The word ‘pichwai’ is a portmanteau of ‘pich’, which means ‘behind’, and ‘wai’, which roughly translates to ‘of that’. Pichwai paintings are a traditional folk art form comprising fabric-canvas paintings of episodes of the life of Krishna, hung behind the idol in Shrinath (a form of Krishna) temples.
The idea behind pichwai works is to visually narrate the Krishnaleela to illiterate devotees. As such, they are emotive and deeply symbolic. The pichwai art that you see on this page is just the example. It depicts a small herd of pristine-bodied cows. They are traversing a shallow lotus pond with their hooves treading in unison, to meet their Lord and Master Krishna awaiting them at the bank.
A deep, Prussian blue predominates the colour palette. It brings out the fair complexion of the bovine creatures, which in turn is complemented by the ample pink gradient in each of the many lotuses in this painting. The sacred vermillion-coloured handprint of Krishna on each cow.
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