Painter & Printmaker — Born Srinagar, 1939
Widely regarded as the first artist to have created a complete series of 77 paintings interpreting every sutra of the Shiv Sutras of Kashmir Shaivism. A master painter from Rainawari, Srinagar — six decades of work held in the Lalit Kala Akademi, Bharat Bhawan, and museums across India.
Explore the Collection View all 77 Shiv Sutras
The Artist
"I belong to Rainawari. The canals, waterways, birds, willows, boats and the peaceful life that we had in that part of the valley is something that keeps haunting."
Born in Rainawari, Srinagar in 1939, Gokal Dembi received his National Diploma in Fine Arts from Delhi Polytechnic in 1963 — trained across painting, sculpture, graphics, terracotta, lithography, and etching. His teachers included the legendary B.C. Sanyal and J. Appaswamy.
A Government of India National Scholar (1965–67), he joined the Institute of Music & Fine Arts, Srinagar in 1969, retiring in 1997 as Incharge of the Fine Arts Department — leaving behind a generation of artists shaped by his vision. He is an Associate Member of Shilpi Chakra and Gallery-26.
In their third year at Delhi Polytechnic, six young friends did something that would define their careers — they pooled their ambition, hung their work together, and called themselves The Six. Umesh Varma, Manjit Bawa, Jagdish Dey, Neelmoni Chatterjee, Durga Prasad, and Gokal Dembi mounted a group show at the AIFACS that stopped the art world in its tracks. Senior artists took notice. The press was generous. Six students had announced themselves as a generation.
His life's work spans three significant bodies: a series of 77 paintings interpreting every sutra of the Shiv Sutras of Kashmir Shaivism — of which he is believed to be the first artist to have undertaken this complete visual journey — the Vakhs of Lal Ded, and a decades-long practice in printmaking and figurative work. His works are held in the collections of the Lalit Kala Akademi, Modern Art Gallery (New Delhi), Roopankar Museum–Bharat Bhawan (Bhopal), Govt. Museum of Art (Chandigarh), and the J&K Academy of Art, Culture & Languages.
In September 2025, he was felicitated at the first-ever printmaking workshop for Kashmir's artists, organised by the Kashmir Art and Artists Foundation (KAAF) at Harwan, Srinagar.
Awards & Recognition
A complete series of 77 paintings — one for each sutra of the Shiv Sutras of Kashmir Shaivism.
Exhibition History
Major Exhibitions
Institutional Collections
Press & Recognition
"A master painter from Rainawari who has rendered yeomen service to Kashmir culture by painting the Shiva Sutras and the Vakhs of Lal Ded."
Kashmir Overseas Association (KOA USA)
"Possibly the first artist to have interpreted all 77 Shiv Sutras through paintings. The visual impact of each sutra painting is profound and out of the ordinary."
Avtar Mota — Chinar Shade, 2017
"Among the stalwarts of Jammu & Kashmir — alongside G.R. Santosh, Bhushan Koul, Bansi Parimoo and Ratan Parimoo."
Daily Excelsior, 2025
The Practice
Gokal Dembi's most significant body of work is a series of 77 paintings — one for each sutra of the Shiv Sutras of Kashmir Shaivism, believed to have been revealed by Shiva himself to the 9th-century scholar Vasugupta. He is widely regarded as the first artist to have undertaken this complete visual interpretation of the text. On the back of each canvas, he has written the Sanskrit sutra in his own hand.
Alongside the Shiv Sutras, he has painted the Vakhs of Lal Ded — the 14th-century Kashmiri mystic-poet — rendering her ecstatic verses as visual form. Two bodies of work, one lifelong inquiry: the nature of consciousness, the weight of a place, the persistence of a tradition.
"Was our valley without any artistic movement or trend? We had a definite school of art that flourished over there since ancient times. It had a continuity."
His recurring palette
Enquiries
For enquiries about original works, the Shiv Sutra or Lal Ded series, exhibition opportunities, or commissions — please get in touch. Works from the collection are available for private acquisition.