TopKaro
हिंदी
Log in

Add TopKaro to your iPhone

  1. Tap the Share button at the bottom of Safari
  2. Scroll and tap Add to Home Screen
  3. Tap Add — TopKaro appears on your home screen

iPhones don’t allow a one-tap install button, so we show these steps instead.

Mewar School of Painting

Mewar holds the earliest and most original form of Rajasthani painting. Questions ask the painter of a work, the patron and the sub-style.

⏱ 3 min read✓ Facts checked 15 October 2026

Contents

At a glance

  1. Studio: Jagat Singh I set up a painting studio in the palace, Chiteron ki Ovari, also called Tasviran ro Karkhano.
  2. Chawand: Maharana Pratap's capital in the Chhappan hills; painting grew there under Pratap and Amar Singh I.
  3. Chaurapanchashika: Douglas Barrett and Basil Gray place the origin of this style in Mewar.

Facts

Sub-stylesChawand, Udaipur, Nathdwara, Devgarh, Sawar, Shahpura; thikana art of Banera, Bagor, Begun, Kelwa
Golden ageMaharana Jagat Singh I (1628–52) for miniatures; Maharana Kumbha's time is also called golden for the arts
Studied byMotichandra, Shridhar Andhare, R. K. Vashishth

Landmark works

YearWorkDetail
1260Shravak Pratikraman Sutra ChurniThe first example of the style, painted in Tej Singh's reign
1423Supasanaha ChariyamWritten at Delwara
1540Parijat AvataranBhagavata Purana set by Nanaram, in the time of Udai Singh
1592DholamaruChawand, under Maharana Pratap; kept in the National Museum, New Delhi
1605RagamalaChawand, Amar Singh I's time; by Nisardin
1628RagamalaSahibdin, in Jagat Singh I's reign
1648Bhagavata PuranaIllustrated by Sahibdin
1649RamayanaCommissioned by Jagat Singh I; Sahibdin, Manohar and their studios; the Yuddha Kanda volume is dated 1652

Sub-styles

Sub-styleWhat it is known forPainters
Chawand and UdaipurUnder Jagat Singh I: Rasikapriya, Gitagovinda, Bhagavata Purana, Ramayana · under Sangram Singh II: Gitagovinda, Bihari Satsai, Sundar Shringar, Mulla Do Pyaza's tales, Kalila-DamnaSahibdin, Manohar, Nisardin
NathdwaraA Pushtimarg centre; blend of Udaipur and Braj styles; Pichhwai in the 18th century; Krishna's life, Yashoda, Nand, gwals, gopis and Vallabh saints; green and yellow; Shrinathji in the centre, cows, gods in the sky, thick vegetation, banana treesBaba Ramchandra, Narayan, Chaturbhuj, Ramling, Champalal, Ghasiram, Tulsiram; women: Kamala, Ilaichi
DevgarhRawat Dwarikadas Chundawat founded the thikana in 1680 under Maharana Jai Singh; a blend of Marwar, Jaipur and Mewar; nature, hunting, harem and royal pomp; much yellow; murals at Ajara ki Ovari and Moti Mahal. Shridhar Andhare brought it to lightBagta, Kanwala I, Kanwala II, Harchand, Nanga, Chokha, Baijnath

How to recognise Udaipur work

  • Men: full faces with thick moustaches, large eyes, open lips, short neck, short build, Udaipuri turban, long safa.
  • Women: simple, fish-shaped eyes, straight long nose, double chin, short stature, lugdi, ghaghra and kanchuki.
  • Colours: mostly red, yellow, green, blue and white; nature is shown in balance.

Remember: often mixed up

  • SahibdinMewar, Jagat Singh I · also written Sahabdin or Sahabadi · Ali Raza is Bikaner · Shivdas is Marwar.
  • Chawand Ragamala painterNisardin, also written Nasiruddin · not Sahibdin, who worked under Jagat Singh I.
  • Andhare or DickinsonShridhar Andhare brought out Devgarh · Eric Dickinson and Faiyaz Ali wrote on Kishangarh.
  • Nathdwaraa Mewar sub-style, not Dhundhar.

Test yourself: asked in exams

CET Graduation Level 2022 · Q18

Which ruler of Mewar patronized the painter Sahibdin?

  1. (1)Maharana Raj Singh
  2. (2)Maharana Amar Singh
  3. (3)Maharana Jagat Singh I
  4. (4)Maharana Kumbha
Show answer

✓ (3) Maharana Jagat Singh I

See the full paper

CET Graduation Level 2022 · Q23

Sridhar Andhare should be given credit for bringing to light the painting style -

  1. (1)Kishangarh
  2. (2)Devgarh
  3. (3)Shahpura
  4. (4)Uniara
Show answer

✓ (2) Devgarh

See the full paper

Protection Officer 2024 · Q16

Who illustrated the 'Bhagvat' in the Mewar Style in 1648 AD?

  1. (1)Mustafa
  2. (2)Hasan
  3. (3)Ali Raza
  4. (4)Sahabadi
Show answer

✓ (4) Sahabadi

See the full paper

RAS Prelims 2024 · Q130

Match List – I with List – II regarding famous painting styles and their painters of Rajasthan and select the correct option : List – I — List – II A. Kishangarh — i. Sahibdeen B. Bikaner — ii. Nihalchand C. Mewar — iii. Ali Raza D. Marwar — iv. Shivdas Codes :

  1. (1)A-ii, B-iv, C-i, D-iii
  2. (2)A-ii, B-iii, C-i, D-iv
  3. (3)A-ii, B-iii, C-iv, D-i
  4. (4)A-ii, B-i, C-iii, D-iv
Show answer

✓ (2) A-ii, B-iii, C-i, D-iv

See the full paper

Done reading? Now practise

Test yourself on this topic with free practice questions.

Practice questions →
Next topic:Handicrafts of Rajasthan →