Originally reported and written in April 2023, this story has been republished as part of our archival content.

Located along the banks of the Banas River against the backdrop of the Aravalli Hills, Nathdwara is a piece of history whose charm has only grown with time; a muse for every art lover.  

In Nathdwara, time does not tick at its usual pace, and you won’t need maps to find your way. The artists of the town and their tales will suffice. The origin story of this town goes back to the 17th century, when the Shreenathji temple was established here, which continues to be the main draw of the town, attracting scores of devotees every year. 

The story goes that Vallabhacharya, a Brahmin from the Andhra region, was commanded to go to Mount Govardhan by none other than Krishna himself. Here, he discovered the living image of Shri Govardhananathji (a form of Lord Krishna), who came to be known as Shrinathji. Known to be the seven-year-old version of Krishna, Shreenathji is the presiding deity of the Vaishnava sect and the town of Nathdwara. 

As time progressed, Vallabhacharya’s son Vitthalnathji began encouraging artist groups in Nathdwara to design pichvais that would be used to adorn the temple and the city. These intricate paintings of the deity, would in a few hundred years go on to become the symbol of Nathdwara and its way to the world. 

Suresh Sharma, founder of the ‘Artists of Nathdwara’ — an association of the artists who are descendants of the Vaishnava sect and reside behind the Shreenathji Temple in the ‘chitrakaron ki galli (artists’ street)’ — is behind this introduction of pichvai form of art to the global stage. 

But even........

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