3. Rajasthan, the largest state of India (3,42,239sq,km.) situated in the
northwestern part of the Indian Union (23 30’ and 30 11’ North latitude
and 69 29’ and 78 17’ East longitude) is largely an arid state for most of
its part. The Tropic of Cancer passes through south of Banswara town.
presenting an irregular rhomboid shape, the state has a maximum length of
869 km. from west to east and 826 km. from north to south. The western
boundry of the state is part of the Indo-pak international boundary,
running to an extent of 1,070 km. It touches four main districts of region,
namely, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Ganganagar. The state is girdled
by punjab and Haryana states in the north, Uttar Pradesh in the east,
Madhya Pradesh in the southeast and Gujarat in the southwest.
.
Rajasthan has exhibited spectacular
progress in several areas like
agricultural production, harnessing of
mineral resources, development of
transport and communication, and the
production of energy resources but the
rate of progress and plans of economic
development have been slowed to a
large extent by a parallel growth of
human population and livestock. Human
resources are, therefor, to be geared
into the channel of economic progress
while taking care to arrest their
future growth-rate.
9. Pichwai painting is a form of traditional fabric painting
that is rooted in Rajasthan, India. Pichwais are more
refined and detailed than Phads.They are created and
used as backdrops in the Shrinathji temple at with the
utmost devotion of the painters. Presently Pichwais
arNathdwara and in other Krishna temples.The main
theme of these paintings is Shrinathji and his exploits.
Pichwais are painted, printed with handblocks, woven,
embroidered or decorated in appliqué. Pichwais are
done in dark rich hues on rough hand spun cloth.These
paintings have deep religious roots and are executed e
painted in Udaipur and Nathdwara.The pichwai of
Nathdwara, is an embroidered cloth-hanging used as a
decoration in temples and temple-chariots.
History of PICHWAI paintings
10. Pichwai paintings…………
Pichwais are decorative curtain cloths used as a background for religious images in a
shrine.
These can be brocaded block printed, embroidered, or worked in gold threads. In the
simplest form, they can be secular in nature, and are painted in huge quantities for sale to
tourists.
The Pichwai developed when theVallabhaichari sect created 24 iconographic rendering
as a background for the Krishna image at Nathdwara.
Each of these images were linked with a
particular festival or celebration.While
elements appear ‘frozen’.The elements like
thimages from Nathdwara are instantly
recognizable in the way Krishna is painted,
and in the decorative element that
embellishes the cloth, the traditional pichwai
consist of starched, handspun cloth
The format of the pichwai is static, where
even the natural e sun, moon, stars, or
even lighting appeared in the painting.
Motif and Design:
11. Pichwai as the backdrop
The pichwais provide the backdrop of
the drama that is to unfold, setting the
mood of the painting and the emotion
to be conveyed. Shan explained,
"Srinath ji is treated like a young
prince, symbolic of all the luxuries of
life, he is not an idol but is looked
upon as a living entity." There is a
unique fusion of a deep sense of
spirituality, which makes Shan
combine artistry with his "seva"
Each pichwai denotes the seva of
Srinath ji in a different season. The
summer pichwai has pink lotuses as the
backdrop while the winter pichwai has
an intricate jamawar pattern, providing
the warmth needed for the season. The
main pichwai that denotes the
"Anukooth", the day after Deepavali
when Srinath ji lifted the Govardhan
parvat, has the deity in a silver poshak,
exquisitely decorated with pearls,
dabka, zardozi work. It is a technique
that employs high relief on a stellar,
going back to the Mughal times. The
yearly calendar of worship is divided
fairly among Srinath ji's friends.
12. TheYamuna seva is during the summer
months to keep him cool, Radha seva
during the saavan-bhaado, Lalita seva
during winters to keep him warm and
Chandrika seva during the exuberant
months of spring.The theme of the
pichwais varies according to the season
and its moods.
With a slight bent towards encouraging a
certain degree of ritualism in this day and
age of
globalisatio
nand the tech revolution, Shan is
clear in his mind, saying, "technology
and beliefs are two separate issues, one
can move forward but still go back to
one's roots and the aesthetics from a
major part of the art form."
13. The outlines of the pichwai
are dark and it is patterned
with colourful embroidery;
gold thread is used in some
to highlight the design.
Bright color used like that of
RED,BLUE,GREEN,YELLOW
,PINK,BLACK ,PURPLE
WHITE,etc.When the
pichwai is appliquéd, the
background is in red cotton
while the stitches are in
cream, green, yellow, and
black; white is used for the
outlines. Gota work is done
on velvet and are on
Materials used :
18. Its also done in shoes ,bags,and
different types of handloom items…
19. This pichwai painting
depicting 'the queen
cavalcade' is a work of
utmost craftsmanship of
our artisans. This painting
depicts the glorious past of
India by displaying a queen
seated on elephant
and her courtiers walking
alongside. It is painted in
dark rich hues on rough
hand spun cloth. This a
form of traditional fabric
painting of Rajasthan and
is used as a decoration in
23. paintings are those made
on cloth, known as
pichavais, and intended
as backdrops for the
statue of the temple
deity. Originally, these
were made for different
seasons and festivals for
use at worship but later
they came to be sold to
pilgrims. In this thin layer
of starch is applied on the
cloth and painting is
done in tempera.
24. Nathdwara has 150 painters
in the pichavai technique,
Jaipur 20, and Udaipur 6.
Shahpura in Bhilwara has 20
phad painters and Udaipur 4
its generally worked on thick
and hand wooven cotton cloth.