In Kishangarh school Nihalchand was the court painter in the period of:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 2: Sawant Singh.
Nihal Chand was the foremost and most celebrated court painter of the Kishangarh school, and his career reached its zenith under the direct patronage of Raja Sawant Singh, who reigned during the mid-18th century (c. 1748–1757 CE). Sawant Singh was the key patron who shaped the highly distinctive identity of the Kishangarh style, transforming it into the most lyrical and refined expression of Rajasthani miniature painting. The Raja was himself a poet, writing under the pen name 'Nagari Das', and Nihal Chand's famous 'Bani Thani' painting—an idealized portrait of a court singer who became the Raja's mistress, representing Radha—was directly inspired by Sawant Singh's devotional poetry, marking this era as the undisputed 'golden age' of the school.

The incorrect option is 1: Raj Singh.
Raj Singh I was a celebrated ruler of the Mewar state (Udaipur), reigning in the late 17th century, nearly a century before the Kishangarh school reached its peak. While Raj Singh was a major patron of the Mewar style, which is another branch of Rajasthani painting, he was not the ruler of Kishangarh. The Mewar style has a strong connection to religious narratives and folk traditions, which is aesthetically different from the sophisticated, refined portraiture championed by Nihal Chand at Kishangarh.

The incorrect option is 3: Kishan Singh.
Kishan Singh was indeed the founder of the Kishangarh state, establishing the kingdom in 1609 CE. However, the art school, with its unique, distinctive style, did not develop significantly until the 18th century. The foundational period under Kishan Singh predates the era of miniature painting's flowering in Kishangarh by over a hundred years. It was the specific patronage of his descendant, Sawant Singh, that provided the artistic vision and environment for Nihal Chand's masterpieces.

The incorrect option is 4: Udai Singh.
The name Udai Singh is associated with different historical figures from other Rajasthani kingdoms, most notably Maharana Udai Singh II of Mewar (father of Maharana Pratap). None of these rulers were the patron of the Kishangarh school during its artistic zenith. The art styles patronized by the various Udai Singhs, such as the Mewar or Marwar schools, have different characteristics and artistic conventions compared to the uniquely stylized paintings of Nihal Chand.