Art history/ Historiography, Crafts, Handlooms, Art, Craftspersons/ Artisanal
Pithora Tribal Art of Gujarat
Prasad, Ritika
May, 2019
The Rathwa Bhils in tribal Gujarat install a ritual wall painting in the house as an offering to their God, Pithora, in order to ask for blessings and peace before auspicious occasions. The lakharas (painters) are guided by the badwa (head priest) to compose paintings centered on the wedding of Pithora and Pithori. Animals, people, the sun, moon and stars are just some of the guests depicted. Horses, a dominant element, represent family ancestors and visions of God. Pithora is accompanied by music, singing and food.
1. Context
In some contexts, this tribal art is seen as primitive and child-like. However, increasingly this art is being recognised in its own right as a system of expression, depiction and articulation that is parallel rather than inferior to the system of the spoken and written word. Tribal paintings represent layers of historical, sociological and cultural documentation - a collective memory of area and peoples scantily documented in historical literature. This art, quite apart from its intentional ritualistic and decorative purposes, also serves as a collective memory of tradition, change and evolution in various aspects of the lives of the tribals. This view is rendered accurate by the fact that the subject matter of this art is intimately linked with the visual, emotional and cultural lives of its 
artists.Tribal or adivasi paintings are graphic pictorial repre...
artists.Tribal or adivasi paintings are graphic pictorial repre...
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