Pithora Painting

History
The pithora basically portrays the life span of the Rathwas. Pithora Paintings are much more than colorful images on walls for the tribes of Rathwas and Naykas of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh . They signify the advent of an auspicious occasion like weddings, childbirth, festivals in the community. An art form, which essentially expresses the delight and festivity of a community, has to reflect the corporate climate of it, and Pithora paintings with their colors and invigorated designs reflects the thoughts of their creators.

Description
The Pithora paintings are oblations to Gods. The soul on the back of horse is the Rathwa God Pithora, and the paintings describe a procession. The gist of a Pithora painting lies in its earthiness; everything from the subject to the performance has the ethnicity of rural India. Even materials used are quite unique and the colors are prepared by mixing paints with milk and liquor developed from the auspicious Mahuda tree. The bright colors and exotic designs depict a special aesthetic sense of the Lakharas (which means a person who writes and not paints!), who produce it and the motives used, speak about their history and everyday life in terms of the natural elements to whom they are intimately confined.

The Tribes
The tribal communities of Rathwas , Nayaks and Bhils of central Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh exercise this form of Art. The most significant of the elements in a pithora painting 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.

The Rathwas have a distinct cultural heritage and an interesting historical background. They depend on the timberlands around them for their living. The forests therefore are sanctified for them. The family is the most significant whole of this tribe and they practice arranged marriages, however intermarriage is also found. Their inherent aesthetics is patent in their quaint done mud hits, which are beautified with colored Pithora Paintings.

The ancient tribes of Bhils as well practice this art form with meticulous application. There are other horses of other Gods and figures in the Bhil history. There is a black elephant of the legendary King Bhoj. The sun is painted in the upper most left corner and the moon in the upper-most right corner. The border depicts a mountain range.

Pithora, more of a Ritual than a Painting
Pithora painting more of a ritual that an art form. It is executed to pay thanks to God or for a wish to be allowed. A comprehensive agreement of this ritual will call for a story- the forefront priest of the community who is called “Badwa” is cited when a trouble happens in a category. The problems are narrated to the Badwa “ who offers results, which always demands the painting of Pithoras on the walls of the house.

The Pithora Baba is considered to be the prevailing god of the community and his presence is conceived to be the result of all problems. The first wall of the house is regarded to be the right place for a Pithora. A Pithora is considered to be a three-wall affair, so the first wall and the other two walls around it are prepared for the painting. The walls to be painted are first plastered with mud and cow dung by the unmarried girls, and then coated with chalk powder. This process is called lipna. And then the painters proceed to do their work.

Male Dominated Painting
Interestingly the world of Pithora painting is a male dominated one, unlike that of Worli and Madhubani Paintings. Different from other tribal paintings, pithora paintings are practiced more by males rather than females. Pithora paintings primarily portray a marriage progress of a pithora & pithori, believed to be attended by gods and other beings.

Prehistorical cave paintings use colors made from leaf extracts, cinnabar, lime, carbon black and other natural extracts. The painting painted as four white pithora horses facing each other are treated as the seal of fulfillment of one’s likeness.

Traditionally, Pithora paintings were produced just twice in a year on the mud walls to celebrate fetes; the paintings are regarded as the blessings of Lord Pithora. The wood-carvings are created in the image of Kshetrapals, the guards of the fields, for induction at the entry to a village.