How a Pābūjī kī paṛ portrays the story of Pābūjī Rāṭhoṛ

Miller, Joseph C. 2026. How a Pābūjī kī paṛ portrays the story of Pābūjī Rāṭhoṛ. [Video]. Cardiff University Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.18573/alt.106

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Abstract

This video presents John D. Smith’s analysis of a Pābūjī kī paṛ painted by Jośī artists in Bhilwara, Rajasthan, highlighting its complex visual narrative. The painting depicts episodes from The Epic of Pābūjī through courts and figures that represent multiple events, times, and locations. Scenes encode overlapping actions, reassign character identities, and merge perspectives. Spatial and temporal layering allows distant events to coexist within a single composition. Distributed sequences across the paṛ, including Pābūjī’s wedding, Harmal’s journey to Laṅkā, and Rūpnāth’s revenge, reveal paṛ painting as a dynamic system of storytelling, offering insight into the interpretive strategies of Rajasthani narrative art.

Item Type:	Digital or visual media
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General)
Publisher:	Cardiff University Press
ISSN:	2051-5863
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	1 September 2026
Date of Acceptance:	May 2026
Last Modified:	01 Sep 2026 11:35
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/189268

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