How Mata ni Pachedi is Created
A the step by step process of creating the sacred, textile shrines of Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Mata ni Pachedi: Jagdish Chitara and his son at work (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The creation of Mata ni Pachedi
The Vagharis were nomads who lived along the edges of the Sabarmati River in Gujarat. As cultivators and agricultural workers, they also sold or exchanged old goods. Around 300 years ago, they became artists and creators of Mata ni Pachedi, an impressive form of textile art that serves the purpose of a shrine for the marginalized and excluded, of whom they were also a part of.
Mata ni Pachedi: The materials of the artist (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Like other textiles prepared using natural colours, there is an elaborate pre-treatment of the fabric before any painting or printing is started. This involves de-starching and preparation by soaking and washing the cloth, and then treating it with a solution of harda (terminalia chebula).
Mata ni Pachedi: Mata ni Pachedi artist Jagdish Chitara at work (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The creation of a Mata ni Pachedi, an artistic sacred textile wall piece, involves a step-by-step process.
Jagdish Chitara of Ahmedabad demonstrates how the cloth is built up in stages till it is ready for the customer to take home and use it as the backdrop of a small wooden shrine.
The artist first makes an outline of the artwork in black. This color is derived from iron through a process that takes 15 days.
The Mata ni Pachedi in its full form has a central figure of the female deity. The rest of the arrangements are placed in a grid with architecture-like insertions in the form of doors and archways in a stylized format.
Mata ni Pachedi: Wooden block (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The technique of wooden block printing
Wooden block-printing and painting are the two techniques used to create the Mata ni Pachedi; the former for borders and certain figures, and brushes and paint for freehand drawings, embellishments and some flights of fancy that the artist may choose to incorporate.
Mata ni Pachedi: Blocks used in making Mata ni Pachedi textiles (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The artists combine free hand-painting with hand block printing. Jagdish Chittara values the old blocks that have been with the family for years and stores them carefully.
While some forms are made free hand, wooden hand blocks are also used. Like other Chittara artists, Jagdish’s family values their old blocks and has stored them in the family home.
Mata ni Pachedi: Wooden blocks (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Samples of some common blocks used for printing Mata ni Pachedi.
Mata ni Pachedi: Wooden block (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The sun and the moon are generally seen in the two top corners of a Mata ni Pachedi.
Mata ni Pachedi: Wooden block (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
There are singers, musicians, shamans, animals, and birds that seem to dance and fly in celebration of the goddess.
Mata ni Pachedi: Wooden blocks (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The elegance and refinement of all these shapes depend on the carving skills of the block maker and the artistic qualities of the Chittara painter.
Mata ni Pachedi: Appling the colour (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The painting process
Once the outline is ready red color is filled in using the brushes made from bamboo. The dye is made from a solution of alum mixed with tamarind seed powder. The solution appears yellow because a non-permanent dye is mixed in to make it visible during the application. The color that gets developed on the fabric after it is treated with the mordant alizarin is a deep red.
Brushes made from bamboo are used for filling in the red color. The yellow of the solution comes from a non-permanent dye the artist mixes in to make it visible during the application. The color that will be developed on the fabric after it is treated with the mordant alizarin is a deep red.
The red color is then filled in using brushes made from bamboo. The dye is made from a solution of alum with tamarind seed powder.
A non-permanent yellow color is added to the solution to make it visible for the artists while they are applying the dye on the fabric.
See the painting process in action:
Mata ni Pachedi: Washing off excess dye (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Washing and drying
The artists of Vaghari community who create the Mata ni Pachedi were among the itinerant poor who shifted from place to place along the banks of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad, in Gujarat. The sacred textiles emerge from their tiny homes and are washed in the local, and often muddy, river. They are dried on the pipes and rocks nearby.
Mata ni Pachedi: Washing off excess dye (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Once the fabric is dyed, the cloth is washed to remove any excess dye. The community has traditionally been based near the river, hence, this process was carried out in the flowing river water.
Mata ni Pachedi: Washing off excess dye (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Even today the artists go down to the banks of the Sabarmati, which flows through the city, for this stage of production. The washed cloth is spread out to dry on whatever surface is available.
Mata ni Pachedi: Developing and fixing red colour (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Treating with alizarin
Dhawda flowers are combined with the mordant alizarin to develop and fix the dye. The cloth is boiled in this solution for a while. When the cloth is removed, the red color is developed. The ready piece is put out to dry.
Mata ni Pachedi: Alizerine, the mordant used for red dye (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Alizarin is used as a mordant to develop and fix the dye.
Mata ni Pachedi: Dhawda flowers (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Dried dhawda flowers are also added.
Mata ni Pachedi: Solution of alizerine (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
To ensure that a uniform solution is made, the alizarin is wrapped in a piece of cloth that functions as a make-shift pouch, which is then lowered into a container with water.
Mata ni Pachedi: Developing and fixing red colour (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The cloth is boiled in this solution for a while. When it is removed, the red color is visibly developed.
Mata ni Pachedi: Developing and fixing red colour (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Jagdish Chittara learnt this art from his father and grandfather, who were both recognized nationally for the excellence in their work.
Mata ni Pachedi: Developing and fixing red colour (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The piece is ready to be put out to dry. Natural dyeing processes are sensitive to climate conditions. The strength of the sun’s rays affect the final intensity of the color.
Mata ni Pachedi: Textile put out to dry (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Monsoon is not generally a favorable time for dyeing because of the humidity in the air. Jagdish Chittara therefore made only a small piece to demonstrate the process.
Mata ni Pachedi: A traditional Mata ni Pachedi (2017) by Sanjay ChitaraDastkari Haat Samiti
A story through Mata ni Pachedi
The Mata, or Mother Goddess shrine cloth is most in demand during Navratri, the nine days when incarnations of the Goddess Durga are worshiped across large parts of India.
Clients commission Chittara artists, as the Vaghari artists are now known, to make the central figure of their own protector goddess surrounded by images of the other incarnations, legends, portions from religious epics and even shamans. These are set up and elaborately decorated during the festive days of Navratri when the Mother Goddess is worshipped throughout India.
A typical Mata ni Pachedi follows a particular format. At the center is an image of the Mother Goddess framed in a shrine or temple. On both sides of this is the imagery symbolizing her worshipers, and also has references to religious epics and folklore.
The particular image of the goddess depends on who has commissioned the textile. There are multiple forms and attributes of the goddess and each of the communities sharing the tradition of the Mata ni Pachedi has its own particular deity.
Each of the goddess also has her own seat or form of transport. Goddess Chamundi rides a lion, while Mamai Mata sits atop a camel, and Goddess Vahanvati travels in a boat. The iconography also represents different attributes associated with legends of the Mother Goddess.
Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, who considered auspicious for all beginnings, is commonly seen to the left of the Mata's image.
The Mother's worshippers, coming to pray, are depicted recalling the ritual ceremonies associated with the faith. In this particular piece, you can see the musicians, the shaman holding his whisk made of peacock feathers and the sacrificial goat that will be offered to the goddess.
The sacred textile also includes references to the religious epics. Shravan Kumar from the Ramayana, who epitomizes filial piety, is often seen carrying his blind parents on a pilgrimage. There are images showing Lord Krishna or Rama, recognized by the viewer through references to symbols, like Rama’s bow or Krishna’s flute.
Other images capture customary beliefs. An image of a two-headed deer, one head looking forward and the other looking back, signifies the adage that one should never look back.
The Mata ni Pachedi textile captures various valued symbols and beliefs. It breaks the barriers of exclusion from entry into the temple. In fact, it goes beyond the temple to encapsulate many aspects of what is considered sacred for the communities that it binds together in their faith of the Mother Goddess.
Read more about Mata ni Pachedi here:
- The Community
- Chittara Environs in Ahemadabad
- New Pathways
