Who paints Pichwais & other mysteries
Let’s start with the fact that the word ‘Pichwai’ itself is a misnomer
Rajasthan
Object story: A coin die with a message from 1857
Understanding the politics of 19th-century Mewar through a rare coin die
Object of the week: A Frenchman’s view of Princely India
Over six years spent travelling around India, Louis Rousselet learned photography and captured some of the most beautiful scenes of the Subcontinent, from the Himalayas to the Nilgiris and from coast to coast
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
Devnarayan ki Phad
‘Phad’ is a traditional scroll painting unique to the region of Bhilwara, Rajasthan. For many nomadic communities like the Rebari, Phad is a medium to worship their local deities ‘Devnarayan’ and ‘Pabuji’. It is believed that a thousand years ago, Devnarayan and Pabuji were kings of small villages whose stories later morphed into legends. Devnarayan… Read more »
Jai Singh Prabhakar, Maharaja of Alwar with members of the Council and Colonel Fagan
This is a photograph taken by Bourne and Shepherd in 1903 of the Maharaja of Alwar, Jai Singh Prabhakar (1882-1937), with members of the Council and Colonel Fagan. The state of Alwar (present-day Rajasthan) was one of the princely states of the Rajputana region of British India. Founded by Rajput chief Pratap Singh in 1775,… Read more »
One tradition, many lives: The Indian miniature
We welcome some priceless miniature paintings into our collection, including the Mughal Hamzanama by exploring the many traditions of this practice in the Sarmaya collection
Miniature of Shrinathji
This miniature painting is of Krishna as Shrinathji, made in the Nathdwara style. Shrinathji is the presiding deity of the Pushtimarg Vaishnava religion. The spiritual home of Shrinathji is in Nathdwara, near Udaipur. The Nathdwara school is one of the most well-known schools of painting associated with the art of Pichwai. Pichwai, however, was painted… Read more »
Miniature of Shrinathji
This miniature painting is of Krishna as Shrinathji, made in the Nathdwara style. Miniatures like these were most popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Shrinathji is the presiding deity of the Pushtimarg Vaishnava religion. The spiritual home of Shrinathji is in Nathdwara, near Udaipur. Miniatures like these were most likely intended to be… 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 »
Madan Singh, Silver Nazarana Coin of Jhalawar Mint
Nazrana were limited-edition novelties minted not as currency, but as gifts to a superior or souvenirs to mark special occasions. A Nazarana was crafted simply to be presented with all the pomp and circumstance at the giver’s disposal. This is a silver one minted in the name of Queen Victoria by Madan Singh; coins like… Read more »
Painted Photograph of Maharana Bhupal Singh of Udaipur
In the West, hand-painting was only used to add delicate highlights or make modest adjustments to images. But the method took a special and distinctively vivid turn in India. Indian royals were first enamoured with photography, but they quickly began to believe that there was something lacking in the images. Something of the grandeur and… Read more »
Portrait of an Unidentified Nobleman, Mewar
This is a cabinet card portrait of an unidentified noble of Mewar in his traditional garb. His turban is tilted to his left and fixed with ornamental jewels. He is also wearing earrings and necklaces. Read about Indian kings and their fabulous jewels here. On the back of the photograph is printed the name of… Read more »
The Scholar, Before Breakfast
Could the artist’s love for Mughal miniatures be any more evident! There is a lot of symbolism in Alexander Gorlizki’s works and it centers around the interchanging of animal and human forms. Here a stout man reading a book appears to have a lion’s head, and a warrior with an elephant’s head is seen riding… Read more »
The Wonderfully Weird World of Waswo X. Waswo
We discover the story behind his unusual name, the method behind those highly collaborative miniatures and the rest of one American’s unforgettable tryst with India
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 »
Pink City Treasures
A new by-appointment-only museum opens in Jaipur’s suburbs. Its airy, angular architecture houses a vast collection of artefacts amassed over the years by the late jeweller Gyan Dhaddha. The objects will include Persian rugs, Mughal-era miniatures and antique jewellery.
Inside the magical world of Rajasthan’s phad paintings
The story of two heroes told over seven centuries. How complicated can it be? We’re glad you asked
Pabuji ki Phad
The Phad is a tradition of creating religious scroll paintings, practiced by the Bhopa tribal community of Rajasthan. They are primarily made for two folk deities, Pabuji and Devnarayan. The creation of the phad is just one part of the entire process—the cloth is actually the main prop of a larger ritualistic performance. Singer-priests roam… Read more »