The book attempts to trace ecological insights embedded in two major folk epics of Rajasthan – Epic of Pabuji and Epic of Devnarayan. The first chapter explores man’s relation with nature in past and attempts to locate the genesis of our attitudes towards nature in ancient myths as well as its portrayal in literature. It tries to define ecology and summarises the ideas about ecological literary criticism given by various critics. It highlights the tradition and types of oral epics in Rajasthan. The second chapter named “Cultural Ecology” focuses on the mutuality and interdependence of nature and culture. It reflects upon what effects human culture has on nature and vice versa in context of the epics of Pabuji and Devnarayan. The chapter focuses on literary ecology which explores the ecological dimensions of literary texts and also puts forth the artistic capability of the text as an agency of ecological awareness. The third chapter named “History, Aesthetics and Phad” explores how painters make phad and to what purpose these phads are made, what purposes of bhopas and commercial consumers it fulfils and in what ways bhopas inspire the process. It also discusses the history of visual narratives and locates the place of phad in it. It delves deep into the history of phad tradition of painting as well as its aesthetics. The discussion of aesthetics of phad foregrounds how phad helps bhopa in devising as well as improvising the narrative. The fourth chapter named “Performance and Ecology” focuses on how performances of folk epics of Pabuji and Devnarayan further an ecological vision in which natural surroundings play a contributory role in formation of meanings. An interconnection between the ecology of the region and the performance of phad has been evaluated which contributes in comprehending the full ecological implications of phad. An analysis of both the epics from an ecological literary perspective substantiates the excellence and contribution of the epics in enriching the literary genre with different aspects of ecological connections between man and other natural elements on earth. The book establishes that the literary ecology of phad is as diverse as an ecosystem. The ecology of phad thrives on cultural diversity, including people from all fields, such as phad painters, phad performers, and the audience/followers of the deities. This correlation is based not only on their economic relations or transactions, but they also depend upon each other for their exclusive identity.

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The Indian way of life celebrates products made with the help of simple, indigenous tools by craftspeople with a strong fabric of tradition, aesthetic and artistry. The range of Indian handicrafts is as rich and varied as the country's cultural diversity.

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.