Laharu

Laharu of Chamba Laharu was an important painter associated with the Chamba court in the mid-eighteenth century. He came from a family of Gujarati artists who had worked in the Mughal workshop at Lahore before moving to the hill courts. This background can be seen in some of the Mughal elements found in his paintings. Laharu worked during the reign of Raja Umed Singh (r. 1748–64), and in 1758 he produced a series of Krishna illustrations for the king’s brother and minister, Mian Samsher Singh. The murals at the Devi Kothi temple are connected to his style of work, although their authorship is unsure. Laharu painted brightly colored people against plain backgrounds. He split large scenes into horizontal rows so he could show several different stories in just one painting. His unique style changed Chamba painting forever, and his children and grandchildren continued his artistic tradition.

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