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
Shrilal Joshi
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 »
Phad: Pabuji ki Phad
The ‘phad’ is a tradition of narrative scroll paintings, practiced by the bhopa tribes of Rajasthan. They are primarily made of two icons – Devnarayan and Pabuji. These were village heroes in popular history who were later deified over time – much like the creation of icons in mainstream Hinduism as well. This particular one… Read more »