Introduction
India has a diverse and vibrant cultural heritage. The essential aspect is that we, the people of India, have maintained that tradition alive. In our current lives, we may still see remnants of our rich cultural heritage. We take pride in our ancestry. Painting is also an important aspect of our culture. There are several painting styles that originated in India and have legends related to them. One such painting style is Phad painting (Chitra).
Phad painting, also known as phad, is a religious scroll painting and folk art style popular in Rajasthan, India. This particular form of painting is traditionally done on a large piece of fabric or canvas called a “Phad.”
Phad-Art is one of the world’s remaining scroll painting art forms. This folk craft was invented by a family (the Joshi Family of Shahpura, Bhilwara, Rajasthan) during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shahjahan. Now, this 700-year-old art form is in the hands of the descendents of Joshi family. The scroll paintings are done on a long piece of fabric called Phad (a specially prepared canvas), hence the name.
● Phad is a colourful folk painting of Rajasthan, depicted in horizontal scrolls and painted on cloth. The phad painting scrolls depict the glory of Rajput folk leaders like “Dev Narayanji,” “Pabuji” and “Ramdeviji,” who are greatly revered and worshipped by Rabari and Gujjar tribe’s throughout Rajasthan as folk deities.
● This art style originated in Mewar Region.
● The main centers of Phad painting (Chittra) are in the Bhilwara region, Shahpura, Raipur and Chittorgharh.
The significance of Phad Chitra lies in its unique story-telling nature, which depicts detailed religious stories about local gods and deities.
● Traveling story-tellers (Bhopas) use Phad Chitra as backdrop for telling Pabuji’s and Dev Narayan’s heroic deeds (Veer Gatha), local heroes who lived in and around 14th century C.E.
● The disciples of Pabuji, who believe in his divine powers, commission the recital by these bhopas when there is sickness or trouble in the family.
● They also believe that the mystical power of the painting, if displayed and worshipped in their dwellings, would remove all evil influences.
Traditionally, Phad Chitras are divided into two categories based on their themes : devotional and historical.
One is primarily based on the religious tales of local gods and deities such as Pabuji, Dev Narayanji, and Ramdeviji. Each of them is worshipped as the “Ista Devata” of a particular community.
● “Pabuji” is the tutelary deity of the “Rabaris,” who are camel herders. They credit Pabuji with bringing camels to Rajasthan and believe that the recitation of the Pabuji epic can cure camels of their disease.
● “Narayanji” is the tutelary deity of the “Gujars,” traditionally cowherds.
● “Ramdevji” is the ‘Ishta Devata’ of the leather working ‘Meghwals’ and ‘Regars’.
People show reverence to these deities by sponsoring a phad banchana, or a reading of their Phad. The scroll is treated like a mobile shrine. When it is unrolled for a performance, the ground on which it is to be displayed is sanctified. A cloth is laid at the central deity’s feet, lamps are lit and conches are blown in the arati. Offerings are made to the deity from time to time throughout the performance. Even when the scroll is not in use, the bhopa offers incense to it every day.
The historical section depicts significant historical events in Rajasthan, such as Maharana Pratap’s life and the Haldighati Battle, Prithviraj Chauhan’s valour, Ghori vadh by the blinded Prithivaraj, Mahmud Ghaznavi’s invasion of the Somnath Temple, Rani Padmini's Jauhar (Jauhar is the Rajput tradition of a wife self-immolating to avoid being captured by the enemy), Sanyongita-Prithviraj Chauhan elopement, and the Gangor Mata Sawari of Shahpura, among others.
Battle of Haldighati
Phad-Art is distinct from other traditional art forms. It is a synthesis of art, music and dance. It is a night-long performance. The “Bhopas” (Rajasthani Priest Singers) carry a lamp and move from one panel of painting to another while singing, dancing and narrating the “Veer Gatha.” The Bhopas recite Pabuji Phad along with Ravanhattha, a musical instrument and use Jantar, vina like instrument, to accompany the recitation of the Dev Narayan Phad. All of its events are recounted within a single pictorial frame. The entire painting is divided into sections, and the figures are two dimensional.
The Phad painter always prefers the cloth of “Khadi” or “Reja,” the handspun and handwoven coarse, as the base for his rectangular scroll paintings. The primer, “Kalap” is prepared either out of the flour of coarse wheat or barley which is mixed with water and gum and boiled. This primer is applied to the cloth, which is then rubbed with a smooth stone to make it smooth and shining.
The colours are prepared with powdered minerals and semi precious stones mixed with tree gum, which give a dazzling brilliance and permanency to the painting. Powdered earthen colours, water, gum and indigo are also used. The colours are prepared by the women artisans while the process of startching the scroll and Kheriya gond (Indigenous glue) and Ghotana (Burnishing) is done by men.
The illustrations of the story are arranged horizontally. Always facing right, the “Hero” is drawn in the centre of the painting. ‘Orange’ is used for limbs and bare human figures; ‘Yellow’ for the ornaments or patterns of the clothes; ‘Blue’ for the water; and green for the trees. Predominantly, ‘Red’ is used in the dresses of the principal characters, with the main border enclosing the Chitra. The final ceremony on completion of Phad is performed by painting the pupil in the eye of the deity, signifying the breathing of life into the god’s figure.
Refrences:
https://ccrtindia.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Living-of-Tradition-Tribal-Painting.pdf
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