Mahaveer Swami's Pad

Pad means cloth. The painting done on cloth is called pad painting. Pad is also called Phad. First of all, Devnarayan's feet were made. After that, Pabuji's pad came into existence. These two are famous folk deities. Devnarayan mainly belongs to the Gujar caste, and Pabuji is most respected in Raika society. First of all, Dr. Mahendra Bhanawat wrote on these two.

The whole story related to his life is depicted in the pad. These paintings are made by the painters of Shahpura-Bhilwara, who is Joshi. Among them, Shri lal Joshi gained the most fame. He was also honored with Padma Shri. Moving ahead of the tradition, he made other experimental paintings and contributed to many museums in foreign countries.

On the 2500th Nirvana event of Lord Mahaveer, Bhilwara's artist Nihal Ajmera did a meaningful, innovative experiment by getting Mahaveer Swami's pad prepared in the traditional pad style of Rajasthan. This pad has two parts, top and bottom, pictured from right to left. The sixteen dreams of Trishala respectively in the upper part, Indrani handing over Mahaveera to Saudharma Indra, King Siddhartha and his courtiers, birth auspicious scene, Lord being taken to Mount Meru, gods and goddesses singing and dancing in their praise, mountain Celebrating Jalabhishek, Prince Vardhaman's snake-test by the God, Sangam Dev assuming a faceless human form, Vardhaman being named Mahaveer and the pictures of Panch Parmeshthi, Arihant, Siddha Acharya, Upadhyay, and all the sages are beautiful.

In the lower part respectively, the crow is black while pointing towards the crow of the prince, saying, swinging, Siddhartha with the courtiers, Madhu-Bindu, Sansar-Darshan, and Lord Mahaveer engrossed in penance, Rudra's prefix, Deeksha Kalyanak, Vastralankar There are pictures related to sacrifice and Panchmushti Keshalunchan, Chandanbala giving food, Indrabhuti Gautam's defamation{Man Bhang}, God's sermon in Samavasaran created by the gods and Mahaveer's body being cremated by the gods after his salvation. In this way, it is as if the entire biography of Mahaveera has become idolized in this episode.

Like Pabuji's pad, this pad is made to stand on the stage in front of the audience. There are two people in it. One reader asks about the paintings while the other explains them dramatically in a Rajasthani narrative style with dance rhythms. After that its singing starts.