The fascinating art of storytelling through Kavads

How fascinating is the idea of a box opening up layer by layer to depict a story? Now make this box artistic and as colourful as it can be, telling the stories from regional legends and epics. Then attach this box with many centuries-old folk-art forms of Rajasthan. Doesn’t it sound interesting? If the picture in our thoughts seems so captivating,  how beautiful must it look in real life!

A Kavad depicting the life instances of Shree Krishna. From- peepultree.world

25 kilometres away from the district headquarters of Chittorgarh in southern Rajasthan, lies a small village called Bassi where stories unravel themselves with each panel of a wooden box. Initially, Kavads were beautifully handcrafted portable shrines with small foldable doors, each hand-painted with mythological motifs. The art of Kavad is where stories and epics are depicted through the paintings inside a wooden box or a cabinet. The Kavadias, as they were called, would go door to door to tell tales about the motifs on the Kavad.

The origin of the art dates back to the 7th century CE, when King Harsha ruled over the parts of North and North-Western India. Although there is no evidence, the art is considered to be around 500 years old. The word ’Kavad’ is derived from the ‘Kivad’ in Hindi or ‘Kavad’ in Mewari, meaning a ‘wooden door’. And thus, Kavad is the art of storytelling through a wooden box, in which the panels of the box open up, unravelling different phases of the story.  

It is said that the actual storytellers of this art were the Kavadia Bhatt or sometimes priests who would carry these Kavads with them to tell the tales. But today, the Suthar Community of Bassi, Chittorgarh, is carrying on the legacy of this eye-catching 500-year-old art. The Suthars are the carpenters and the painters who craft these mesmerizing wooden boxes.

A Kavad is a wooden cabinet with 10-20 painted panels, each depicting a different story. It unfolds the panels of the wooden box, moving gradually through the inner panels and finally to the end panels. The end panel is where a deity offers darshan to the audience. The uppermost or front panel usually is painted with doorkeepers or dwarapalas giving the Kavad a temple-like feel. The top of the Kavad is usually painted brightly with the Sun God or a local King, larger than the other paintings on the Kavad.  

The process of making the Kavad is tedious and can take weeks. The sizes may range from 10 cm to 3 feet tall. The wooden structure of a Kavad is made from the wood of a local tree like the Sheesham, Semal, or Neem tree. 

The process of making a Kavad starts with cutting pieces of wood and sharpening them into panels and parts that will later be a part of the Kavad. The pieces are then coated with a local white chalk powder called Khadia. This chalk powder gives white colour to the wood, which makes it easier to paint later. 

Now comes the part of painting and decorating. The Kavads are defined by the use of bright and vivid colours. The artisan outlines the elements and the figures on the wooden base with a fine brush. These outlines are then painted, followed by fine detailing. Once done with painting and detailing these wooden pieces are now assembled with nails, drills, and hinges. Finally, a coat of varnish to seal everything well, and voila! A mesmerizing blend of painting, storytelling, and fine craftsmanship is ready to tell an intriguing tale. 

The Kavads were traditionally used to depict the tales from epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata or the tales of local deities like Tejaji and Bhomiyaji.  used as a décor piece in urban areas today, Kavads can be personalized according to the buyer of the art. Stories for children, social issues, and educational stories are also depicted through the Kavad art.   

Like many other traditional art forms, Kavad art has also struggled to survive in the modern era. But there are a few artisans who are carrying forward the legacy and keeping the art alive. One such artist is Mangilal Mistri. He is well known and an ambassador of the Kavad art. Depicting the current affairs and events on the Kavad, he has added a personal variation to the dying art of Kavad. Another such artist is Satyanarayan Suthar, from Bassi, Chittorgarh (Raj), who won National Award in 2014 for his art. 

There were originally three communities involved in the Kavad art. First, the makers, the Suthar community, would craft these beautiful boxes with stories filled in them. The second is the Kavadiya community, who would take these Kavads door to door and tell the stories. And last is the Jajman community or the patrons of these artisans who would consume the stories and commission the artisans. But in today’s era, the sole responsibility of keeping the art alive is on the makers of the Kavads, the Suthars. 

To watch a Kavadiya tell the story through Kavads is surely a mesmerizing audio-visual treat.