. Today, there are only memories of a long gone creative impulse in its dozens of finely executed temples. Unfortunately, there are no paintings.

Day 05 - Surrounded by tea gardens and some of the most picturesque parts of Kangra, is Palampur, 40 km from Dharamsala. This should be the next base on account of better accommodation and transport facilities. Sujanpur and Alampur - the one time residences of Sansar Chand - are close to Palampur. At Sujanpur, the Narbadeshvara temple has barely an inch of space that has not been adorned by paintings. The temple of Gauri Shanker in the Tira fort has panels that are regarded to have been painted by Sansar Chand himself. Not strictly a part of the miniature trail, the village of Andretta is an hour’s drive from Palampur and was the home of the celebrated artists, B. C. Sanyal, Norah Richards and Sobha Singh - works of the last are on display in a gallery that was his former studio and home.

Day 06. Leave early in the direction of Shimla, a distance of 235 km. On a side road of 7 km that bifurcates at Shalaghat and 52 km from Shimla is Arki whose fortified palace is covered with superb wall paintings. This is private property and permission will be required to visit it. En route, stopovers can be at the palaces of Mandi and Sundernagar which also have paintings adorning their structures.

Day 07. At Shimla visit the State Museum which has a selection of miniatures on display. If you can handle a fairly gruelling walk, a trip to the village of Kushala, below Shimla’s suburb of Tara Devi can be quite rewarding. Its little temple that dates back to 1828, has paintings done in the Kangra style. At Shimla, the noted artist Sanat Chatterjee - who is entered in the Guiness Book of World Records as the artist who has created the largest painting in the world - paints in the miniature style. His studio is in the Kaithu section of town. Recently done paintings can also be purchased from the Himachal Emporium on the Mall - the prices range from a few hundred rupees to a few thousand. Rarer pieces can be bought from the established antiquarians, m/s Maria Brothers, on the Mall.

Day 08. Leave for Chandigarh by road. En route make a diversion for Nalagarh, where the palaces have some fine paintings. The old palace now functions as a heritage hotel, the Fort, Nalagarh and is part of the ITC Welcomgroup Heritage Hotels. An overnight stopover can be made and the departure from Chandigarh may be shifted to Day 09. Nalagarh is 35 km off the main highway between Shimla and Chandigarh; the bifurcation point is Pinjore. Pinjore is 100 km from Shimla and 20 km from Chandigarh.

On this trail there are several places that are off a direct route, but can be visited by day trips and have some remarkable work. And many of the old palaces and some of the temples have isolated, but individually excellent examples of wall paintings that embellished the structures in what was essentially a decorative device - but one that still tells stories to those who would care to listen with their eyes.

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