Mata ni Pachedi - Gujarat's Sacred Fabric Tradition

    Art has always been indebted to religion for inspiration. Be it sculptors, painters, musicians or playwrights; all have toyed with religious ideas and themes in their forms of artistic expression. Abraham Lincoln had said “The highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout person.” I came to face this truth in an obscure dingy lane of Ahmedabad.

  

Walking through, flashes of red, white and black with the overwhelming image of a female goddess, past a vivid graffiti on a mud canvas we reached the humble dwelling of Manubhai Chunilal Chitara -- winner of the 2004 National Award for craftsmanship. Manubhai is a member of one of the few Devi Pujak families which continue to breathe life into a dying art form. Inside his little workshop a bed-sheet was being block-printed with the similar patterns of red and white that we encountered earlier.

“We also reproduce the traditional maroon-black and white patterns of Mata-ni-Pachedi using the block-printing technique to cut cost”, he said nonchalantly spreading out a rectangular piece of fabric; our first sample of the iconic textile tradition of Gujarat.

     With celestial motifs of the sun and moon at its corners, which are “indicative of continuity”, the cloth depicted a multi-coloured, hand-painted animated figure of the Goddess Shakti, the female facet of the divine. 

Aptly called “Eye barfi” by a colleague, this sacred textile was a spectacular display of natural colours and stunning refinement. The exquisite piece of narrative art was finely detailed with leaves and flowers. “Conventionally, the goddess is placed at the centre of the pachedi within a wide monochrome border (colloquially lassa patti). The themes are enthused by episodes from epics on the Goddess.” informed Manu Bhai. 

“The chadarvo or pachedi is offered as a token of gratitude to the Goddess for answered prayers. Devotees from villages pour in to buy the pachedis during Navratri and after the harvesting season”, we were told by Sanjaybhai Chitara, Manubhai’s son, who was also awarded a National Award in 2000. 

              Mata ni Pachedi dates back to almost 300 years. It was a rendering of veneration by the once nomadic Waghri community, now the Devi Pujaks, for the Goddess. They had a functional purpose as they were used to erect temporary shrines.

 

The modern day manifestations of the art have colors other than the traditional maroon-black and white, as with passing time these pieces have surpassed their religious and functional purpose turning into priced acquisition for art connoisseurs. These modern variations also give space for artistic freedom, as the artists can experiment with different icons and their placement. Like, we were shown a pachedi which was a colorful artist’s interpretation of the tree of life. Purists may ridicule this development but probably it was mandatory for Manubhai and his extended family, who have taken up the mantle to retract the art that has been passed on to them as heirloom, from the brink of extinction. They exhibit their jewels at two annual fairs; Surajkund Mela in Faridabad and the Delhi Haat December fair. “We also conduct workshops for NID and NIFT students” said Sanjay bhai who told us that they have diversified into silk scarves and sarees. “We want our legacy to live and thus have modified our art over time to make its presence widely known.” he said. Under the expert mentorship of five national award-winning craftsmen in the family the toddlers are also fast picking up the craft. The scrolls are also bought as wall pieces which sell at prices fixed according to the size and the intricacy of the hand-work. “A particular piece was auctioned at Rs.4 lakh”, we were told.

 

       Mata-ni-Pachedi adorns various national and international museums. Recently, the state government placed the highest order in monetary terms, with these swindling craftsmen in a bid to give this sacred vernacular art a much-deserved impetus.  The pachedi that was made adorns the walls of the State Legislative Assembly in Gandhinagar.

Pleased with my purchase of a beautiful scarf and two traditional table-spread sized scrolls, I walked out wondering how accurately it was said that art is collaboration between God and the artist. Manubhai ascertained this divine intervention when he said, “Our forefathers have been painting and I have followed with no formal training. When I sit to paint I am guided.”