Pabuji's Ravariya (Phad spirits)

Sources frame these beings not as a single origin myth but as constituent actors of the Pabuji epic universe: they emerge within the narrative corpus of The Epic of Pabuji and in the attendant material culture (Phad scrolls, puppets) maintained by painter-singers and puppeteers. The tradition transmits them through performance repertory and the custodial practices of Phad painters and puppeteers rather than through a separate, fully developed origin tale in the cited materials.

The provided sources describe Ravariya/Phad spirits primarily through their representation in performance media (puppets, Phad scroll-illustrations) rather than as consistent naturalistic beings. Iconography varies according to the conventions of individual Phad painters and puppet-makers; specific consistent details (colors, dress, physiognomy) are not recorded in the cited summaries. Thus they are depicted as character-figures within the painted scrolls and puppet casts that illustrate episodes of Pabuji.

Within the documentary sources these spirits are characterized by their narrative and performative functions: they act as attendants, helpers, obstructors, or atmospheric presences in episodes of the Pabuji epic as enacted by singers and puppeteers. The sources do not provide a catalogue of independent supernatural powers (for example explicit claims of possession, illness-causing, or boon-granting) and present their efficacy as mediated through sanctioned performance, the authority of the performer, and the imagery of the Phad.