GS03 Pichwai Painting Short Course, “Pichwai Cow”

My name is Grishma shah. At the age of 13, I started painting. I am a fine arts graduate from Ahmedabad.

I have been conducting both online and offline workshops for the past four years and have students from all over India and outside. I believe that practice can help anyone learn the art, and I m really passionate to teach as many people as possible.

I have simplified the process to the extent that a non – artist can also learn Kalamkari. My specialization lies in Indian folk art Kalamkari, Pichwai painting, and Tanjore painting.

I’ve created this GS03 Pichwai Course for Beginners, Pichwai Cow” for everyone to learn this beautiful Indian Folk Art.

The step-by-step detailed video instructions allow anyone to follow the course and complete the artwork from the comfort of their home, at their own time and pace. Don’t forget to download the course certificate once you have completed the course.

Pichwai (pichvai) is a style of painting that originated over 400 years ago, in the town of Nathdwara near Udaipur in Rajasthan, India. Intricate and visually stunning, pichwai paintings, made on cloth, depict Lord Krishna’s life tales. Creating a pichwai can take several months, and requires immense skill, as the smallest details need to be painted with precision. Lord Krishna is often depicted as Shrinathji in Pichwais, which is the deity manifest as a seven-year-old child. Other common subjects found in pichwai paintings are Radha, gopis, cows, and lotuses. Festivals and celebrations such as Sharad Purnima, Raas Leela, Annakoot or Govardhan Puja, Janmashtami, Gopashtami, Nand Mahotsav, Diwali, and Holi are frequently depicted in Pichwais.

The word Pichwai comes from ‘pichh’ meaning back, and ‘wai’, meaning textile hanging. They are made by members of the Pushti Marg sect, founded by Shri Vallabhacharya in the 16th Century. Originally, pichwai paintings were used to decorate the temple of Shrinathji (Shrinathji ki Haveli) in Nathdwara, hung behind the deity to celebrate different seasons, festivals, and events in Lord Krishna’s life. Over time, pichwais also found a place in the homes of art connoisseurs, owing to their visual appeal. Like several other traditional Indian art forms, the art of Pichwai is also dying and requires recognition and revival.