The Pithora Art: Sacred Narratives and Heritage

A plethora is generally depicted in terms of a marriage procession of Babo Pithora with Pithori Devi. The most significant of the elements in a pithora are the horses in the uppermost row (usually five, of Ganesha, Babo Pithora, Pithori Devi, Indra (the king of all Gods) and Hudol (the benevolent female spirit) whom they worship. There are other horses of other Gods and figures in the Bhil history such as Queen Tejal, Queen Kajal, the Goddess of Crops, etc. as important participants in the marriage procession. There is a black elephant of the legendary King Bhoj. The sun is painted in the uppermost left corner and the moon in the upper-most right corner. The border depicts a mountain range. Within the Sun and the Moon that depict the boundaries of the universe are the seven hills where the Bhils reside. Pithora paintings are characterized by their seven horses enclosed within a rectangular fence in the painting that defines this geographical area. This rectangle usually extends up to the Arabian Sea in the west, Bharuch in the south and Indore in the north and east. The wavy line depicting the river Narmada cuts through the painting. Things like fields, trees, farms, wildlife, and birds are present in their relative positions on the map along with people and their ancestors. Even modern elements like railway tracks, aeroplanes, and computers feature in the paintings, thus making the Pithora paintings a real description of the world of the Bhil tribe. Pithora painting has various Connotations

Every pithora on the wall, however, has to be approved by the shaman at the end of the five-day ritual and the marks (dots) of approval can also be seen in the pithora on fabric. A pithora might even have mythological figures such as the Ravana from the Ramayana. Every pithora has a boundary and an entrance (in the middle of the lower border) guarded by two panthers snatching a pig and a village guard. Pithora Paintings are very significant in the lives of this tribe and the application of such paintings brings happiness, peace and prosperity. They are a medium that denotes auspicious occurrences in the community and family and depict vital occasions such as weddings, childbirth, festivals etc. It is a ritual painting and is believed to bring prosperity and good luck to the family. The ritual is conducted in order to express appreciation and gratitude to Pithora Baba. The Badwa is called upon whenever there is any problem in a household such as sick children or cattle. The Badwa suggests a probable solution along with the painting of a Pithora. A Pithora is usually a 3-wall affair and is situated at the entrance, called Osari, inside the walls of the initial room or outside the first front wall. The painting is done throughout the entire wall and 2 other walls on both sides of it.

The walls are first plastered with 2 layers of cow dung and a layer of white chalk powder. The raw materials are arranged by unmarried girls in the tribe. The process is known as Lipna. The main wall, which is the largest, is considered sacred and paintings of legends of creation are made here. The 2 side walls contain figures of deities and ancestors. The essence of a Pithora painting lies in its earthiness; everything from the theme to the execution has the ethnicity of tribal India. Even the materials used are quite exotic. The colours are obtained by mixing milk with powdered colour. This is then mixed with Mahua liquor. But nowadays, fabric colours are used which are available locally. The major colours that are generally used are red, vermilion, orange, yellow, indigo, ultramarine, green, silver and black. The brush is created by thrashing the ends of a twig or bamboo stick.

For those Bhils who cannot afford to have pithora painted on the walls, skilled artists now paint pithoras on paper and fabric. On white paper or else on the unbleached white background of cotton/muslin fabric, the bright basic colours look fascinating. Nowadays Pithora paintings are executed for commercial purposes and there are noticeable changes made to the original painting format. Nonetheless, Pithora paintings are sacred artworks that are made for worship.