who produce it and the motifs used, speak about their history and everyday life
in terms of various elements of nature to whom they are closely bound. A pithora
basically depicts the procession of marriage 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 Godess 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 upper most left corner and the moon in the upper-most right corner. The border
depicts a mountain range.
Every pithora on the wall is 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
usually has birds, animals and insects commonly found in that region and also 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. The rest of the painting is filled with various images
from the daily life such as a group of dancers, persons brewing liquor, milkmaid,
hunter, horse-cart, farmer, woman drawing water from the well, police station, granary,
umbrella, water hand pumps, aero plane, helicopter, train, etc.
It is a ritual painting and is believed to bring prosperity and good luck to the
family.
(Shri Mansing Dhanji Rathwa, of village Malaja and Shri Chiliya Hamir Rathwa of
village Rangpur are among the renowned artists of pithora painting. Their paintings
have adorned many Government offices; high raise buildings, as well as handicraft
emporiums in India and abroad. Shri Mansingh bhai has to his credit painted a pithora
in the Rajdhani Superfast