Mata Ni Pachedi
Gujarat
Mata ni pachedi literally means “behind the Mother Goddess”, and
is a cloth that constitutes a temple of the goddess. When people of
the nomadic Vaghari community of Gujarat were barred from entering
temples, they made their own shrines with depictions of the Mother
Goddess on cloth. The paintings usually have a set patterned quality,
strong and bold, reinforced by the starkness of red and black, the only
colours used. In the centre is the commanding figure of the ‘Mata’ or
Mother Goddess in various iconographic forms, sitting on a throne or
mounted on an animal.
In Ahmedabad, artisans make these paintings using the same methods
followed 200 years ago. Cotton fabric is first de-starched and then
treated with ‘Harada’ paste to prepare it for absorbing the colour.
Outlines of the figures are painted first, with black colour prepared from
jaggery and iron. After this, red colour, extracted from tamarind seeds,
is filled in and the areas supposed to be white are left blank.
After application of each colour, the fabric is boiled in alizarin solution,
to bring out the colour, and then washed. For washing, the craftsmen
go to the Sabarmati River as the cloth must be washed in running
water only, so that any excess colour flows away, instead of staining
the cloth. It takes days of patience and dedication, to prepare one
piece. For instance, painting a cloth of 5” x 9” can take two months.
The strong lines and bold use of colour, that reflect the power and
energy of the goddess, have now transformed into more artistic and
detailed illustrations but the depiction style of mythical characters
remains the same. The artists now incorporate many more colours
such as indigo, green and yellow in the paintings, using age-old
methods of extracting colour from natural materials.
Sanjay Chitara was born in 1978 and started painting at the age of 15. The
mata ni pachedi
has been painted by his family for over 300 years. His father, Manubhai Chunilal, and mother,
Manjuben Manubhai, jointly received the National Award in 2004; the Shilp Guru Award in 2009;
and the Rajiv Gandhi Shilp Award in 2013. Sanjay received the State Award in 1999 and the
National Award in 2000.
