Rituals of Phad folk Paintings from Rajasthan

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With the painting rolled up on two shafts of bamboo, the bhopa travels from village to village with the intent of singing the liturgical epic of the life and death of the hero god. This performance is the principal ritual of the cult of Pabuji (and Devnarayan). There are only two temples actually dedicated to Pabuji, which are located in his native village of Kolu. So rather than the worshipers coming to the temple to honor their deity, the bringing of the par paintings to the villages represents, in a sense, the temple coming to the worshippers.

When the bhopa arrives in a village, he determines whether there will be sufficient financial incentive for him to perform the ceremony. Sometimes, a performance of the epic will be commissioned by a villager for a specific purpose, perhaps in thanks to the deity for an answered prayer. If the performance of the epic of Pabuji is scheduled, certain preparatory rituals are performed, such as the sweeping clean of and the burning of incense in the area where the par painting will be displayed (typically a common area in the village), and an arati (waving of lights) before the picture of Pabuji. Shortly after nightfall, the par painting is unrolled (according to tradition, it is never unrolled during daylight) and set up for viewing. When the epic of Devnarayan is performed, the par is unrolled to the blowing of conches. Incense and coconut are offered to Devnarayan, who is the central image on the painting. A cushion and a lamp are placed beneath that central image.

The bard-priest recites incidents from the epic poem describing the exploits of Pabuji or Devnarayan. The bhopa is assisted by his wife, his son (who may be an apprentice), or another person, who points to the scenes on the par about which he is singing. The scenes in the epics tend to be of a martial nature. Thus the heroic mode that characterizes these stories appeals more to the men in the audience. In fact, women devotees of Devnarayan tend to identify him with Krishna. Songs about Devnarayan that women sing—outside the ritual of the par—may focus emotions on the baby Krishna.

While singing, the bhopa accompanies himself on a fiddlelike instrument called a ravanhattho or jantar. The recitation and singing continue all night long. The audience, which knows many of the words of the epic, may join the bhopa in the singing. Just before dawn, the ceremony ends and the par is rolled up.

Used in this manner, par paintings wear out after several years of service. When this happens, the painting is ritually destroyed by immersion in a body of water. Ideally, the immersion takes place in the holy Pushkar Lake, but if that is not possible, then in a more convenient body of water.