Traditional Phad Paintings Depicting Heroes of Rajasthan

Rajasthani paintings beautifully depict rural Rajasthan and its conservations.  The tradition on painting the wall of houses with scenes from mythological and chivalric tales has been prevalent in Rajasthan for the past many centuries.

Today we are writing about some traditional Paintings of Rajasthan which are very famous all over world.

Phad Paintings

Phad paintings are a beautiful specimen of Indian cloth painting, which has its origin in Rajasthan. These paintings can be simply described as a large painting on Khadi, which venerates the deeds of a hero. They have their own styles and patterns and are very popular due to their vibrant colors and historic themes.

Phad paintings, depicting the life of Pabuji a local hero, now deified are predominately red and green coloured long scrolls carried by the Bhopas. They are unfurled by these itinerant balladeers of Rajasthan, who narrate in song the legend of pabuji on auspicious occasions to the accompaniment of the folk instrument ‘Ravanhatta‘.

Made by the joshis of Shahpura, near Bhilwara, Phads are now also available in smaller panels portraying single incidents or characters from the epic.

Pichhvai Cloth Painting at Shrinathji Temple in Nathdwara

Pichhwai paintings

The Pichhwais are cloth paintings hung in temples. These Pichhwais depicting Lord Krishna as Shrinathji in different moods, are hung behind his image in the temple and changed according to the season. Done in dark rich hues on rough hand-spun cloth, they have deep religious roots and are devotionaly rendered by the painters.

This painting tradition developed in the temple of Nathadwara in southern Rajasthan, and the paintings show Krishna playing the flute and dancing with his consorts, the gopis. The divine love-play here stands for the devotion of believers and their union with their deity.

About Murals

All over Rajasthan, one can see brightly coloured murals. These murals done in the folk art style, depict processions, battles and folk deities. The murals in the palaces of Bikaner, Udaipur and Bundi are classical works of art and have been rendered in the miniature style.

The frescoes of Shekawati are world renowned and the region is popularly termed as an ‘Open Air Art Gallery’.

ShrinathJi (Lord Krishna) Temple, Nathdwara, India

ShrinathJi Temple Location

The temple of Shrinathji or Lord Krishna, belonging to the Vaishnav religion is located at Nathdwara, 48 kms. north of Udaipur. Thousands of tourists and pilgrims from all parts of the world pass the lofty mountains and serene lakes of Udaipur to visit this templ.

This 17th century temple house the original statue of Shrinathji or Lord Krishna. According to history, the statue was brought to Mewar kingdom for the sake of safety in the period of Aurangazeb the Moghul monarch.

About ShrinathJi Temple

In the temple, enshrined is a unique image of Lord Krishna, which has been sculptured from a single piece of black marble.

One of the arms of the life size image is raised in a manner so as to give an impression of holding the Govardhan mountain. The other arm rests at the waist which seems not only a dance posture but also as if God is blessing the devotees.

In Shrinathji temple, worship (puja) is replaced by servitude (seva). The temple priests change the vestments and ornaments of Shrinathji daily with love and reverence. It is believed that he appears to his devotees in many forms: the divine child inspiring parental love, the flute playing good in the forests of Vrindavan luring maidens with the melody of his flute.

Darshans or glimpses of Srinathji can be sought 8 times in the day. individually known as Ashtaya, the 8 darshans are Mangala, Shrungar, Gwal, Rajbhog, Uthhapan, Bhog, Sandhaya Aarti and Shayan. In each of them the leelas (divine manifestations) of the Lord are described and harmonized with His daily routine.

Archtitecture of the Temple

The temple has three entrances. The first is through the red door at Chaupati from where the Govardhan worship place can be reached. Surajpol is an entrance exclusively for women and leads to Kamal Chowk through Singhpol. Various religious festivals are celebrated at the temple like Janmashtmi, Phooldol and Diwali.

The annakootritual is famous worldwide where cooked rice is hurled at the devotees after the ceremony and is ‘looted’ by them.

Places worth seeing in the temple include the Moti Mahal, Sudarshan Chakraraj, Dhwajaji, Kamal Chowk, Ratan Chowk, Mani Kotha and the temples of Shri Navnit Priyaji.

The Shri Krishna storehouse has silver and golden mills. Apart from that, the Shakghar milkboth and the outlets having roses, betel leaf, sweets and clothes as well as the gardens are worth a visit.

Image Source: Wikipedia