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JAT WOMAN'S ODHNI
SHEKHAWATI, RAJASTHAN,
CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven wool,
hand embroidered with cotton
thread, natural dyes
51 x 81.5 in (130 x 207 cm)
$ 6,065 - 9,095
Rs 4,00,000 - 6,00,000
The Bishnois are disciples of Guru
Jambheshwar who lived in the
15
th
century. They follow a set of
twenty-nine tenets prescribed to
him, which include protecting
the environment and all living
beings. Today they live mainly
in the western Thar Desert;
descendants of immigrants from
Bikaner, parts of Haryana and
Punjab, they are exclusively Jats
and Rajputs.
This richly embroidered
odhni
is
embroidered by a woman as part
of her dowry. With geometrical
designs, largely of diamonds,
zoomorphic forms or animals
and human figures are visible
along the edges.