Charbagh -Installation

The scheme of a garden, divided equally into four symmetrical sections is a legacy of the Persian-ate and Mughal arts and architecture. In textiles of the subcontinent it appears in the shawls of Kashmir, among other square, brocaded textiles which are known to have been used as canopies and thaal posh — coverlets for gifting trays. Using multiple techniques of hand weaving, this textile plays with the Konia, an auspicious, recurring motif often referenced as the paisley, and which in the Indian context is suggested to have been derived from the form of the mango. The Konia is used in end panels and corners of Indian textiles; its transformation into a repeating central floral medallion lends it a dynamic movement to an otherwise simple composition.

The textile panel has followed the charbagh layout with four squares held together by a central medallion. While the exhibit is attributed to Weaver’s Service Centre at Indore, which is famous for its Chanderi weave, the borders on all four sides are patterned which are reminiscent of Maheshwari cluster. Visvakarma textiles were developed as a collaborative effort by various clusters and this panel testifies to the same.