Have you heard of the intriguing Ganesh murals in Jaisalmer? As we walked through the narrow bylanes inside the famous Jaisalmer Fort of Rajasthan, what grabbed our attention was the ubiquitous Jaisalmer wall art. But what really piqued our interest was the Ganesh wall paintings at Jaisalmer fort. We wanted to know more about these wall paintings of Ganesh in Jaisalmer and hence spoke to a few friendly locals, who told us all about the Ganesh painting on walls of houses in Jaisalmer.
Read on to know more about a unique tradition that is associated with the mural painting of Ganesh in Jaisalmer.
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All About Ganesh Murals in Jaisalmer
As we walked through the narrow lanes that criss-cross the oldest inhabited fort, children waved to us, elders stopped by to give an encouraging smile and images of Lord Ganesh in various sizes and colours smiled at us from the walls. The wall painting of Ganesh at Jaisalmer fort seemed to be everywhere.
In the cloistered walkways, the benevolent gaze of Ganesha, the most revered and popular God of the Hindu pantheon, kept a protective watch on us from all sides. There was no way that you could escape his gaze. Quite literally, as you walked along the alleyways, there would be a Ganesh painting to your left, your right, in front of you, and behind you. We had never seen so many Ganesh paintings in one place except maybe during the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations when Ganesh idols are ubiquitous.
Bursting with curiosity and eagerness to know more about these beautiful wall paintings of Ganesh inside Jaisalmer fort, we stopped to observe them closely and in detail.
Ganesh Murals in Jaisalmer – Giant Wedding Invitations
On closer observation of the Ganesh murals in Jaisalmer fort, we realized that they were actually giant wedding invitations on walls in Jaisalmer fort. Almost every house had a Ganesh mural adorning its walls. The Ganesh wall painting was displayed prominently adjacent to the doors of the houses.
The Ganesh paintings on the wall of every house were mostly similar and depicted the elephant-headed God seated majestically, one right hand raised in blessing, and the other holding a lotus. One of his left hands holds a plate of Modaks or Laddus, while the other wields an axe. His vehicle, the mouse is shown sitting near his feet. There were minor variations in the depictions from house to house, but they were all faithful to the overall theme.
What really intrigued us about the Ganesh murals in Jaisalmer fort, was the text that accompanied the paintings. Each painting carried the name of the family who stayed in the house and the names of the couples who were getting married, with the dates of the wedding.
One of them read, “Ghadiyali Birsa Family Heartily Welcomes You,” in Hindi, and had the date 9-2-2020, displayed prominently with the words, “Auspicious Marriage,” again in Hindi. Names of two couples, Pankaj-Monica, and Deepak-Harsha were mentioned, which pointed to the fact that the two couples from the same family had got married on the 9th of February, 2020.
All the wedding invitations on the walls in Jaisalmer more or less followed this template. There were some which were bright and vibrant, a look at the dates on them, made the reason obvious, they were freshly painted and the wedding had happened quite recently. Some of the paintings were faded, and the dates on them vouched for their age.
Ganesh Murals in Jaisalmer – Creativity In Graffiti
Some of the Ganesh wedding invitations on the walls of the houses were quite creative and gave expression to the feelings of the family. Take this one, for instance, a wall invitation for the wedding of Yogita and Lakhan had a poem written on it, which very sweetly expressed the love of an uncle for his niece who was getting married.
पापा की प्यारी मम्मी की राज दुलारी बनी है दुल्हनिया,
लाली लाली डोलिया मे लाली रे दुल्हनिया,
पिया की प्यारी भोली भली रे दुल्हनिया,
अच्छे राजा रखना जतन से दुल्हन को,
कभी न दुखाना तुम गोरियां के मन को,
नाजुक है नाजोंकी है पालीरे दुल्हनिया,
तीखे नैनो मीठे बैनो वालीरे दुल्हनिया,
ओमजी बिस्से जी की भतीजी है दुल्हनिया |
The gist of the poem in English goes something like this: Papa’s favourite and Mummy’s dearest daughter has become a bride. The beloved of her husband, she has sharp eyes and a sweet tongue, take care of her and never hurt the girl who is the niece of Omji Bisse.
The Ganesh murals on the walls of houses and Havelis inside Jaisalmer fort were not mere wedding invitations, but they told stories of the family, their love and bonding.
Ganesh Wall Paintings Jaisalmer | Wedding invitation on walls in Jaisalmer
Looking at the many Ganesh murals on the walls of the houses inside the Jaisalmer Fort, we had surmised that they were actually giant wedding invitation cards with Ganesh as the auspicious and lucky mascot. But we wanted to know more about this tradition. The fact that in these days when paper cards are being replaced by virtual e-cards, the tradition of painting invitation cards on walls intrigued us and we set out in quest of more information.
It was then that we saw a lady smiling at us, seated on the steps that led into her house. It was befitting that her name turned out to be Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of knowledge, and it was the knowledge that we were after.
“In olden times, when there were no invitation cards, people used to paint wedding invitations on the walls of their houses,” said Saraswati, as she went on to explain more details of this tradition. Nowadays wedding invitation cards are printed and distributed, but this old tradition of painting invitations on walls is still kept alive, said Saraswati, flashing a dazzling smile.
“This tradition is followed by everyone here, though originally it was a practice of the Brahmin community, over a period of time other communities too adopted the tradition, and today everyone irrespective caste, follow the practice,” explained Saraswati.
Painted Invitations On Walls In Jaisalmer
She pointed out to the invitation painted on the wall of her house, saying, “We got this done, when my son got married, when his younger brother gets married, this will be removed, and replaced by his wedding invitation.”
We understood that the Ganesh wall invitation is painted on the wall of the house whenever there is a wedding, be it of a boy or girl. The painting stays on the wall till the next wedding happens in the house when it is replaced by the latest wedding invitation. Saraswati went on to explain that the invitation on the wall was not for the entire city, but only for their friends and relatives. The invitation on the wall was a signal that there was a wedding in the house.
Images of Ganesh’s wall paintings in Jaisalmer Fort | Jaisalmer Wall Art
Take a look at some of the images of Ganesh wall paintings in Jaisalmer Fort.
As we left the imposing gates of Jaisalmer Fort, we were once again fascinated by the rich heritage and traditions of our country. There was something to learn around every bend in the road and every nook and corner of the country.
As we turned back for one last look, kids waved at us and behind them, from a wall, an image of Ganesh gazed benevolently at us.
We hope you are as fascinated as us by the unique tradition of the Ganesh Murals in Jaisalmer. What do you think about this tradition? Do let us know your thoughts through the comments section about the murals depicting Ganesh on Havelis in Jaisalmer. Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog and follow us on our social media handles.
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