Devnarayan Ki Phad
Encyclopedia
Devnarayan Ki Par or Devnarayan Ki Phad (Gujari or Rajasthani
Rajasthani language
Rajasthani Rajasthani Rajasthani (Devanagari: , Perso-Arabic: is a language of the Indo-Aryan languages family. It is spoken by 50 million people in Rajasthan and other states of India and in some areas of Pakistan. The number of speakers may be up to 80 million worldwide...

:देवनारायण की फड़) are cloth paintings which depict the legend of Devnarayan
Devnarayan
Shri Devnarayan , an ancient Gurjar warrior from Rajasthan who is believed to have been an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is worshipped as a folk deity, mostly in Rajasthan and north-western Madhya Pradesh.According to tradition, he was born to Sri Savai Bhoj and Sadu mata Gurjari on the seventh day...

, a medieval hero venerated as a folk-deity. Traditionally, they are used to accompany a ritual in which the heroic deeds of Devnarayan are sung or recited by priests. Devnarayan is worshipped as an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

, mostly in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

 and Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....

. According to the legend, he was incarnated in Vikram Samvat in 968 as the son of Gurjar warrior Sawai Bhoj Bagaravat and his wife Saadu Maata Gurjari.

Devnarayan Ki Par contains 335 songs in all. The entire narration, recorded in 1,200 foolscap pages, runs nearly 15,000 verse lines. A professional Bhopa must remember all these songs by heart.

Devnarayan Ki Par

The Par of Devnarayan is largest among the popular Pars in Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

. The painted area of Devnarayan Ki Par is 170 square feet (i.e. 34' x 5'). Some other Pars are also prevalent in Rajasthan, but being of recent origin they are not classical in composition.
Devnarayan Ki Par has the following attributes:
  • The Devnarayan Ki Par has large and small figures. The largest of them occupy the centre and the second-largest figures are situated in the central part of the Par.
  • The painting is full of many sections as well as subsections. The borders contain decorative geometrical designs.
  • The depicted scenes of the Par are related to a number of events including wars, hunting, and Sati burning
    Sati (practice)
    For other uses, see Sati .Satī was a religious funeral practice among some Indian communities in which a recently widowed woman either voluntarily or by use of force and coercion would have immolated herself on her husband’s funeral pyre...

    .
  • The colors of the clothes, horses, and weapons identify the characters. Usually the faces of the figures are rigid.
  • The composition of the Par can be horizontal, vertical, or curved.
  • The Devnarayan Ki Par also includes figures of the Hindu
    Hindu
    Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

     gods such as Rama
    Rama
    Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...

    , Krishna
    Krishna
    Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

    , and Narsimha.
  • Horses and elephants are the main carriers of the legends and followers.
  • Trees and flowers also have their places in the Par but sometimes they are used just as gap fillers.
  • The figure of a cow is given a special appearance. It can be clearly distinguished from other figures.
  • Some faces are drawn in side poses, though sitting figures have a static form.
  • The Par is painted in five colors − orange, red, grey, green, and yellow. Each color has some significance, e.g. orange signifies the human face and body, and red signifies dress.
  • The standing cobra
    Cobra
    Cobra is a venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. However, not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family. The name is short for cobra capo or capa Snake, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood", or "hood-snake"...

     in front of a figure signifies Devnarayan who rides on Basag Nag
    Nagaraja
    Nagaraja is a Sanskrit word from naga and raj meaning King of Snakes. It is applied to three main deities, Anantha , Takshak, and Vasuki. Anantha, Vasuki and Takshak are brothers, children of Kashyap and Kadru, who are the parents of all snakes...

    , the king of snakes. All the male figures carry weapons such as swords, spears, and shields.


Reading the Devnarayan Ki Par

The color red dominates the Devnarayan Ki Par. Reading of the Par is started from the central figure of Shri Devnarayan. For the purpose of reading, the Par can be divided in three pars. Part A extends from the left to the central figure of Lord Devnarayan. Part B begins with the figure of Devnarayan and ends with the fourth-largest figure, Devnarayan's cousin Bhangi Ji. The rest is part C.
The Par reading is initiated with prayers or aarati of Lord Devnarayan and other gods such as Ganesha
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...

.

The figure of Lord Devnarayan is the largest in the Par. The central and largest figure of Lord Devnarayan is shown seated on Basag Nag (king of snakes) and the side view of Deoji has a sharp nose and prominent golden ornament. From the ear hangs a large golden ornament which most of the Gurjars still wear in Rajasthan. In one hand, there is a flower, while in the other, the Khanda (a sword).

The Bhopa

Bhopa, the narrator, is the main singer who presents the Par to the audience with explanation and poetic narrations. The Bhopa use instruments such as Jantar when the Par is presented to the audience. The study of narrators and folk epics has been undertaken in other countries such as Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

. In Russia, these narrators are known as Zhiraus and Baksi. But the tradition of Par painting where Bhopas not only dance and sing but use a painting in their narration is found only in Rajasthan.

There are three types of Bhopas of the god Devnarayan. They are:
  • The Temple Bhopa: The Temple Bhopa is a priest who takes care of the temple. He offers daily Puja and prayers to the God Devnarayan, preaches to believers about the religious calender, and gives advice on religious matters. He takes care of the Pars which Par Bhopas put in the temple, to prevent any damage when they are not in use.
  • The Jamat Bhopa: Among Devji's followers, only persons from the Gurjar community can join the Jamats. There are three Jamats among the Gurjars. The Jamat of Shri Sawai Bhoj, father of Lord Devnarayan, is of highest importance and enjoys more respect than any other.
  • The Par Bhopa: Par Bhopas are part-time narrators and are generally found in groups of two. One of them is the Paatavi, the chief, and the other is Diyaala, the assistant, who carries a lamp. At the time of performance, the Paatavi Bhopa holds the Par and the Diyala holds the burning lamp (diya). The Par Bhopa belongs to various castes. The Par Bhopas of Devnarayan belong to the Gurjar, Rajput
    Rajput
    A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...

    , Kumbhars, and Balai communities. A few Par Bhopas live in Mavali, Mandal, and some other villages, but a majority of them reside in the Marwar
    Marwar
    Marwar is a region of southwestern Rajasthan state in western India. It lies partly in the Thar Desert. In Rajasthani dialect "wad" means a particular area. The word Marwar is derived from Sanskrit word 'Maruwat'. English translation of the word is 'The region of desert'., The Imperial Gazetteer...

     area of Rajasthan, in the Nagaur
    Nagaur
    Nagaur is a city in the state of Rajasthan in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Nagaur District. The Nagaur city lies about midway between Jodhpur and Bikaner. It was founded by the Naga Kshatriyas.- History :...

     district of Jodhpur
    Jodhpur
    Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...

     division.

Performance of the Par

The performance of the Par starts after sunset. The Par Bhopa sprinkles water over the ground, followed by touching it with a gold piece to make the ground holy. Usually the Par performance is done at a place where devotees of Devnarayanji reside.
The Par performance is continued until dawn by the Par Bhopas. Initially only the Paatavi Bhopa sings the hymn of Devji, followed by the Diyala Bhopa. The whole epic, including the war of Bagaravats with Durjansaal and incarnation of Lord Vishnu as Shri Devnarayan, is sung by the Bhopas.

Maintenance of the Par

The priests or Bhopas of the god Devnarayan
Devnarayan
Shri Devnarayan , an ancient Gurjar warrior from Rajasthan who is believed to have been an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is worshipped as a folk deity, mostly in Rajasthan and north-western Madhya Pradesh.According to tradition, he was born to Sri Savai Bhoj and Sadu mata Gurjari on the seventh day...

 are expected to know how to take care of the Par. The Bhopa offers prayers to it three times a day while playing a Jantar and lighting incense sticks. The Par of Devnarayan is kept vertical against a wall in the temple of Devji. It is not touched with unclean hands, and is only kept in holy places.

Accessories of The Par

There are things which need to be kept along with the Par. These are the Baaaga (red skirt), a red jholi (peacock feather), and a bagatari. The Bhopas try to increase their knowledge pertaining to the epic of Devnarayan when they gather on some occasions. Bhopas from the Gurjar community generally gather at Pushkar
Pushkar
Pushkar is a town in the Ajmer district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is situated at 14 km North West from Ajmer at an average elevation of 510 metres , and is one of the five sacred dhams...

, a religious place for the Gurjars since ancient times. Priests at Pushkar Temple are only from the Gurjar community.
Bhopas of the god Devnarayan play an important role in promoting solidarity in the community and preserving its culture.

Another famous Par painting is Pabuji Ki Phad
Pabuji Ki Phad
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....

, though it is not as large as Devnarayanji ki Par. Pabuji Ki Phad is painted on a 15 x 5 ft. canvas.
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