It is a proven fact that forms of arts and crafts thrived where they received patronage – artists needed to be sure that they would receive not only appreciation for their talent, but also enough financial support to continue with their art. Given that in India, Rajasthan was one of the states that was constantly under the rule of great leaders, which would explain why several art forms also flourished here and one such art form is what we are going to delve deeper into today. Phad art has been around since the 14th century and even though the practitioners of this art have reduced, there are still who are trying to keep the legacy alive.
Continuing with our series on art forms that have existed since long in India, today, we are going to look at Phad painting – what makes it special, what are the patterns and themes, and who are the people who are striving to keep the form of art alive.

Phad Paintings

What exactly is the Phad style of painting?

The word Phad actually means a fold or a canvas in the local dialects that are spoken in parts of Rajasthan and the surrounding regions. So, this form of art is traditionally done either on a canvas or a long piece of cloth. These paintings were always designed and created to be travelling temples – there would always be a song and dance routine that would be associated with each painting and unlike regular god paintings, these were dedicated to telling particular stories. This is one of the reasons why only the priest and his wife would carry the paintings with them. The priests – the Bhopa and his wife, Bhopi of the Rabari tribe would travel from one village to another, and with the paintings as their visual aid and a two stringed instrument called the ravanhatta as their orchestra, they would narrate religious and spiritual stories. Their main concentration would be on the lives of Pabuji and Devnarayan (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu), but you would also find stories from Ramayana, Hanuman Chalisa, and other mythological stories. However, it would be difficult to find traditional Radha Krishna paintings in this form.
One term that you will come across when you reading about this form of art is Pabuji ki Phad painting – Pabuji was a Rajput Rathore chief who was worshipped as a local deity and was called the Ascetic Deity of the Sand Desert. So Pabuji ki Phad was meant to be stories that were told on the canvas, about Pabuji. Pabuji is said to have lived in the 14th century, although there are some mentions about him having lived about the 16th century too. In a small Rajasthani village named Kulu, there lived a man name Dhadal Rathore, who had two sons and two daughters, one of whom was Pabuji. Throughout his life, he had to fight several battles and during that period, he received a black horse from Kolu’s resident goddess Lady Dhaval and the horse stayed with him all through. His fights to protect what was right, his love story with Princess Pulvati are all part of the legends that are themes of Phad painting of Rajasthan.

Where and how did Phad originate?

It is important to remember that Phad has a legacy that goes back almost 700 years and finds its origins in Shahpura, which is near present day Bhilwara, Rajasthan. The priests would commission members of the Joshi family, who belong to the Chipa caste, to create these paintings. Elaborate canvases, which could vary from 13 feet to 30 feet in length, would be painted with stories about local deities or popular gods and towards twilight, these would be unfurled and set up amidst the light of the lamps. While the Bhopa, the male priest would narrate the story in song, the Bhopi, the priests’ wife would dance and keep putting the spotlight on the relevant portion of the story. And once the story had been narrated the priest couple would take the Phad painting procession to the next town or village.

How are Phad paintings made?

The themes of these paintings might not be complicated, but the process of making the painting can be – the canvas has to be prepared first, wherein a mixture of rice or wheat flour is boiled with water till it becomes a thick paste. The paste is combined with local gum and that is applied all over the canvas, which is then allowed to dry in the sunlight. A stone tool called a mohra is rubbed all over the stretched and dried canvas to make it smooth and add a shine. So, even a simple Phad painting would start like this! Colours are all made from natural elements, including stones, minerals, plants, flowers, and fruits and it is the womenfolk who make the colours. The artist would then sketch out the figures and other details and then filling in the colours would happen one at a time. The painting would only start on an auspicious day and after offering prayers to Goddess Saraswati and the first stroke would be made by a virgin girl in the family. The most important aspect of the paintings would be the eyes – once the eyes had been made, the artists would no longer be able to sit on the canvas, which they would have otherwise done, given the size of the canvas. Also, the figures are all flat and face each other, rather than facing the audience.
The skills needed to create these paintings were high on the levels of skills required and they would be handed down through the generations. Interestingly, the daughters of the household would not be taught the methods, because the notion was that the daughters would get married off into other families. Daughter in laws, however, would be taught the skill and be allowed to participate in the process of creating the traditional Phad painting.

Where is the future of Phad paintings heading?

Because the practice of Phad art painting is such a closely guarded secret, the actual number of artists practicing it is starting to dwindle. There are a handful of practitioners even today, but seeing the legacy of the art possibly dying away, Shree Lal Joshi, a Padma Shree recipient decided to build a school where the art would be taught to all those who wanted to learn and it led the way to the foundation of the Joshi Kala Kunj. Even today, his sons and grandchildren are practicing and teaching the art at this school. While there are still a few traditional Bhopa storytellers in India, the actual direction of the style has painting has turned more towards modernism. You will get to see more modern Phad painting in smaller sizes these days, which are perfect for homes and other interior spaces. If you want to buy traditional wall paintings online, eCraftIndia would be a good place to shop.

Finally, let’s move onto some of the most commonly asked questions related to Phad paintings:

  1. When and where did the Phad painting originate?
    While there is no accurate documentation of when the style of painting started, it is believed that it is about 700 years old and the style is said to have originated in the state of Rajasthan.
  2. What are some interesting features of Phad painting?
    Although there are plenty of interesting features associated with the Phad style of wall decoration items, there are some that stand out. For instance, the figures are first painted in a light-yellow colour and this process is known as kachi likhai or rough work. Similarly, the eyes on the figures are drawn the last, because once they are drawn the artists can no longer sit on the canvas and work.
  3. Who are the famous artists of Phad painting?
    Some of the most recognised names in the world of Phad paintings include Shree Lal Joshi, Shanti Lal Joshi, Vijay Joshi, Nand Kishor Joshi, Pradip Mukherjee and Shamsher Khan.
  4. Are there any schools that teach this form of art?
    Yes, the Joshi Kala Kunj was established in the year 1960 and in 1990, Chitrashala was founded. Both these schools offer traditional knowledge related to the Phad school of art.
Whether you are looking for a traditional Phad painting or more modern Lord ganesha paintings online, at eCraftIndia, you should be able to find it all.