Unrolling Sacred Legends

In a conversation with MARWAR India, master phad artist Prakash Joshi shares insights into this beautiful art form.

- Text * Brinda Gill Photos * Prakash Joshi

The phad is a time-honoured, sacred, hand-painted narrative scroll.

It has evolved from the meeting of priest-bards from the Marwar region and artists from the Mewar region of Rajasthan.

Q. Could you please introduce us to phads?

A. The phad is a long panel filled with hand-painted pictorial narratives arranged in horizontal bands. Traditionally, phads depict gods and folk hero-deities. They feature different events related to their incarnations and/or lives. These narratives highlight attributes such as divinity, kingship, valour, and wisdom. The panels are filled with finely painted figures of deities, the hero-deity, men, women, animals, buildings and the landscape depending on the story being told. The events unfold in chronological order so it is easy for the viewer to understand the narration.

The word 'phad' is derived from the Hindi word 'padh' that means to read. Thus, phad literally means to read a painting. Traditionally, phads have been painted for bhopas, priests-cum-bards, who recount narratives painted on them to an audience. Carrying the rolled-up scrolls from place to place, the bhopas would unroll them when required, transforming the phad into a kind of portable shrine. Through this tradition, bhopas preserved historical narratives and legends of gods, kings, and local heroes, while the artists sustained the parallel tradition of painting.

Q. Where and when did the tradition of phad painting originate?