The Embroidered Kantha

Archaeological finds of needles unearthed in the ancient cities of the Harrapan civilization have led scholars to infer that embroidery skills have been practiced in on the Indian subcontinent for several millennia. Motifs, patterning, stitches and the symbolism that enriched the diversity of embroidery styles continue to be practiced both within the tradition of professionally embroidered goods and the ongoing development of domestic embroideries that were created by women for their own use or for that of their families.

Orally transmitted over generations from mother to daughter within communities the symbolism inherent in embroidery imbued it with an added dimension of value. These domestic embroideries constituted a visual language that served as cultural markers of identity, with their design and patterning speaking of a culture and a place.

The tradition of patching and quilting textiles in the Indian subcontinent has an equally long history. These domestic repurposed embroideries were primarily made for personal use or for gifting. This repurposing of worn out textiles, usually received from known and well regarded sources is a tradition that extends from the Bengal Kantha to the Gudri and Ralli traditions that extends from Western to Central India, the Sujni of Bihar and other traditions spread across India.

Unfortunately, the earliest material evidence of this domestic tradition’s historic roots are dated to their period of acquisition in the early 19th century. These can be studied in the collections pieced together by Gurusaday Dutt, a civil servant with a deep interest in rural art forms and Stella Kamrisch, the famed Indologist, and by those found in private collections and museums in India and across the globe. The worn fabrics used in the construction of the Kanthas and the frequent use they were put to made the Kanthas fragile while the tropical climate of Bengal was not conducive to conservation making it difficult to date the origin of the tradition. But what can be said with certainty from the provenance of the pieces available is that the tradition was widespread across undivided Bengal, cutting across the social, economic and religious divide and that the technique, process and aesthetics of this repurposed textile would have deep seated ancient roots.

The tradition of Kantha embroidery continues in 21st century India. Pushing the boundaries of this historic craft are approximately 50,000 women embroiderers who describe their work as “ghore bosa kaaj” or home-based work.

For women embroiderers the Kantha embroidery continues beyond economic empowerment as their creative impulse has led to developments not just in its form and materials used but in a growing vocabulary of motifs and patterning.