Karvaad

The Karvaad shrines have pictoral narrative stories from the epics of the Mahabarata and Ramayana, as well as stories about local heroes, saints and patrons (wealthy clients could pay to have their own stories painted on the boxes). On this version, the sun and moon riding a horse and deer respectively open the doors to stories of Rama on one side and Krishna on the other. The innermost doors open to reveal statues of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana who are worshipped at the end of this story telling. Karvaad is one of Rajasthan's oral narrative traditions, which also include Phad, a scroll-based performative practice that employs the visual, oral, musical, dance and theatre traditions of the region in a 36 hour performance at the end of which the practitioner is considered to have healing, or shamanic, powers.