Picture Recitations of the Jadopatias in North India

What lies behind the seductive power of painted images and recitation? How is it that the pictures recitations performed by the Jadopatias mesmerise the Santals? The Jadopatia has found a niche working among the Santals, showing scrolls and pictures. The pictures are deeply embedded in the Santal and Hindu world-view, society and ritual. In particular, the work the Jadopatia is related to the fate of the deceased Santal. The paper discusses the significance of the relationship between images and sound in the Jadopatia’s performance, and how the Santal’s compliance with the Jadopatia’s performance is intimately tied to the ontology of the sounds and the images.