Diwan-i-Khas

Location

Diwan-i-Khas or the Audience Hall is built by Ram Shara Singh, one of the great patrons of arts among the Arki rulers. This astounding room of art is ornamented with wall friezes, encompassing the Kangra, Arki, Rajasthani Kullu and European styles of miniature paintings.

From Indian mythology to contemporary European cities, the subjects in these murals vary drastically. The flowery drawings and the figurines of females, and other portraits show strong influence of Guler style. Animals and birds, raginis, erotic scenes of love, war scenes and some amusing fantasies are found in the murals among other things.

One can spot even Chinese pictures in these frescos. Panjabi folk arts and fabulous stories from Puranas including battlefields are neatly depicted in the Murals. From the simple floral decorations to intricate patterns, these Murals uses wonderful display of colours. No doubt these fabulous pieces of arts are a standing testimony to the glorious artistic tradition of Arki.