Pabuji Ki Phad is a religious scroll painting of folk deities, which is used for a musical rendition of the only surviving ancient traditional folk art form in the world of the epic of
Pabuji, the
Rathod Rajput chief.
Bhopas of Pabusar are the bards and also priests who are the traditional narrators of this art form. The
Phad is also spelt as “Par.” This art form is popular in the
Indian state of
Rajasthan. Literally, 'Pabuji Ki Phad' translates in to two versions namely, “The Screen of Pabuji
or O, Read of Pabuji!. Pabuji is also known as "the Ascetic Deity of Sand Desert".
The three basic features associated with this art form are: the epic story of Pabuji, the Rathod chief of Rajasthan in the 14th century, who is extolled as an incarnation of
Hindu God, and worshipped by the
Rabari tribals of Rajasthan; the
Phad or
Par, which is a long scroll painting (or sewn) made on cloth, with the martial heroics of Pabuji richly displayed for worship; and the
bard priests, known as the
Bhopas (who belong to the cult of Pabhuji) of the
nomadic tribe of
Nayakas and specialists in narrating the story of the Pabuji in their sartorial best through the medium of the Phads...
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