IIAS Inaugurates Permanent Kangra Kalam Gallery to Preserve Pahari Art Heritage

Shimla, October 15: The Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Shimla, marked the conclusion of its Diamond Jubilee celebrations on Wednesday with the inauguration of a permanent gallery dedicated to Kangra miniature paintings, unveiling of a bust of the institute’s founder, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, and release of a book on Pahari art.

Himachal Pradesh Governor Kavinder Gupta inaugurated Kangra Kalam: The Pahari Miniature Art Gallery and released Folk and Rural Imagery in Kangra Miniatures: An Indigenous Indian Art Perspective, authored by Prof. Himanshu Kumar Chaturvedi and Dr. Pankaj Gupta.

Describing Kangra painting as a symbol of civilisation and culture, the Governor said the Himalayan regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand shared cultural and artistic traditions. He expressed hope that the gallery would help visitors from India and abroad understand the region’s artistic legacy and support the preservation of traditional art forms.

Located in Room No. 8 of the institute’s main building, the gallery seeks to present Kangra miniature painting beyond its familiar royal and religious themes, highlighting everyday life, rural activities, folk traditions and the relationship between communities and nature. Its subjects include farming, folk music, traditional food, the Gaddi community and local deity processions.

The initiative builds on a five-day miniature painting workshop held at IIAS in June 2026, where traditional artists and their disciples worked with natural colours and traditional techniques under the Guru–Shishya Parampara. The effort aims to document and preserve artistic knowledge while connecting traditional painting with contemporary Pahari life.

The book released at the event explores folk culture and rural imagery in Kangra miniatures, highlighting the close relationship between art, nature and community life. The unveiling of Dr. Radhakrishnan’s bust also paid tribute to his intellectual legacy and the institute’s commitment to scholarship.

The concluding-day celebrations featured cultural performances by institute employees, including Ram Stuti, solo singing, poetry, dance, Rajasthani folk dance and a Pahari dance presentation. An art exhibition titled Bharatiya Forms, Expressions and Consciousness, featuring works by artist Nisha Jaiswal, and a book fair were also organised as part of the five-day celebrations, held from October 11 to 15.

The initiatives reflected IIAS’s broader effort to bring academic discourse, traditional knowledge, literature and India’s diverse artistic heritage to a wider audience.