Pabuji ki phad

Pabuji ki phad

1. Pabuji ki phad (Rajasthan)

2. A panoramic view of the Pabuji Ki Phad displayed in a museum

3. Pabuji Ki Phad is a religious and traditional scroll painting of folk deities, which is used for a musical rendition of the only surviving ancient traditional folk art form in the world of the epic of Pabuji , the Rathod Rajput chief. Bhopas of Pabusar are the bards and also priests who are the traditional narrators of this art form. The Phad is also spelt as “Par.” This art form is popular in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Literally, ' Pabuji Ki Phad ' translates in to two versions namely, “The Screen of Pabuji or O, Read of Pabuji !. Pabuji is also known as "the Ascetic Deity of Sand Desert". History

4. P abuji is worshipped as a folk-deity. He lived in 14th century (16th century is also mentioned) in a remote village known as Kulu in Rajasthan. Dhadal Rathore of village Kolu is father of Pabuji the younger brother, The Kulu village where Pabhu was born, now has only two conventional but small temples within a courtyard, where puja (worship) is offered to the Pabuji . This village was known as the "great village fortress of Kolu " and it included the shrine of goddess Daval .

5. The phad

6. The Phad or Par represents, in its painting, the court of pabhuji , his palace and his divine character as an incarnation of Laksmana , brother of the Rama of the Ramayana Hindu epic story, the forts in which he lived as well as the sanctum of his goddess Deval .

7. Painting method : The Chipas or Joshis are famous phad painters. Dance is often part of the musical tradition. It is a hereditary art form, which is passed on from father to son. The painting is drawn on a cotton cloth. The cloth is first prepared by applying a paste of flour and gum.It is then polished with a stone. A virgin girl only has the privilege of giving the first stroke of the brush on the Phad painting; normally the girl belongs to the painter's family or to a high-caste.

8. The Phad canvas is usually of 15 ft × 5 ft sheet cloth, on which are painted (or sewn) miniature scenes depicting the life of Pabuji and his adventures. As the Phad gets worn or torn or becomes thread bare, a formal religious procedure is followed to decommission it. This procedure is called tandakarna ,in Hindi, which means to cool or remove its divine power. This is done by confining to the holy waters of the Ganges or Pushkar Lake.

9. Phad canvas

10. Colours - The colours are mixed with gum and water, and painted one colour after the other, in the order of orange, yellow, and so forth. Black is the last colour paint used for the border. An outline of the painting is drawn by the artist with light yellow colour paint; only earth colours or vegetable colours or indigo are used.

11. The Phad , from the time it is painted by the renowned painters of this art form, is treated with utmost reverence by the Bophas . They make daily offerings to the Phad . It is considered a hereditary possession and is passed on to one of their kin to continue the tradition.

12. This epic is also sung by the Bhopas . In this case, even the furling of the Phad is signalled by the blowing of conches. Both men and women attend the performances. As the Bhopa minstrel sings the ballad accompanied to the music of the ‘ ravanhatha ’*, his wife holds an oil lantern to illuminate the particular portion of the scroll where these deeds have been painted. Together they recite the phad (a painted ballad). Performances are held at night. bhopa

13. As a last act, the artist is said to give 'life' or "awaken the deity" of the painting by opening the pupil in the eyes of the main deity at the centre of the painting.

14. The earliest painting of a Phad or Par, as mentioned by John Smith, a scholar of the "Epic of Pabuji ", is dated to 1867. Colonel James Tod , the British Lieutenant reported of a ceremony that included a Par painting in 1819. With the emphasis on bardic narration of Pabhuji Ki Phad said to be on the decline in recent times, painters of Pars or Phads are also making Phads as collector's items in smaller sizes, and with different religious and other themes.

15. A heroic figure -leather puppet

16. Devnarayan temples in Rajasthan depict the paintings of Phads of Devanarayan Painting of God Devnarayan along with goddess Saadu Maata Gurjari

17. Thank you…