RAS question
The Phad painting tradition of Rajasthan depicts the legends of which folk deities?
Correct answer: (C) Pabuji and Devnarayan.
The Phad painting tradition of Rajasthan depicts the legends of the folk heroes Pabuji and Devnarayan.
Explanation
Phad is Rajasthan's traditional scroll-painting form, made on a long rectangular cloth. These scrolls depict the epics of Pabuji and Devnarayan, and Rajasthan Tourism gives the same core point: a typical Phad illustrates the life and heroic exploits of these two popular folk heroes. Phads are long cloth paintings, painted by the Joshis of Shahpura, near Bhilwara. That is why Pabuji and Devnarayan are the precise pair tested here, not a general list of Rajasthan's folk deities.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Tejaji and Harbhuji are not the pair named by Rajasthan Tourism for Phad paintings.
- (B) Ramdevji and Gogaji are Rajasthan folk deities, but the Phad tradition here is tied specifically to Pabuji and Devnarayan.
- (D) Mallinathji and Mehaji are not identified by Rajasthan Tourism as the legends illustrated in typical Phad paintings.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's folk-art traditions, especially the link between a visual form and the folk narratives it carries. It recurs in RAS because art-and-culture questions often ask for precise pairings: craft, community, region and subject matter.