Krishna and his family admire a solar eclipse; (Credit: First generation after Nainsukh / National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Freer Collection, Purchase from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection — Charles Lang Freer Endowment) ‘T he tallest mountains on earth rise from the plains of northern India in a series of steep hills, snowy peaks, and narrow valleys. From the same Himalayan region arose some of the world’s most beautiful — yet least understood — works of art’. This is how a note on the exhibition “Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington DC introduces the genre to viewers. Featuring a total of 48 paintings and coloured drawings, the showcase, which runs till July 26, begins with an introductory gallery that acquaints visitors with the region by exploring how painters helped establish the Himalayas as a sacred geography.…