The Sacred Colors

One can distinctly hear the grinding of colors on stone slabs at Chitrashala, where a 700-year-old tradition of Phad Chitra has been practiced and nurtured by Kalyan Joshi and his family and students. This practice of color-making was a ritual process as the art of making Phads was more than for decorative purposes, rather it was the coming together of three communities to deify the local heroes of Bhilwara, Pabuji, and Devnarayan. Phad is a religious scroll art, originating from the Bhilwara district drawing its meaning from the local Rajasthani language, symbolizing "fold”.

These intricate artworks vividly narrate the tales of local deities and heroic figures revered by the Rabari tribe in Rajasthan. Among the community, the ‘Chippas’ painters were tasked with creating beautiful scroll paintings that the Bhopas, who assumed the roles of priest-singers, would carry akin to mobile temples often at the house of the patron.

Image Caption- Detail of Story of Pabuji by Kalyan Joshi. Image courtesy of the artist.

These Phads were traditionally painted with natural colors, prepared by the women folk of the household, using gum, powdered earthen color, water, indigo, or vegetable colors. The colors are arduously extracted from natural sources such as stones, flowers, and herbs. The painting of the Phad commences with a prayer. The first stroke of the painting brush was done by a virgin girl of the household, as she was considered a symbol of purity and a manifestation of the Divine Mother or Goddess.

Tree of Life, Natural Stone Colors on Canvas, 80 x 48 In. Kalyan Joshi

The Joshi family, who comes from the ‘Chippa’ caste and has for almost 700 years carried on this sacred tradition but it isn’t just giving life to art where the tale of these colors ends. After serving their purpose, Phads that begin to show fade and damage are then immersed in the Pushkar Lake as part of the ritual ‘Tandakarna’. Artists like Kalyan Joshi believe in the sacredness of art, for them the act that begins with the making of color comes full circle with immersion where the cloth vanishes and the color mixes with the water. They call it ‘cooling the divine power’.