Pichwai
Devotional cloth hangings for Shrinathji — lotus ponds, cows, gold leaf.
Pichwai — literally 'that which hangs at the back' — are large cloth paintings hung behind the idol of Shrinathji in Nathdwara temples, changed according to season and festival. Each is a devotional calendar as much as a picture: monsoon pichwais fill with lotus and cloud, Sharad Purnima with a full moon and cows, Annakut with mountains of offered food. The craft is exacting and hereditary.
What to look for
- Shrinathji as a central frontal figure with raised arm
- Lotus ponds, cows, gopis and peacocks
- Gold and silver leaf detailing
- Seasonal iconography tied to the temple calendar
How it is made
Natural stone pigments bound with gum arabic on starched cotton cloth, with gold leaf applied over a raised ground. A large pichwai can take several artists many months.
Before you buy
Ask whether the gold is real leaf or metallic paint, and which festival the iconography belongs to. A pichwai whose artist cannot name its occasion was made for décor, not devotion.