RAS question
Pabuji Rathore, a folk deity of Rajasthan, is especially revered by which group?
Correct answer: (D) Camel herders (Raika/Rebari).
Pabuji Rathore is especially revered by the camel-herding Raika or Rebari community of Rajasthan.
Explanation
Pabuji Rathore of Kolu village in Phalodi, Jodhpur, is remembered in Rajasthan's folk tradition as a deity closely tied to camel herders, especially the Raika or Rebari community. Sahapedia links him to this community by noting that Pabuji is deified by the camel- and sheep-herding Raika community and that his epic belongs to Rajasthan's oral-performing traditions. This is why the correct option is not a broad occupational group such as farmers, potters or weavers, but the pastoral community specifically associated with Pabuji. His oral epic, Pabuji ki Phad, is traditionally narrated by Bhopa priests with a painted scroll, making the deity-community-performance link central to the question.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Farmers are not the primary devotee group associated with Pabuji; he is linked specifically with camel-herding Raika/Rebari pastoralists.
- (B) Potters have no specific association with Pabuji, whereas Sahapedia ties him to the Raika community.
- (C) Weavers are not connected with Pabuji; the relevant community association is with camel herders, especially Raika/Rebari.
Concept
This tests the RAS Rajasthan art-and-culture theme of folk deities and their community bases. Such questions recur because Rajasthan's oral epics, Phad traditions and pastoral communities are standard markers of regional cultural history.