Publisher's Synopsis
Pabuji, a mediaeval Rajput hero from western Rajasthan, is widely worshipped in that state as a folk-deity capable of protecting against ill-fortune. The principal form of worship entails the night-time singing, by low-caste bard-priests, of an oral epic narrative telling of Pabuji's deeds. This takes place in front of a long painted cloth, or par, on which those same deeds are depicted: the par functions as the temple of the deity. This work focuses in detail on this epic/cultic tradition. After a general introduction, there are chapters on the transmission and performance of the narrative, including the music, iconographic organisation of the paintings, historicity of the hero, and his status as a Hindu god. There follows a complete transcription of the epic as performed by Parbui Bhopo, a leading bard. Next comes a full English translation, which is illustrated by 100 ink drawings depicting each scene as it appears on the par; these are the work of Srilal Josi, a traditional painter of par. Two appendices follow, one giving the earliest known version of the story of Pabuji, the other explaining the small number of scenes from the par that do not relate directly to the epic narrative.
