Pabuji
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pabuji is a folk-deity of Rajasthan in India. He lived in 14th century in Rajasthan. He was one of four children of Dhadal Rathor of village Kolu, two boys (Buro and Pabuji) and two girls (Sona and Pema). The historical Pabuji was a mediaeval Rajput prince; he is now widely worshipped as a deity by Rabari herdsmen and others throughout the Rajasthan countryside; and he is served by low-caste Nayak priests.
Pabuji lived in the remote desert village of Kolu, and in that village are to be found the only well-known conventional temples to him -- two small temples within a single compound, where puja (worship) is offered to the deity. Small shrines, commemorative stones etc. abound, but, outside Kolu itself, the absence of actual temples is conspicuous. There are two reasons for it: first, Pabuji has yet to achieve sufficient prestige as a god to warrant the construction of pieces of architecture; and, second, many of his worshippers -- in particular, many Rabaris -- are semi-nomadic, and are thus not in a position regularly to visit a temple in a fixed spot.
Bhopa community in Rajasthan are considered to be priest singers of Pabuji. They depict the story of Pabuji on canvas and tell it to the public through songs. This painted canvas is called Phad. The Phad is a 30 feet long sheet on which are painted (or sewn) miniature scenes depicting the life of Pabuji on which his adventures are depicted.
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