The Handicrafts of Gujarat

The incredible legacy of Gujarat’s textiles and quintessential handcrafted artifacts has been one of the most precious contributions to India’s crafting heritage

Scores of master artisans, scattered across Gujarat, are rising once again to take part in the revival of the state’s crafting traditions. From soof embroidery to ajrakh printing, from the superb finish of gorgeous Patan patolas to the precision-driven beauty of sadeli woodwork – Gujarat’s crafting traditions have left an indelible footprint on the global arena since ancient times. The state’s proximity to the Arabian Sea also played an inimitable part in the distri­bution of its creative genius to Arabian shores and further on to the West. Frag­ments of cotton exported from Gujarat, dating to the 5th century, have been recovered from the tombs of ancient Egyptians in Fustat; its finest weaves found their way into the linen wardrobes of high-born Roman ladies.

The cornucopia of Gujarat’s crafting heritage and pool of indigenous skills (fuelled by the merging of ancient Jain, Hindu and Islamic cross-cultural tradi­tions in this discipline) have been further enriched by international influences. The motley mix of traders and colonisers, im­migrants and rapacious adventurers, from across the ocean arrived on its shores with the legacies of their native skills and tradi­tions in tow, spreading them deep into the local populace.

Textiles

One of the most remarkable legacies of Gujarat’s crafting skills is its rich and varied weaves – each made with labour-inten­sive, high-precision techniques passed down from generation to generation.

Among Gujarat’s weaving traditions, the chief one is the double Ikat technique (where threads of both the warp and weft are resist-dyed to create the patterns of fabric before being placed on the loom) which transformed into an art form in the hands of the Salvi master weavers of Patan – originally hailing from Jalna in Maharashtra. Today, the fate of this fast- diminishing craft lies in the hands of just three to four families. Time-consuming and precision-driven (both sides of the fabric weave have the same finish), the double ikat-woven Patola sari was popular with the ladies of the merchant princes of the time. Today, for the lack of patron­ age, the Patan patola is now a treasured heirloom and the desire of many a bride. One of these prohibitively priced beauties can take over a year to be crafted – just the process of tie-dyeing the threads can consume up to 2-3 months.

If you’ve always yearned to have Patan’s revered double-ikat patola but couldn’t afford one, head for Surendranagar district. Here, you’ll find an inexpensive knock-off in the beautiful single-ikat patolas produced by local weavers. When travelling around Bajana, Wadhwan and Syala villages, you’ll also discover the rare and wondrous beauty of the tangaliya (dana) weave – featured richly in shawls, stolesand garments. This particular weave in goat and sheep wool (where extra weft threads were warp threads to give the effect of beaded embroidery set in geometric designs) is indigenous to the Dangashiya community.

Block printing has been the métier of Khatri artisans, hailing from Sindh, who have settled around Dhamadka. They partially shifted their activities to the nearby Ajrakhpur village after the devastating 2001 earthquake in Kutch. They are the people behind the compelling and intricate patterns of ajrakh – the craft of resist block printing on fabric.

The Vankar community in Bhujodi village weaves its reputation into the folds of its colourful bhujodi shawls, blankets and dhablas (floor coverings). The wool has been traditionally bought from the pastoral Rabari community. The shawls featuring traditional Kutchi motifs are not only popular in the domestic market but also exported to the US and Europe.

Mata-Ni-Pacchedi (Kalamkari)

Among the most popular in Gujarat is the Mata-ni-Pacchedi ritual textiles produced by the Vaghri community to celebrate the mother goddess. The shaman falls into a trance dancing in front of the image (always in profile) of the goddess depicted in the pacchedi during ritual chants and animal sacrifice. The images are hand- painted on the fabric. Primary colours used in the pacchedi were red, black and beige. The craft originated in Viramgam town in the 1950s.Today, it features a fresher palette of colours and is used to make bed covers, apparel, curtains and table linen.

Tie and Dye

A Gujarati bride looking to buy a bridal bandhani (tie and dye) will always opt for one from Jamnagar. The lovely gharchola odhni (in red or green with scatterings of white and yellow dots and pretty motifs) is imbued with many auspicious elements. Bandhani can be sourced out of Kutch and Surendranagar districts as well, but because of the mineral-imbued waters of the Rangmati and Nagmati, the bandhanis of Jamnagar are the most favoured. The beauty of bandhani fabric is timeless in its appeal.

The method entails gathering up bunches of fabric with strings and immers­ing them in a dye tub. When done and unfolded, the entire swathe of fabric has magical patterns appear in different hues. The process is laborious and takes a few months. It’s a true-cottage industry – often with the entire family pitching in to handle different aspects of the long, drawn-out process. For special occasions you can buy bandhini odhnis and cholis jazzed up with beads, mirror work, tassles, etc.

Gujarat’s Navratri celebration is an excellent time to discover the variety of bandhanis in the market – from the beau­tiful lehriya (wave-like print) to the zari kyra patterns which feature motifs from nature, created by the Bhatia community. Bandhani work is featured on super-fine muslin (mulmul) and is also available in other fabrics like silk and wool.

Applique work and embroideries

Kutch is famous for its bold and gorgeous applique work and incredible range of embroidery. The most distinct is abhala (mirror inset embroidery), intrinsic to chic ethnic outfits. Pachhitpatis (embroidered friezes) adorn doorways of homes while bhitiyas make for excellent wall hangings. Ari and soof embroidery is sourced from Banaskantha while kathipa, mahajan, kanbi and rabari embroideries are done in Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Junagadh districts. Soof embroidery, set in geometric designs, features a neat stitch. It includes stylized motifs and the surface satin stich is worked from back of the fabric. The design does not have the benefit of being pre-drawn and is dependent mainly on the creativity of the craftswoman and her sense of geometric symmetry. Pakko (meaning solid) embroidery is the contribution of the Sodha and Rajput communities. Here, the outline of the squares is done in chain stich and filled in with a dense button-hole style stich which appears raised. Mirrors are also set into it to further enhance its beauty.

Namda and Mashru

While the namda is a floor covering, mashru is a silk look-alike used to adorn the body as a garment. Namda is cre­ated from an unwoven cloth com­pletely handcrafted with the process of matting, condensing and pressing a range of differently coloured woolen fibres. No adhesive is deployed. The craft is confined to a few families in Mundra and Nakhatrana. Fibres of wool sourced from shepherds are then dyed and processed by pressing the finished material to create a yarn. It can take up to five days to get the mat ready. Mash­ru, which is a warp-faced satin weave fabric, is an inexpensive alternative to silk with a similar sheen; its reverse is made of cotton. The tradition originates from Arabia.

Bead Work

Beads are among India’s oldest items for ornamentation as well as export. Beadwork finds its origins in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region – in the districts of Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Amreli and Junagadh. Particularly skilled in this art form are the women of Surendranagar’s Bharwad community whose beautiful workmanship can be found in traditional costumes, ornaments, wall hangings and other decorative forms. The Rannof Kutch festivities are a good time to find these items on sale. The villages, too, are a good source of supply and they ensure that the artisans benefit from sales directly. The kathis (tribals) are the finest craftspeople in the realm of beads.

Marquetry

Dating back to Mughal times, Surat has been a distinguished centre for zari (brocade) work best seen in the celebrated Gharchola and Panetar saris, worn on wed­dings by Gujarati women. The city also has a distinctive appeal for its excellent range of sadeli (marquetry) woodcraft. The craft was brought here by the Parsi community, which settled here when they fled persecution back home in Iran. Surat’s sadeli craft is akin to Kashmir’s khatamkari work – the Persian legacy of using precisely cut geometric pieces of wood to decorate wooden artifacts. You can go for a splendid sadeli doorway for your home or pick up sundry decorative items as souvenirs. Each of these items will bear the inimitable beauty and consummate artistry of a dedicated craftsman.

Lacquerwork

For Gujarat’s famous lacquered woodcraft, you need to head to Sankheda town. The Kharadi Suthar community has genera­tions of skills behind their craft, passing as it has from father to son a precious tradition since the 1800s.Thetools they use are simple – lathes and hand-held equipment – but the mastery of their work is anything but ordinary. Sankheda furniture features hand-painted exteriors in greens, browns and reds with motifs drawn from nature, picked out in silver and gold. To protect this elaborate embellish­ment, a layer of lacquer (atishi) is added to the finished product, giving it its distinctive metallic sheen. The lacquered dandiya sticks you see during Navratri could well be a product from Sankheda. Pick up a low stool (bajoth), candle stands or decorative boxes in various sizes as gifts for friends and family back home.

Paintings

An ancient and abiding legacy is the painterly skill of the Rathwas, Bhilals, and Naykas communities – renowned for the pithora – ritualistic wall paintings rendered during auspicious occasions and even while petitioning their tribal deity, Pithora Baba, during calamitous times. The entire process is imbued with a variety of rituals and ceremonial activities, accompanied by chants and ritualistic songs – all presided over by the Badva. The paintings themselves are sketches of legends and events with which Pithora Baba is associated. The dyes – yellow, blue, orange, green, red – for the sketches (painted by brushes made from twigs of neem or bamboo) are created from a mix of vegetable colours suffused with a con­coction of milk and mahuda liquor.

The dying art of rogan – painting on cloth with the use of castor oil-based dyes – is believed to be of Persian origin and flourished here in Gujarat majorly in Nirona, Khavada and Chaubari. The outlines (which are later filled in with colour) are created by threads of paints made from a gooey paste and repeated folding of the fabric over each sketch. The more intricate the sketches, the more expensive is the finished product. An expensive and time-consuming art form, with a seasonal market, it started slowly dying for the lack of patronage. Today, under government patronage, the craft is being re­vived. A rare and treasured art, it is becoming a collectible item amongst savvy tourists.

Terracotta

The Gundiyali crafts people hailing from Kutch are renowned for their beautiful terracotta clay work – matikam kalakari. A family pursuit of this ancient craft features clay platters which are then painted in black and white after the potters are done with their task of turning on the wheel and firing their pots in a simple kiln. If you are looking for the famous long-necked terracotta figurines of the Gora Dev (horse deity worshipped by tribesmen), head for the potter community in the tribal areas of Chhota Udaipur.

Metal Work

Metal work is a very ancient craft in Gujarat and features in a fabulous range of both utilitarian and highly creative art forms. Jasdan’s pataras – brass-strip encased teak chests with draws, are a big part of trousseau. Though white metal now appears to be rapidly replacing the brass, it’s still a popular item to go.

You can also pick up beautifully made boxes decorated with metallic embel­lishments, which are produced by the communities living around Jasdan, 60km from Rajkot. In case you are travelling around Rajkot, you might want to pick up items made in silver and gold before all the handcrafted items go the mechanised way – many artisans are being compelled to turn away from the laborious routine of hand-crafting. The furniture-making arti­sans have even started producing paint­erly versions of minakari-style workmanship. The families of the Luhar community of the Banni region of Kutch are famed for crafting beautiful hand-cast copper bells. They also produce morchang, a musical instrument made of bells akin to a Jewish harp.

Today, many initiatives are being taken for the revival of the lost crafts and arts of Gujarat.The National Craft Fair of India is an annual event organised by Gujarat’s Indext-C (Industrial Extension Cottage) and the state’s Commissioner and Secretary – Cot­tage and Rural Industries. A slew of NGOs and the design fraternity, driven by a collective vision to explore new possibilities in the world of craft have been vigorous in locating artisans and partnering with them to harness traditional practices and enhance design innovation – showcas­ing their incredible work with the locals to global audiences on various platforms.