princely state · Indian princely states

Basohli State

765 CE – 1836 CE (approx.) · capital Basohli

A small Rajput hill state on the Ravi whose court gave its name to the bold, brightly coloured Basohli school of Pahari painting.

Origins

Basohli was ruled by a Balauria branch of Rajputs; tradition places the state's foundation in 765, but little is known before the 17th century. Raja Bhupat Pal is credited with founding the town of Basohli on the Ravi as his capital in the 1630s.

Rule and society

Under Raja Kirpal Pal, in the late 17th century, the court patronised painters who developed the Basohli style: strong reds, yellows and greens, flat backgrounds and jewel-like beetle-wing details, used for series such as the Rasamanjari. The style spread to neighbouring courts. Politically, Basohli was a minor state between Chamba and Jammu.

Decline and legacy

In the early 19th century Basohli fell under the Sikh Empire and was granted to the Dogra rulers of Jammu, who absorbed it in 1836. It later became part of Jammu and Kashmir (princely state). The town is now in Kathua district.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Basohli State. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/basohli-state
MLA
“Basohli State.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/basohli-state. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Basohli State.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/basohli-state.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Basohli State’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/basohli-state (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻