Devnarayan is a folk deity from

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

, India. he is worshipped mostly in Rajasthan and north-western

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

. According to tradition, he was born to Sri

Savai Bhoj Devnarayan is a folk deity from Rajasthan, India. he is worshipped mostly in Rajasthan and north-western Madhya Pradesh. According to tradition, he was born to Sri Savai Bhoj and Sadu mata on the seventh day of the bright half (''shukla saptami ...

and Sadu mata on the seventh day of the bright half (''shukla saptami'') of the month of Maagh in the Hindu Calendar in

Vikram Samvat Vikram Samvat (IAST: ''Vikrama Samvat''; abbreviated VS) or Bikram Sambat B.S. and also known as the Vikrami calendar, is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent. Vikram Samvat is generally 57 years ahead of Gregorian Calend ...

968 (911 AD).According to one view historical Devnarayan belonged to 10th century of Vikram Samvat, according another view, he lived in between 1200-1400 (Vikram Samvat era). The first view appears to be nearer to truth. The epic of Devnarayan is one of the longest and most popular religious oral narratives of Rajasthan. The epic of Devnarayan has been classified under the category of 'martial'' epics.

The narrative of Devnarayan

The oral epic of Devnarayan consists of a number of episodes related to the narrative of Devnarayan. This epic is sung by the Bhopas, the traditional priest-singers of Devnarayan during the nights of the months, November to July in the villages of

and

Malwa Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syno ...

. The narrative begins with an invocation of a number of deities, whose images are depicted in the . The deities invoked are Sharada,

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

Sarasvati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a god ...

, Maccha, Kacchap, Varaha, Narasimha, Vaman, Parashuram, Ram and Krishna

Avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...

s of Vishnu, Bhairunath,

Ramdev Ramdev (born Ram Kisan Yadav in 1965), also referred to by his followers with the honorifics Baba or Swami, is an Indian yoga guru, businessman and brand ambassador for Patanjali Ayurved. Ramdev is primarily known for being a proponent of yog ...

Shani Shani ( sa, शनि, ), or Shanaishchara ( sa, शनैश्चर, ), refers to the divine personification of the planet Saturn in Hinduism, and is one of the nine heavenly objects (Navagraha) in Hindu astrology. Shani is also a male Hindu ...

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and Chandrama. The first part called the Bagaravat Bharat is about the heroic deeds of 24 ''

Gurjar Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tradit ...

'' brothers, who are born as the sons of the man-lion, Baghji Gurjar. The 24 brothers die after a preordained period of 12 years in a battle against a chieftain of Ran city. The second part is about Bhagavan's incarnation as Devnarayan, the miracles he performs and the revenge he and his cousins ultimately take on the Ran city chieftain. Devnarayan's mother is Sadu Mata and his father Savai Bhoj, the most courageous of the 24 Bagaravats. Whereas the first part is generally said to be marked by suffering (dukh), pain, and death, the second is marked by the reunion, miracles and divine testimony (parcyo). The second part, thus entails a reversal of the first part: death and defeat are followed by birth and creation, finally resulting in the establishment of Devnarayan's image amongst his followers.

Bagdawat Bharat

The narrative begins with a prelude at a time (''

Satya Yuga ''Satya Yuga'' ( ''Krita Yuga''), in Hinduism, is the first and best of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by ''Kali Yuga'' of the previous cycle and followed by ''Treta Yuga''. ''Satya Yuga'' lasts for 1,728,000 yea ...

''), when Brahma was performing a Vedic sacrifice (''jug'') in

Pushkar Pushkar is a city and headquarters of Pushkar tehsil in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated about northwest of Ajmer and about southwest of Jaipur.Rsis to his sacrifice. Among them is a group of twenty-four Rsis living in the ''Nag Pahad'', a mountain chain running parallel to Pushkar. The Rsis were disciples of Sankar ( Shankara). Sankar forbade them from attending the sacrifice, but they insisted on going because they had received invitations from Brahma. Suddenly, Sankar grew ravenously hungry. The Rsis suggested eating the fruits growing in the forest which they consume for a living. But Sankar said that would not satisfy him. He wanted more than plain fruit. But nothing else was available in the forest. There was no cereal or grain either. So, he turned to his disciples and began consuming them one after another. After he had eaten them and satiated his hunger, he went to visit Brahma's sacrifice himself. The sacrifice came to a halt because of the sin Sankar had committed. He asks Brahma how he should atone for his sin, whereupon Brahma informed him that the only means would be to offer the Rsis his own body in a future existence, in which the Rsis are to be born as the twenty-four sons of a single father. This prelude is normally spoken and not sung. The narrative then shifts to a more historical time (''

Kali Yuga ''Kali Yuga'', in Hinduism, is the fourth and worst of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Dvapara Yuga'' and followed by the next cycle's '' Krita (Satya) Yuga''. It is believed to be the present age, which is ...

''). During the reign of

Vishal Dev Chauhan Vigraharāja IV (r. c. 1150–1164 CE), also known as Visaladeva, was a king from the Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty in north-western India. He turned the Chahamana kingdom into an empire by subduing the neighbouring kingdoms of Chaulukya, Naddu ...

, the populace is being terrorized by a tiger that feeds on one individual every night. On one particular night, Hariram Gurjar offers to take the place of a boy whose turn it is to be eaten by the tiger. He sets up a trap for the tiger and beheads it. Then in order to wash the blood off his sword and to cleanse himself of the sin of slaughter, as it was a tradition among Gurjars, he goes to the

holy lake Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, spring (hydrosphere), springs, Water reservoir, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with t ...

Pushkar Pushkar is a city and headquarters of Pushkar tehsil in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated about northwest of Ajmer and about southwest of Jaipur.purnima Pūrṇimā () is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day (''Tithi'') in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights ( paksha), and the Moon is aligned exact ...

). Exactly at the same time on the opposite bank of

Gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra fo ...

s come to the garden attracted by Baghji's silken swing. The Brahman allows them to use the swing on the condition that each of them circumambulate Baghji. While they are doing this, the Brahman performs the necessary engagement rites. Unknowingly they are engaged to Baghji. Later Baghji Gurjar marries twelve of them namely ''Kanta Kalas'', ''Ganiyanvanti Kalas'', ''Lakmade Rathod'', ''Jyanta Saradana'', ''Lali Saradana'', ''Balma Saradana'', ''Barnavanti Chad'', ''Bindka Chad'', ''Dhanvantari Chechi'', ''Gauri Chechi'', ''Rama Awana'' and ''Bindra Awana''. Kalas, Rathod, Saradana, Chad, Chechi and

Awana Awana is an international evangelical Christian nonprofit organization in child and youth discipleship. The headquarters is in Streamwood, Illinois, United States. History In 1941, the children's program at the North Side Gospel Center in Chicago ...

all are

Gurjar Clans Gurjars or Gujjars are divided in number of clans (Gotras).They have as many as 1178 gotras. A * Hephthalites, Aftali / Hephthali / Fatali * Agnikula * Anjana Chaudhari, Anjana * Attila, Atila / Atala * Athwal * Avars (Caucasus), Avaar * Aw ...

(or

s). Each of his wives gives birth to two sons who are collectively called the Bagdawats. Savai Bhoj is the most well-known and courageous of the twenty-four Bagdawats. Each day Savai Bhoj takes the Bagdawats cattle herds to graze on the slopes of Nag Pahad. One of the cows regularly leaves the herd and returns on its own in the evening. One day Savai Bhoj follows the cow and discovers that it is being milked by the ''jogi'' (ascetic) Rupnath. As compensation for milking their cow, Rupnath gives Savai Bhoj a sack full of grain. But the brothers have no use for the small quantity of grain, so they feed it to birds. The next morning, Nevaji, one of the youngest brothers, discovers that the few grains left sticking to the seam of the sack have turned into gems. They realize their folly and Savai Bhoj returns to Rupnath to become his disciple. One day, being instructed by Rupnath, Savai Bhoj heats a cauldron of oil and circles it, while Rupnath follows. While they are circling the cauldron, Rupnath tries to push Savai Bhoj into the boiling oil, but Savai Bhoj leaps over with the help of his staff. In the next round, Savai Bhoj follows Rupnath and pushes him into the cauldron. Not so agile, Rupnath falls into the boiling oil. Instantly his body turns into a solid gold nugget. While Savai Bhoj stands there repenting his crime, the ''jogi'' reappears in the hermitage as though nothing had taken place. He explains that the golden nugget is a gift that will grant the Bagdawats unending wealth for a period of twelve years after which both wealth (maya) and life (kaya) shall come to an end. He also gives Savai Bhoj the gifts of a mare-Bavli, a cow-Suremata, and an elephant-Jaimangala, all of which have special powers. Savai Bhoj returns to his home. The brothers ask Tejaji, the eldest among them, what should they do with their newly acquired wealth. Tejaji advises them to bury the money in the ground and heard it. But, Nevaji suggests that they do good deeds with the money, like building wells and temples, distributing the wealth and make a name for themselves since both the wealth and their lives will end after twelve years. The brothers choose the latter alternative. Soon their fame spreads far and wide. In due course, they meet their future enemy, Durjansal, the king ''Rana'' (or ''Ravji'') (ruler) of Ran City. The Rana and the Bagdawats become ''Dharam''-brothers. In an extended drinking session in a garden named ''naulakha bagh'' near Ran city, they overturn jars laden with wine onto a hillside flooding the earth to such an extent that the wine actually flows down into the kingdom of Basak Nag (

Vasuki Vasuki (IAST: ) is the second king of the nagas in Hinduism. He is described as having a gem called ''Nagamani'' (serpent's ornament) on his head. Adishesha, the first king of the serpents and the mount of Narayana, is his elder brother, and ...

), serpent lord of the netherworld, who holds the earth on his hood. Angered, king Basak deposits the earth temporarily on a bull's horns and goes to Bhagavan (

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

)'s court to complain about the Bagdawats. But neither Basak, nor Hanuman, nor Bhagavan can do anything to remedy the situation because the Bagdawats are so powerful. Finally, Bhagavan assumes the form of the mendicant (''jogi'') and visits Sadu Mata, the wife of Savai Bhoj, begging for alms. Sadu, who has just completed performing ablutions and bathing, appears in front of the mendicant covered only by her long tresses. Struck by her devotion, the mendicant (Bhagavan) grants her a boon. Sadu desires that Bhagavan is born as her son. Bhagavan promises to be born as her son on the 13th day after the Bagdawats have been killed. After his return, Bhagavan requests ''Sakti'' (

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...

Bhavani Bhavānī (also known as Bhāvya, Tulajā, Turajā, Tvarita, Aṃbā, Jagadambā and Aṃbē) is manifestation of Adi Shakti (Durga). Bhavani translates to "giver of life", meaning the power of nature or the source of creative energy. She is co ...

), who agrees to go to earth to fulfill the task of destroying the Bagdawats. She manifests herself as an infant girl (later known as Jaimati) in a forest where she is discovered by the King of Bhual, who adopts her. Exactly at the time of her birth, her maidservant Hira is born. Jaimati grows up unusually fast. And, soon Brahmans are sent out to find a suitable bridegroom for her. She insists that they find someone belonging to a family in which one father has 24 sons. After a long and frustrating search, the Brahmans find the Bagdawats. They arrange to have the queen married to Savai Bhoj. But because they already married, the Bagdawats suggest that the queen is married to their 'dharam''-brother, the Rana. Thus, arrangements are made for the Rana to marry Jaimati. When the marriage procession sets out, Savai Bhoj instead of the Rana leads it. In the meanwhile Jaimati orders the ''toran'' to be hung in a high place that the Rana, who is 120 years old and feeble cannot reach up to. Instead of the Rana, Savai Bhoj strikes down the ''toran''. When the marriage procession arrives, the queen pretends she has a high fever. She asks her maidservant to bring Savai Bhoj's sword that is supposed to have healing powers. In the inner chambers of the palace, she then circles the sword, thereby secretly marrying Savai Bhoj. In public, however, she marries the Rana. At the end of the ceremonies, when she is to accompany the Rana to her new home, she insists on staying with the Bagdawats. The Bagdawats coax her into going with the Rana, promising to fetch her after a period of six months. Upon arriving in Rana's palace, however, the queen says she will not play dice with the Rana till he has constructed a new palace for her. The construction of the palace, of course, takes a long time, and six months are soon over. In the meanwhile, the Bagdawats - even against the advice of their wives - prepare to fetch the queen. The queen elopes with the Bagdawats. The Rana is patient, advising the Bagdawats in a brotherly manner to send the queen back to him. But, the Bagdawats stick to their decision. Finally, the Rana gathers together the armies to fifty-two forts on the banks of the Khari river. Jaimati, who now has assumed her true form, Bhavani promises to accompany the Bagdawats only on the condition if they fight Rana's army one at a time. She also demands that the brothers offer their heads to her. The Bagdawats willingly agree to her grotesque demands. A ''Bharat'' (great war) is fought. In the battle, some of the brothers continue fighting even after their heads have been severed by the Goddess's discus. But in the end, all of them are slain and the Rana is victorious. The Goddess assumes her ''Virat Rup'' (awesome, terrifying form). Amidst the corpses of slain warriors, she squats on the battleground, dripping with blood, stringing a necklace of the Bagdawats' severed heads. After their deaths, the Bagdawats' wives with the exception of Savai Bhoj's wife, Sadu Mata, commit ''sati'' (self-immolation).

Shri Devnarayan Katha

Shri Devnarayan Bhagwan the imperialGurjar

This half of the narrative begins with Sadu Mata's severe ''tapas'' (penance) on a hill near the battlefield. After eleven days, when her honour and life is about to be threatened by the Rana, she calls out to Bhagavan, who has promised to be born as her son. Devnarayan, who is playing a game of dice at the time with king Basak, rises up on a stream of water that splits apart the rock on which Sadu is seated. Borne on that jet of water in a lotus blossom, the infant Devnarayan falls into Sadu Mata's lap. Threatened by the Rana, Sadu Mata decides to flee to her natal home in

. Devnarayan spends his childhood there without any knowledge of past events. After eleven years, one-day Chochu Bhat, the

bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise t ...

and genealogist of the 24 Bagaravat brothers comes to Malwa in search of Devnarayan. Sadu Mata who knows of his intentions tries to get him killed by poisoning, but Devnarayan revives him. Chochu Bhat then informs him of the battle between the Bagaravats and the Rana. Devnarayan then decides against his mother's will to return to his fathers ancestral land and take revenge on the Rana. While returning to the region of Bhilwara and his capital town of Causla Kheda, Devnarayan marries three princesses, one the daughter of a ''det'' (

daitya According to ancient scriptures, the daityas (Sanskrit: दैत्य) are a race of asuras, descending from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the ...

), another the niece of a netherworld serpent king, and the third the daughter of the Gurjar ruler of

Ujjain Ujjain (, Hindustani language, Hindustani pronunciation: Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, �d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Prad ...

-Pipalde. While returning Devnarayan also meets up with his four cousins, Mehnduji, Madanji, Kanh Bhangi and Bhunaji, who likewise have grown up unaware of each other's existence. Whereas Mehnduji have been under the protection of the Bagaravat's ally, the king of Ajmer, Bhangi has grown up as a Nath Jogi in the company of the Bagaravats' guru Baba Rupnath. Madanji has been growing up with his father Tejaji Gurjar. Bhunaji, whose name has been changed to Khanderav, has been adopted by the Rana himself. But once the cousins realize their true origins, they join up with Devnarayan to launch an assault against the Rana. Before the final encounter takes place, Devnarayan releases his herd of 980,000 cows and buffaloes in the royal fields in order to destroy the Rana's crops. In the end, the cousins catch up with the Rana who is trying to escape. He is beheaded by Devnarayan's bow-string. But when Devnarayan sees that Bhunaji is sad over the death of his foster father, he revives the Rana only after Chochu Bhat has extracted the Bagaravats' revenge from the Rana's stomach. Thereafter Devnarayan instructs the revived Rana to establish the city of

Udaipur Udaipur () (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic capit ...

, which according to the narrative is named after one of Devnarayan's names, Uday singh.Bhagwaan Dev Narayan was born on Shanivaar, Saptami Shukla Paksh of Maagh month and the year was Vikrami Samwat 968 (911 AD). Bhagwaan Dev Narayan lived a very short life of 31 years on earth. He went to BaikunthDhaam on Akshya Tritiya Shukla Paksh of Baisakh month in Vikrami Samwat 999 (942 AD). After Devnarayan has accomplished taking revenge on the Rana, he decides to depart to ''Baikunth'' (heaven). But his Queen Pipalde requests him not to leave her childless. A boy Bila and a girl, Bili are born to her. Bili is quick to realize her father's divinity. But Bila is stubborn and refuses to acknowledge his father's authority. After many unhappy incidents including being befallen by leprosy, Bila begins to realize the divine power of his father. He then agrees to look after Devnarayan's very first shrine and become Devnarayan's first priest from which the lineage of priests follow. Then, having established a place of worship, a lineage of priests, and a community of devotees, Devnarayan finally returns in his celestial chariot to ''unth.''Baik unth. According to the epic, Infant Devnarayan was suckled by a lioness. That gave rise to famous Rajasthani Proverb ''Gurjari Jaayan, Nahari Jaayan'', which translated as ''Son of a

is no less than a Lion.''

Devnarayan shrines and phad

The principal shrine of Devnaryan is located at Sawai Bhoj near

Asind Asind is a city and a municipality in Bhilwara district, Rajasthan, India. It is a Tehsil (sub-division) for many villages The city have a magistrate office, lower justice court and many administrative hub for many major villages. Geography A ...

town, the battlefield of ''Bagravat Bharat''. Other significant shrines are at Demali, which is believed as the earliest shrine founded by Devnarayan himself and Malasari, where Devnarayan was born. Devnarayan is worshiped in these shrines in the form of an upright row of large sized bricks. The bricks are often kept bare, but sometimes the multi-colored tinsel is pasted over them. Another significant shrine of Devnarayan is located at Jodhpuriya near Mashi dam in

Tonk district Tonk district is a district of the state of Rajasthan in western India. The city of Tonk is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district is bounded on the north by Jaipur district, on the east by Sawai Madhopur district, on ...

. Two fairs are organized each year near this shrine. Maharana Sanga of

Mewar Mewar or Mewad is a region in the south-central part of Rajasthan state of India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pirawa Tehsil of Jhalawar District of Rajasthan, Neemuch and Man ...

was great devotee of Shri Devnarayan and he is said to have built a temple in memory of Deoji.

Devnarayan phad

Devnarayan is also worshiped by the

Bhopa The Bhopa people are the priest-singers of the folk deities in the state of Rajasthan, India. They perform in front of a scroll, known as (''par'' in the Rajasthani language) that depicts the episodes of the narrative of the folk deity and func ...

s, the priest-singers by means of a scroll known as ''phad'', depicting various episodes of the narrative of the life of Devnaryan. This scroll, ''Devnarayan phad'', is used as a mobile temple and the Bhopas carry it with them. The Joshi families of Bhilwara and Shahpura are the traditional artists of the . A ''phad'' consists of an image of Devnarayan in the attire of a king seated on his "python" throne in his court faced by the serpent king Basak and his four cousins at the centre. The whole ''phad'' is painted with various scenes related to the narrative of Devnarayan according to a traditional scheme. No place is left vacant. These are normally about 30 feet in length. One of the earliest surviving Devnarayan phad is in the collection of Rupayan Sansthan, the Rajasthan Institute of Folklore in Jodhpur. This phad is signed by Surajmal and Bagtavarchand and dated Vikram Samvat 1924 (1867). A Bhopa, usually erects the phad shortly after nightfall in the villages where he is invited to sing different episodes from the epical narrative of Devnarayan in front of the ''phad'' during the (night-wakes). Before the performance begins, the ground beneath is swept clean, incense is burnt and the offerings of grains and money are made in front of the ''phad''. During the performance, a ''jantar'' (a type of fretted

veena The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( sa, वीणा IAST: vīṇā), comprises various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps.< ...

with two resonators of gourd or wood) is played to accompany the songs. Usually, there are two Bhopas who recite the epic, one is the main Bhopa, the ''Patavi'', and the other is his assistant, the ''Diyala''. When the ''Patavi Bhopa'' sings a particular episode of the epic, his junior partner, the ''Diyala Bhopa'' holds an oil lamp to illuminate the particular part of the ''phad'', where the particular episode which is being sung is depicted. He also sings along with his senior partner some parts of the episodes. The phad of devnarayan ji issue a post ticket on 2 September 1992.

Recognition

A commemorative stamp was issued by India post on 2 Sep 1992 of denomination INR 5. A commemorative stamp was issued by India post on 3 Sep 2011 of denomination INR 5.

References

# Anandaram Phagana (1971, in Hindi Month Falgun Vikram samvat, 2027). ''Bagrawat Bharat -Veer Gurjar Utpatti'', Archana Prakashan, Ajmer. # Borana, Ramesh (2004). ''Bagrawat Mahabharat'', Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Academy, Jodhpur. # Chundawat, Laxmikumari (1977). ''Bagrawat Devnarayan Mahagatha'', Rajkamal Prakashan, New Delhi. # Malik, Aditya (1993). ''Rajasthani Oral Epic of Devnarayan'', New Delhi. # Malik, Aditya (2005). ''Nector Gaze and Poison Breath: An Analysis and Translation of Rajasthani Oral Narrative of Devnarayan'', New York: Oxford University Press, . # Miller, Joseph Charles, Jr. (1994). ''The Twenty-four Brothers and Lord Devnarayan: The Story and Performance of a Folk Epic of Rajasthan, India'', University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania.

External links

{{Commons category
a website on Devnaryan PhadPhad Paintings by Prakash Joshi
*Painted folklore and Folklore painters o

Folk deities of Rajasthan Rajasthani culture