Mystic Mantra: Miniatures, a meditative art

While driving through the serene Kangra valley in Himachal, an unplanned turn brought me to Guler. A whisper of its past welled up in my mind, along with the visual memory of miniature paintings of breathtaking beauty. Together with Chamba, Nurpur, Basohli and Kangra, it was an important centre of Pahari miniature painting from the 17th to the 19th centuries, when a unique artistic style emerged and flowered in the hill-kingdoms of north India.

Little is known about the hands that actually made these paintings.

A quiet, steady mind is a prerequisite for a steady hand. In fact, the artist’s entire being would need to be in contemplative harmony, where all thoughts outside of the tip of the brush ceased. Even the rest of the painting was immaterial. One’s breath, mind, body, and hand were all synced towards the task at hand.

In meditative terms, this state of being is called “single-pointed concentration”. Because of its dynamic nature, it is difficult to concentrate the mind without any point of focus, at least in the beginning of one’s meditative journey. Alongside knowing how to shade and colour and compose and draw, in the artist’s toolbox of skills would be included the ability to access a state of single-pointed concentration. Perhaps because there were enough Pahari artists who possessed this meditative skill is why we have such a wealth of beauty in the form of these stunning miniature paintings.

Swati Chopra writes on spirituality and mindful living.

Her most recent book is Women Awakened: Stories of Contemporary Spirituality in India.

Website: www.swatichopra.com