Traditional pabuji ki phad 3
Description
Created in 2004, this National Merit Award-winning Phad painting offers an expansive visual narrative of the life and legends of the folk deity Pabu ji Rathore. The composition meticulously follows the traditional storytelling structure used by Bhopa and Bhopi oral narrators, opening with auspicious invocations of Lord Ganesha, the Dashavatara, and other sacred scripts. The artwork captures the quest for his famous mare, Kesar Kalmi, and his subsequent meeting with the deity Goga ji.
A central theme involves Pabu ji fulfilling a promise made at his niece Kelam's wedding to provide camels as a gift. Much like Lord Rama sent Hanuman to find Sita, Pabu ji dispatches his trusted aide, Harmal, to Lankeya (in modern-day Pakistan) to locate the animals. The painting illustrates the strategic mission to retrieve the camels, the romantic union with Princess Phulwanti in Soda, and the ultimate sacrifice where Pabu ji achieves martyrdom while defending a Charani woman’s cows.