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Kothe te kala kala kan ma ni aj sadhe kise awanai
Oh mother, on the terrace is seated the black crow heralding the arrival of my husband
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3
2
DARSHAN DWAR WITH CENTRAL FLOWING
STREAM
EAST PUNJAB (NOW HARYANA), CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven cotton, embroidered with untwisted silk
thread, natural dyes
53 x 80.5 in (135 x 205 cm)
$ 2,275 - 3,790
Rs 1,50,000 - 2,50,000
3
DARSHAN DWAR WITH VILLAGE SCENE
EAST PUNJAB (NOW HARYANA), CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven cotton, embroidered with untwisted silk
thread, natural dyes
50.25 x 95.25 in (128 x 242 cm)
$ 4,550 - 6,065
Rs 3,00,000 - 4,00,000
Darshan Dwars
were sacred textiles, made by a devotee as an offering
to a temple, a gurdwara, or any shrine for the fulfilment of a vow. They
generated a sense of anticipation and excitement as people prayed at the
door of the temple. The
darshan dwar
literally translated, is the entrance
to the abode of the Divine, where the worshipper yearns for the fulfilment
of her prayers.
The present lot depicts a row of
darshan dwars
lining a central band that
alludes to flowing water. The composition balances the rigidity of the
architecture with the organic pattern of the waves. The wave pattern is
enlarged and echoed on the two borders across the ends of the piece.
This exceptionally vibrant and effusive
Darshan Dwar
has a band of
colourful scenes of village life embroidered along and between the
mirroring rows of shrine gates. Human figures are interspersed with sheaves
of corn, a bullock cart, horses, pairs of peacocks and myriad other birds. The
richly embroidered present lot depicts figures which sometimes represent
the presence of the deity within the shrines, and at other times, is the
worshipper. In some cases, the
mehrab
or niche, encloses the object of the
wish to be fulfilled. There is a
takhti
, or wooden writing tablet on which the
son learns to write, and the jewellery which the woman longs to possess
through her embroidery. A black crow heralds the arrival of the beloved.