Basoli

Basholi is a town in Kathua district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is situated on the right bank of River Ravi at an altitude of 1876 ft. It was founded by Raja Bhupat Pal sometime in 1635. It was known for magnificent places which are now in ruins and miniatures paintings .GeographyBasholi is located at. It has an average elevation of 460 metres (1509 feet). Basoli is situated in the uneven lofty hills of Shiwaliks. It is situated in the right bank of Ravi river. Basoli has become popular for the Thein dam which has made it almost landlocked.Before the construction of Ranjit Sagar dam or Thein dam Basoli was just 32 km from Kathua but now due the dam it is about 72 km from Kathua city.DemographicsAt the 2001 India census, Bashohli had a population of 12356. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. Bashohli had an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 57% of the males and 43% of females literate. 12% of the population was under 6 years of age.ReligionHindu 83.01%, Muslim 16.38%,Basholi paintingBasholi is widely known for its paintings called Basholi paintings, which are considered the first school of Pahari paintings, and which evolved into the much prolific Kangra paintings school by mid-eighteenth century. The painter Nainsukh ended his career in Basholi.HistoryImmortalised by its artistic eminences and its connoisseur patrons, Basohli today is a metaphor for a vigorous, bold and imaginative artistic style, rich, stylish and unconventional. A style of painting characterized by vigorous use of primary colours and a peculiar facial formula prevailed in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries in the foothills of the Western Himalayas in the Jammu and Punjab States. The earliest paintings in this style have been dated to the time of Raja Kirpal Pal (1678–93).A Battle was fought at Basoli, it was called as the Battle of Basoli between Sikhs and Mughal Empire in 1702.