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Pichwai
Pichwai (pichhwai) are large devotional Hindu painted pictures, normally on cloth.
Pichwai, schematic. Shapes are drawn for illustration.
What the sources say
| Point | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Wikipedia says it originated in the Deccan and is now mainly associated with Western India | Wikipedia |
| Use | The tradition tells stories for temple viewers; sets change with the festival calendar | Wikipedia |
| Materials | A Met example is painted and printed gold and silver leaf and opaque watercolour on indigo-dyed cotton | Wikipedia |
| V&A record | Painted cotton cloth, probably painted in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, made to hang behind a stone relief of the deity Srinathji | V&A |
| Size of that object | About 180 x 100 cm (71 x 39 in), dated 1800 to 1920 | V&A |
For wall art
The two sources differ in scope: Wikipedia describes the tradition and the V&A one object, so Nathdwara is that object's likely place, not the tradition's origin.
Where the sources stop
Wikipedia places the tradition's origin in the Deccan, while the V&A attributes one object to Nathdwara. Neither is presented as typical of all pichwai, and we do not describe the figural content.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Pichhwai (fetched 2026-11-12)
- Victoria and Albert Museum: pichwai object record O1807060 (fetched 2026-11-12)
Figures from these pages are paraphrased; each page was fetched and read on 2026-11-12. Where two sources differ, both are shown.