Who paints Pichwais & other mysteries
Let’s start with the fact that the word ‘Pichwai’ itself is a misnomer
Pichwai
Object of the week: Pilgrims to Nathdwara take these paintings home
Pichwai paintings were born in the temple town of Nathdwara in Rajasthan and centre the 8-year-old deity, Shrinathji
Study III: Sea of Untold Stories
In this painting Desmond Lazaro is highlighting his personal experience of belonging to two different places, a theme he addresses in a large number of his works. It is a miniature composition of a white bird (assumed to be a dove) resting on top of a three-paneled box, with a minimal colour palette and handmade… Read more »
Janmashthmi Pichwai
Shrinathji is the presiding deity of the Pushtimarg Vaishnava religion. The spiritual home of Shrinathji is in Nathdwara, near Udaipur. Though devotees flock to the temple town for darshan eight times a day, festivals such as Janmashtami, Sharad Purnima, and Holi receive large crowds. Devotees often tend to leave this place of devotion with a… Read more »
Gopashtami Pichwai with Twenty Shringars
Shrinathji is the presiding deity of the Pushtimarg Vaishnava religion. The spiritual home of Shrinathji is in Nathdwara, near Udaipur. Though devotees flock to the temple town for darshan eight times a day, festivals such as Janmashtami, Sharad Purnima, and Holi receive large crowds. Devotees often tend to leave with a special souvenir, that is,… Read more »
A Portrait of the God as a Young Boy: Behind the Art of Pichwai Painting
An art form devoted to a seven-year-old Krishna has survived medieval migration, Mewari assimilation and an irate Aurangzeb, to continue to celebrate the fables and festivals of the dark lord
Celebrating Little Krishna – A Pichwai Tradition
The canvas of Pichhwai covers six square feet of starched cotton and about 500 years of Indian history—let’s dive into a magical world devoted to an extraordinary child
Pichwai: Raas Leela
A raas leela pichwai of Shrinathji on a full moon night. At the top of the frame, the moon is prominently displayed along with a clear star-speckled sky. Outside among the banana and mango trees, Shrinathji plays the raas leela with his gopis. Multiple forms of Krishna are found among the gopis, holding hands and… Read more »
Pichwai: Shrinathji
Shrinathji is the presiding deity of the Vaishnava sect called the Pushtimarg, and his worship is centred in the temple at Nathdwara in Rajasthan. He is an incarnation of Krishna as a seven-year-old boy; the iconography seen in this pichwai is the classic characterisation of the deity. Pichwais are textile embroideries or paintings that were… Read more »