The above painting which depicts the handing over of Devi Yogomaya to Devaki by Vasudev at Mathura is painted by Laharu,a master painter from the 18th century, who gave Chamba painting its own unique style. Before he established his signature style, Chamba paintings usually focused heavily on featuring local folk elements blended with imported Mughal influences. Laharu introduced flat backgrounds and proportional elements along with bold lines, nature themes and bright clothing.The above painting also captures a lot of his typical patterns. Based on the Bhagavata Purana (where the topic is itself a break from the usual folk centered paintings), the painting features two of Kansa's guards sleeping under a spell while Vasudev hands over Yogomaya Devi to Devaki after his venture to Vrindavan . One can observe that the painting is divided into three equal parts as well as they are perfectly symmetrical. The foreground features the two guards , the middle ground features the three main subjects and the background features four conical hills. The hills , the architecture as well as the subjects all appear to be perfectly symmetrical which is again a very popular feature of Laharu's paintings. Even though the painting is not very detailed and the subjects don't feature much expressive thoughts on their face , the vibrant colours and the symmetry well balance the composition. The background is dull and flat , which helps the figures to pop out and create a floating illusion against the monochromatic scene.Laharu who turned the wheel of the Chamba painting style among the other Pahadi schools, further inspired the Chamba Rumal which is an exquisite, centuries old hand embroidery from Himachal Pradesh (also called painting in thread).
The painting depicting Vasudev handing over Devi Yogomaya to Devaki reflects Laharu's distinctive contribution to the 18th century Chamba school. Moving beyond the earlier blend of folk and Mughal influences, Laharu introduced flat backgrounds, bold lines, vibrant clothing, natural elements and carefully balanced proportions. Based on the Bhagavata Purana the composition is divided into foreground, middle ground and background, featuring sleeping guards, the central figures and symmetrical conical hills. The strong symmetry creates visual harmony despite limited facial expression and detail. Its dull monochromatic background highlights the vibrant figures creating an almost floating illusion and revealing Laharu's unique artistic language.
