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as muse

KrishnaKrishnaLord Krishna holds a significant role in Hindu households. Some

women identify Him as a son while some romance with Him in their thoughts. Some try to inculcate Krishna’s sermons from Gita,

a Hindu scripture, into their lives. For Indian artists, however, He has always been an inspiration and muse.

Shweta Keshri

Notorious stories of Hindu deity Krishna as a child and adolescent has been passed over as legends for generations. His playfulness,

however, made Him more lovable. Such is the affection for Krishna that every year Janmashtami, the Deity’s birthday, which falls in August or September, is celebrated ardently. While the elderly engage with fasts and customs, the joy of Janmashtami is attained by the youth through festivities such as dahi handi and raas leela that depict tales from His life. Both these events remind of the mischievousness and notoriety of Lord Krishna in childhood and adolescence. For dahi handi (pot of yogurt), teams of young men form human towers to reach a pot that is hung high and break it, a reenactment of Krishna’s childhood when He would do the same in Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh. He is still called makhan chor (butter thief), a name given by the villagers. Whereas raas leela re-creates the flirtatious aspects of Krishna’s youthful days.

As a child, Lord Krishna was pampered by His mother Yashoda for whom the Deity was the centre of universe. He was friend, lover and confidante to the gopis (cow-herding girls in Vrindavan) as an adolescent. As an incarnation of Lord

Vishnu, one of the Trinity in Hinduism, He fought against evil and narrated Gita, the epic that later became one of the most important Hindu religious scriptures.

His various roles made Krishna a muse for Indian artists, who taking inspiration from His life depicted scenes or stories on canvas or even performed on stage. His numerous roles and characteristics stirred them to explore and play with the nuances of His personality and the art form as well. Pichwai is one such art form that has been practiced for 400 years.

Pichwai of NathdwaraPichwai literally means hanging at the

back. The art, true to its name, formed the backdrop of the idol of Lord Krishna in Nathdwara temple, 48 kilometres north-east of Udaipur in Rajasthan. The paintings predominantly depict the Shrinathji form of Lord Krishna. Shrinathji refers to the mythological story wherein Krishna lifts a hill to protect the people of Vrindavan during a stormy downpour. According to the legend, the Shrinathji emerged in the 15th century from the hills in Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, the birth-place of Krishna. A temple was built there and was held in high reverence. However, in 17th century, in the anticipation of a raid by Mughal King Aurangzeb who was ruthlessly destroying the Hindu temples,

it was decided to move it to Rajasthan, where Maharana Raj Singh, the Rajput king of the region, had promised to provide protect it. Along with the idol of Shrinathji, the Lord’s sevaks (caretakers) – the priests, halwais (confectioners), cows and their caretakers and the Pichwai painters also followed. It is said that on the way, one of the bullock carts got stuck and could not budge. Thus, it was decided to build the temple there in the city of Nathdwara. The town has beautifully taken in the culture of Mathura, with the market full of halwais making kachauris and rabris (dishes from Uttar Pradesh region of India).

Two Pichwai artists who had come along with their families settled behind the temple to create the chitrakaron ki galli (painters’ lane). Over generations, as

Pichwai Paintings

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the art grew, so did the artists’ families and they slowly occupied the entire colony.

Pichwai paintings are made in various ways. They can be hand painted, woven, made of brocade, studded with mirrors, pearls, semi precious stones. The specific use of a painted pichwai goes back to 1739 when an artist, Govardhanesh, offered Lord Shrinathji a painted pichwai. Most of the pichwais in the temple of Lord Shrinathji at Nathdwara are from the 19th and 20th century that have been preserved by the temple authorities. Sukhdev and Ghasiram Haridas Sharma, considered to be the legends of this art in the 19th century, are amongst the earliest artists to create exquisite pichwais.

Some notable contemporary artists from these families include Vishnu

Kumar Sharma, Raghunandan Sharma, Kanhaiya Lal Sharma and Ghanshyam Sharma Jangir. The artist community, however, also grew with Guru-Shishya Parampara (teacher-disciple lineage), still practiced to train pupils who do not hail from traditional lineage. Rajaram Sharma, for instance, is one such Pichwai painter who was mentored by Tulsidas Chitrakar in Nathdwara for 13 years from 1976-1989. He is now based in Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Part of Nathdwara School of art in Rajasthan, Pichwai is identified by characteristic features of large eyes, broad nose and a heavy body, similar to the features on the idol of Shrinathji. From decorating the walls of the temples originally, the paintings now also adorn the living rooms of houses. Pichwai

artists’ life in Nathdawara revolves around Krishna, who features in their prayers, in the literature they read and even is the object of their romance and of course their artworks. Different instances from Krishna’s life such as raas leela or playful scenes with mother Yashoda are depicted. The paintings are made for different occasions, seasons and festivals relevant to life of Krishna. However, artists are now exploring different themes on demand. A typical Pichwai painting is done on a cotton cloth with the size depending on the idol of the deity in temple or as per the order placed by the buyer in modern times.

On a starched cloth, the painter first makes a rough sketch and then fills in the colours. Traditionally natural colours and brushes made of horse, goat or squirrel

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and sentimental attachment towards art and its practice that may get reflected in that work. The rising expense and unavailability of colours and other materials also cause a threat to this art and its buyers.

Krishna’s birthday Janmashtami is an important occasion not only for the artists and people of Nathdwara, but also for thousands of devotees who visit the temple from all over the country on this day. While some artists take this as an auspicious occasion to start their new work, the lives of the other people revolve around the temple. From garments and jewelry for the Lord, to food offerings and hotels for tourists, the town thrives on business generated because of and for the temple. Even after 400 years, the rituals and traditions and the devotion towards the deity remain the same. n

hair were used, but now lesser expensive materials have replaced them. Stone, earth, vegetable and metallic are the types of colours used. These colours are mixed together with gum before being used. Some artists add pure gold and silver in the paintings to highlight jewels as it adds to their value and charm. They are used in the form of vark or foil. It takes a minimum of one month to finish a painting and the cost depends on the amount of time, money, manpower and materials invested. The artworks cost upwards of USD 750. Wealthy families, trustees or devotees generally commission paintings for temples and purchase for their homes. The art also attracts buyers from countries such as USA, France, Germany and the UAE.

Pichwai has evolved with time in terms of size and theme. Artist Rajaram Sharma says,” It is important to keep

up with the current times and cater to the demands of the people to keep the art alive. Pichwai too has experienced changes in terms of themes and sizes as per the requests. These changes have not only been appreciated but are often affordable as well.” Although this has helped artists to get sufficient work and support their families, he feels that too much change may adulterate the art and its authenticity.

While the art has reached from temples to the drawing rooms, increasing the reach of artists, there are a few challenges that it still faces. The artists, in response to the demands and their livelihood, are experimenting with art form in modern times that may have adverse impact on its originality. Also with the changing generation and more people coming for apprenticeships, there is a lack of deeper understanding

Based in Udaipur, Rajaram Sharma, is a Pichwai artist who comes from a humble background in Bhilwara, a small town in Rajasthan. Born in 1963 in a sculptor family, he was sent to learn Pichwai from Tulsidas Chitrakar in Nathdwara. He later worked under B. G. Sharma, a famous artist from Udaipur, Rajasthan. Under Guru-Shishya Parampara (teacher-disciple lineage), he learnt and practiced Pichwai for 22 years after which he started working independently since 1998. He has won many awards, the most recent being All India Award of Traditional Art, at Kolkata, West Bengal in 2010. His work has been exhibited at numerous places like Victoria Monroe Art Gallery in Boston, USA; The Drawing Room Gallery in New York, USA and Lalit Kala Academy in New Delhi, India. He believes that it is necessary to spread awareness about the art for its growth and has participated in a number of workshops. Although he has done experiments in his work, he feels too much modernization may affect its authenticity. He is also training other apprentices, besides his son, who, he hopes, will follow in his foot steps.

Artist in focusRajaram Sharma