PAINTINGS
PITHORA PAINTINGS - Gujarat
April 2006
Pithoro
called Babo Pithoro by the tribals is one of the many deities worshipped
in the region and this Pithora style of folk painting is a way of appeasing
the Gods and not a decorative wall piece.
The walls of the houses are painted
by professional artists belonging to the Rathawa caste. The owner
of the house prays for deliverance from evil and bad times (be it illness,
lack of rains, low harvest yields) with the promise of getting a pithora
painted.
Since the painting is done only by
professionals, it is an expensive affair and the owner gets it done when
it suits him. If a pithora painting is already done on a wall, it
is redone.
The main wall in the
house is prepared, along with the adjacent walls. The surface is
coated with a plaster of clay & cow dung, by the young unmarried girls.
The actual painting is done on a Wednesday. The rituals start a day
earlier. On the Tuesday, the walls are whitewashed. The white
dry clay is brought in five new baskets covered with five pieces of new
cloth.
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