Phad is not merely a cloth printing; it is a tradition that depicts history
India is full of stories. Its culture, traditions, and even the places have their own story to tell.
Among them, Rajasthan is one of the most interesting ones. In its dusty bylanes and scorching desert heat, it contains the most juicy storylines.
From having the most haunted town in the world, ‘Kuldhara’, to having the 2nd-longest wall after China, ‘Kumbhalgarh fort’, Rajasthan symbolises variety.
Phad painting is one of them.
So, what is this painting all about?
Know the history of Phad painting
It's basically a massive 10-to-20-foot rolled-up rug, where the folk deity, Prabuji Rathod’s life story and Dev Narayan’s life story are depicted through vibrant colours.
The artists who basically paint it by hand are called Joshi artisans, and the Bhopas are the ones who contributes in selling the paintings.
You will be surprised to know that without the bhopas, nobody has the permit to sell those Holi rugs. But the more surprising fact is that Bhopas are not the baniyas or business community.
They are basically a poetic community of Rajasthan who roam around from one place to another and write poems about their deities' heroism.
Bhopa’s also sell them in a very interesting manner. While unrolling the mat, they sing, they dance, their wives, I mean the Bhopis, hold the lamp and create a specific lighting, they create a total theatrical performance to narrate their deities ‘Birgatha’. Then they sell it.
Which deities are associated with Phad painting
Many art enthusiasts also claimed that more than just a cloth printing, it is nothing but a hand-painted manuscript.
The folk deity, Prabuji Rathod, was considered one of the most prominent Rajput chiefs who was born to an apsara and a mortal being. He protects the cattle and others from danger.
Dev Narayan was another folk deity, previously considered the bravest Gujjar warrior of his time. His followers considered him one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. He is still worshipped by gujjar community as it is believed he protected his community from ‘ Basuki Nag’.
In this cloth printing, the artisans don’t really follow the generic left-to-right timeline; instead, they place the main character at the central position in the rug, and then the stories associated with him revolve around the main picture of the deity.
It seems like the main picture is surrounded by the small stories associated with him.
The process of making phad painting
The process of making Phad is nothing but a prayer. A khaddar cloth is first starched with white flour. And then the cloth is polished with Mohra stone until it becomes as smooth as glass.
No cloth printing machine, not even any block printing, just the raw artistic skill of the joshi, which still makes this art one of the most attractive till now.
After the initial sketching with pure haldi, the orange colours are used for faces and limbs, a special chemical has been used for making the green colour, and for highlighting the cloths red colours are used. Black is used for the borders. But in the final stage, every single finger and nails are painted in detail to give the phad paint life.
The most mystical part is when the painting starts. It starts with a little girl’s stroke. But when it ends, the deity’s eyes are painted with a special Holi brush. It is said that the moment an artist paints the eyes, he breathes life into the figure.
When the painting becomes old, it is not thrown away. It undergoes a ceremony called ‘ Thanda Karma’, where it is washed with Ganga water or the Puskar water. It is believed that during this process, the divine power is removed from the rug.
This special phad-inspired painting is now used in the pallu of silk sarees, but this ancient painting still holds a different aura when it is done on 10/20 khaddar.
Despite of being in the driest and most dull place, Rajasthan contributes the most to the art and culture of India. How come a place where even drinking water is a survival becomes so rich artistically?
The answer lies in its sand. Explore it. Otherwise, you won’t understand that sand can also be as interesting as magic.
FAQs
1. Are phad painting and block printing the same?
No, Phad painting and block printing are not the same. Block paintings are done using the wooden blocks, while Phad is done by hand.
2. Which cloth printing machine is used to make Phad painting?
No, machines are not used for painting Phad; it is done just by using hands and years-long artistic skills.
3. Is phad printing available online?
No, Phad painting is not available online. If anyone wants to buy it they have to connect with Rajasthan’s Bhopa community to buy.
4. What is the Phad painting price?
The traditional 10/20 ft long painting can cost in lakhs, but now the customised paintings are also available. The price of these paintings depends basically on the size.