Tales Of Pithora Painting

The story of the deity "Pithora' is a very popular legend amongst the tribes.

King of Gods, Raja Indra had seven sisters. One day, one of his sisters, Rani Kali Koyal went into the forest where she met Raja Kanjurana. She had an affair with him and after 9 months and 9 days, she gave birth to a son. Since she was still a maiden, out of fear of her brother, Raja Indra, she set the child a float in a stream. That day Rani Kajal and Rani Makher (Indra's other sisters) went to fetch water from the stream and found the baby crying. Rani Kajal fed milk of Akda / Banyan tree flowers to the baby and bathed him with seven kinds of auspicious things. She named the baby "Pithora and took him to the palace with her.

As the time passed, Pithora grew into a fine boy. One day when he was playing, he broke Rani Kajal's earthen pot. This made her angry and she scolded him saying, "As it is, your maternal uncle holds the share of the entire kingdomShe indirectly told him that Raja Indra is his maternal uncle.

Hearing this, Pithora decided to find out who his parents are. He went to Raja Indra's court and introduced himself. After hearing his story, King Indra accepted him into the family with great joy and decided to find a suitable bride for him. But Pithora needed to know about his parents, if he wished to be married. So Raja Indra invited a grand court.

He invited everyone; all the gods and goddesses, king and queens, noblemen and respected citizens. When Pithora came in the court, he pointed at Raja Kanjurana and identified him as his father.

After much rejoicing, a grand wedding ceremony was arranged and Pithora wed Pithori. All the gods and goddesses attended the wedding. They arrived on horses and elephants. Hence Pithora painting has gods arriving on horse along with Pithora and Pithori.

Motif of Pithora Painting

Motif Description

Main Motifs

Baba Ganeh is the first motif, drawn customarily on the right side of the painting. He is usually painted in blue and carries a ‘hukka’. Important festivals and occasions commence with the worship of Baba Ganeh among the Rathva. Rathvas also worship Baba Ganeh as Ganpati Dada who always has an elephant’s trunk. In the Pithora painting, Baba Ganeh is characterized as a father figure. A folk song first narrates the story behind the worship of Baba Ganeh. Once upon a time, Baba Ind called for a grand congregation of all gods in his court. En route to the court, the chariot of the gods got stuck. Despite all efforts, the chariot couldn’t be moved. The gods concluded that Baba Ganeh was behind this event. They called upon him for help and thereafter invited him to Baba Ind’s court. From that day on, it is mandated that before every ceremony Baba Ganeh’s name will be taken.

Baba Ind is the lord of rain and protector of all animals. He is the brother of Rani Kajal, Rani Kali Koyal and maternal uncle of Baba Pithora. In the Pithora painting, he is portrayed as strong, young and brave with a parrot in his hand. The Rathvas undertake a vow to Baba Ind to seek a boon for better health of family members and livestock, good yield of crops, and most importantly a boon for a child. In Chhota Udepur and Panchmahal districts of Gujarat, every five years the celebration of a festival of Baba Ind takes place in several villages, where traditional songs are sung, dances are performed to the music of the dhol and pehi, while Badva performs rituals.

Baba Pithora is the primary god of the Rathva. He is the son of Rani Kali Koyal and Kandu Raja. Rani Kajal brought him up. In his childhood, he hid himself in the wall and selected the wall as his seat, which is why his painting is installed on the wall.

In Pithora painting, he is portrayed as young, strong and manly with a parrot and a flower in his hand. Baba Pithora for the Rathva is a conglomeration of different gods, animals, nature, and all creations of the universe.

Pithori Rani is the wife of Baba Pithora and daughter of Abho Kunbi. In the Pithora painting, she carries a fan in her hand. She is worshipped during times of erratic monsoons.

In the painting, she is portrayed as celestial and a devoted wife ready to aid her husband in all his endeavours.

Rani Kajal is the sister of Baba Ind and foster mother of Baba Pithora. She rescued Pithora as a child from the sea and looked after him. He raised a child by giving milk to the akdo tree.

In the Pithora painting, she is painted on the left side and has a very important status as a mother. She carries a comb in her hand, which symbolizes her ability to cleanse the world. She is also worshipped as Kuldevi of the goddess of the clan because, during farming, harvesting, catling and in the rainy season people take a vow of this kuldevi. The temple of Rani Kajal is on a mountain near Mathvad village near river Narmada along the borders of

Baar Matha

no Dhani (The Enlightened One with 12 Heads)

protects the Adivasi from all 12 directions. He possesses knowledge of the universe, and protects living organisms and nature, and is a very brave deity.

In Pithora painting, he is portrayed holding Nagdevta (Lord of Snakes) in his hands along with swords. Baar Matha no Dhani offered protection to Rani Kali Koyal when she was in labour, which is why he is an essential and recurring character in most of the Pithora paintings. Several scholars compare this Rathva deity with Ravana from Ramayana, but the Rathva claim that they are not the same and are decisively different.

Raja Bhoj and his elephant was a great, rich and generous king who was very benevolent to his subjects.

He would organize a grand celebration of the Dussehra festival, and would himself join the procession on his elephant. During the festival, they eat adad na vada, chicken, &liquor.

In the Pithora painting, he is always portrayed riding an elephant with a huge Ambadi or an umbrella. Raja Bhoj looks after agriculture, livestock and rain on the earth, which is why he is also known as Raja Bavaji.

Abho Kunbi and Mathari (the farming couple) are creators of the art of farming. They are also credited with teaching this art to the human race.

They taught them how to sow seeds, prepare fields for sowing, till farms, harvesting, and all associated activities related to farming and agriculture. Pithori Rani, the wife of Baba Pithora is the daughter of Abho Kunbi and Mathari.

Nakti Bhuten is portrayed on a white horse, placed on the left of the Pithora painting. He is the protector of the household and is very different from other gods and goddesses. His appearance is very fierce and he is a very powerful deity.

Lakhari and Jokhari (authors of future) according to the traditional beliefs, on the fifth or sixth day after a child’s birth, Lakhari and Jokhari visit their homes to write their future. It is said whatever predictions are made on this occasion never fail to materialize.

In the story of Baba Pithora, Lakhari and Jokhari wrote about his future on the wall, the chosen seat of Baba Pithora. It is since then the tradition of painting Pithora on the wall has begun, and Lakhari and Jokhari are portrayed in the painting.

Purvaj na Panch Ghoda (five horses of ancestors) in memory of their ancestors, the Rathva places intricately carved wooden horses either in the farms or in their homes. They recognize these artefacts as Khatrij Dev. The Khatrij Dev is the first deity to be worshipped on all important occasions and festivals. They also believe that if they don’t worship Khatrij dev then some kind of bad omen occurs in their house. Thus every year, each family organizes a village feast in memory of their ancestors. In the Pithora painting, Purvaj na Panch Ghoda are a symbolic representation of the ancestors of the com-

Motifs of Nature

The sky, gods, earth, human beings, vegetation, animals, birds and all living creatures of the universe are comprehensively incorporated in the Pithora painting of the Rathva community. They exhibit a prudent understanding of the universe through the medium of their painting. The recurring motifs related to elements of nature are the sun, moon, and trees that are considered holy by the Rathva.

The Sun is a living god for all living beings of the universe. He is known as Huriyadev by the Rathva and is considered the universal guardian. During, solar eclipse, they believe that pregnant women and children should remain at home. This eclipse is very powerful and can have a bad effect on them.

Stars is also considered as a god. Mediya star is known as the head of the universe, other than that Juhi star, Pheni star, Heni star, Kamal star, Popat star etc. these all-stars are also known as Devlok. Thus, they can recognize time by the position of stars.

The Moon is considered a god and is also known as Handaryo Dev by the Rathva community. They also recognize eclipses and if it remains as a half moo during the lunar eclipse which means debt or bad omen is going to happen with cattle, or with crops. So, this signal to them to be awake through their famous kikiyari howl.

The branches of the Kadam tree are important in the ritual of the Pithora painting. The family of Ghardhani takes out a procession to the nearest Kadam tree to gather its branches; the dhol and pehi are played in the background.

The Tad and Khajoori trees can be seen extensively in Adivasi areas. The tad tree yields a sweet fruit called tadkali which is used to make nira, which is a very healthy and medicinal drink and is the main ingredient for making the alcohol drink called tadi. The leaves of the tad tree were used for making roofs and walls of Rathva homes and used as a medium to write on. Similarly, the khajoori tree has many uses apart from its fruit khajoor (dates).

Motifs of Animals

The Adivasi have a vast tradition exemplifying their unique closeness to nature, living in harmony with the animal kingdom. A wide range of animals is portrayed in the Pithora painting of the Rathvas.

The Saval Dharmi Ghoda (horses of civic righteousness) are an important element of the Pithora painting. In the cultural tradition of the Adivasi, there are several mentions of the great exploits of heroes, and Saval Dharmi Ghoda represents in green colour horses which signify for farming purposes in the Pithora paintings.

Cow, Buffalo & Goat, The Rathvas consider the buffalo and cow holy animals. Their produce - milk, buttermilk, dung, curd etc. and are extremely important in the lives of the Rathva. Cow dung is also utilized in several ceremonies of the Baba Pithora ritual. The Rathva’s believe that the goat was the first animal to be domesticated by their ancestors. The working class of the Adivasi community often rear goats to meet their milking needs. The goat is an important part of the Baba Pithora ritual since it is a common choice for animal sacrifice.

Lion, Tiger & Camel, Lion is the symbol of strength and religion; he is also the most powerful animal and a vehicle of several gods. Tiger is portrayed as the protector in the painting. Lion and tiger are portrayed atop the celestial gate, as they protect the inhabitants. The Rathva, Nayak and Tadvi communities celebrate a ritual to entice the rain when people in the costume of camels go out in procession. This ritual is called untadi kadvi ('bring out the camel'). Camel is also known as ‘Handarchiyo dev’.

Deer, Chicken & Peacock, Deer is considered a symbol of beauty, naivete, honesty and a lover of music by the Rathva. In Pithora paintings, sometimes a two-headed deer is also portrayed. Chicken is another common choice for animal sacrifice. The peacock features in the Pithora paintings as a vehicle of the goddess.

The Koyal bird features in the Pithora painting as a symbolic representation of Rani Kali Koyal, the birth mother of Baba Pithora and the most beautiful sister of Baba Ind.

Mamo Karodiyo is considered the maternal uncle of Baba Pithora. Once upon a time, when Baba Pithora was on a quest to meet Baba Ind and needed to climb to heaven, he sought the aid of Mama Karodiyo who helped him climb up to heaven on his web. This is how Mamo Karodiyo found his way into Pithora painting.

Ashad has two interpretations in the Pithora painting of the Rathva. The first states that it is a canopy for the procession of gods and goddesses while the other interprets it as a symbolic border of a village.

Motifs of Human Activities

Pithora painting shows several human characters and scenes of daily activities: the Bhuva conducting ceremonies, the village tradesman, the hunter, policeman, village postman, alcohol making, buttermilk churning, women drawing water from wells or hand pumps, men and women dancing.

Pithora painting also depicts instruments of daily life.