---
title: "Basohli School of Painting: Pahari Origins | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Basohli School is the earliest Pahari miniature tradition (c. 1690), marked by bold colour and beetle-wing inlay. Key for UPSC GS1 art and culture."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/basohli-painting-school"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Basohli School is the earliest Pahari miniature painting tradition, originating in the Punjab Hills around the late 17th century, known for bold colour, beetle-wing inlay, and stylised faces.
- What technical feature most distinguishes Basohli painting from other Indian miniatures?
- How does the Basohli School relate to the Kangra School?
- Who were the principal patrons and artists of the Basohli School?
- What literary subjects did Basohli paintings illustrate?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

The Basohli School is the earliest Pahari miniature painting tradition, originating in the Punjab Hills around the late 17th century, known for bold colour, beetle-wing inlay, and stylised faces.

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In 1694–95 the painter Devidasa completed a Rasamanjari series for the Basohli court, its folios now dispersed among the National Museum in New Delhi and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

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