Original Article ISSN (Online): 2582-7472 ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts January-June 2023 4(1), 300–307 How to cite this article (APA): Raha, P. (2023). Reconsideration of Kangra Miniature Painting from the Design Perspective. ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 4(1), 300–307. doi: 10.29121/shodhkosh.v4.i1.2023.328 300 RECONSIDERATION OF KANGRA MINIATURE PAINTING FROM THE DESIGN PERSPECTIVE Prosenjit Raha 1 1 PhD Scholar (SRF), Department of Visual Arts, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India ABSTRACT The style of Kangra miniature paintings never ignores the necessity of intricate craftsmanship. The craft qualities in Kangra miniature painting are bringing new opportunities to be revived. Every intricate decorative pattern or motif of this style is a piece of innovative design and required to be analyzed and evaluated from a modern perspective. It has the potential to develop a language of modern Indian decorative design. Exploring the future possibilities of the crafts in Kangra miniature paintings is the prime objective of this research article. To understand design potentials practically in this style, the author had been trained under the traditional Kangra artists for two months in Kangra. The author has also observed the collaborative activities of NIFT Kangra with them. The fieldwork also included visits to the historical Kangra fort and temples where the original remains of traditional Kangra-style architectures, exteriors, and interior designs exist even today. The paper argues, design elements in such traditional art carry the idioms of the cultural identity of a community. The patterns and motifs of the Kangra style carry the Indian idioms of design. It requires more attention from the perspective of Cultural Sustainability. Received 08 February 2023 Accepted 28 March 2023 Published 01 April 2023 Corresponding Author Prosenjit Raha, prosenjitraha002@gmail.com DOI 10.29121/shodhkosh.v4.i1.2023.328 Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. With the license CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author. Keywords: Kangra Miniature Painting, Decorative Design, Heritage, Indian Art 1. INTRODUCTION The style of miniature painting evolved in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh is considered a precious gem of Pahari schools of miniature painting that flourished in the 17th to 18th century in the North Indian states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Uttarakhand, and Punjab. The artistic aspects of the Kangra style have been discussed for a long period across the world. The prime argument of this paper is Kangra miniature paintings are equally important from the perspective of design. This paper will also analyze the inspirational roots of the design elements in Kangra paintings with a comparative discussion on the characteristics of Indian and Western design.