They perform in front of a scroll, known as phad (par in the Rajasthani language) that depicts the episodes of the narrative of the folk deity and functions as a portable temple.
After reaching a village or town, the Bhopas erect the phads between two poles in a suitable public place shortly after nightfall.
The sequence which a phad vacno (performance) follows can be summarized as follows:[2] The Bhopa sings various episodes from the narrative of Pabuji and his wife known as Bhopi holds an oil lamp near the visual being described.
Mohan Bhopa (who - till his demise in 2011 - performed along with his wife Batasi Bhopi) is a celebrated present-day singer-priest of Pabuji, covered by author and historian William Dalrymple in his famed book Nine Lives.
[3][4] During the performance, a jantar (a type of fretted veena with two resonators of gourd or wood) is played to accompany the songs.