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KATHIAWARI HEER CHAKLA WITH
MOTHER GODDESS
KATHIAWAR, GUJARAT, CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven cotton dyed with indigo,
hand embroidered with untwisted silk thread, natural
dyes
31 x 31 in (79 x 79 cm)
$ 3,035 - 4,550
Rs 2,00,000 - 3,00,000
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KATHIAWARI CHAKLA WITH SUN
MOTIF
KATHIAWAR, GUJARAT, LATE 19
TH
CENTURY
Handspun and handwoven cotton dyed with indigo,
hand embroidered with untwisted silk thread, natural
dyes
29.5 x 32 in (75 x 82 cm)
$ 3,035 - 4,550
Rs 2,00,000 - 3,00,000
NONEXPORTABLE
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To embody the essence of creation in one textile is
rare, but these two square decorative hangings, known
as
chaklas,
do it perfectly. Based on the pattern of the
sacred grid, each is divided into nine equal squares.
At their central focal point, both of them have two
women with bird-like faces that symbolise the Mother
Goddess. The women are referencing the myth of the
Amrit Manthan
, the churning of the ocean, which
yielded a number of treasures. The most important
treasure to emerge, was
amrita ambrosia
, the nectar
of immortality. The eight squares surrounding the
women stand for the sun and the moon, the day and
the night, the conceptualisation of the passage of time.
The present lot has four large stars in the corner boxes,
while the following lot has the sun motif.
Dating to the early 19
th
century, the two unusual and
rare lots in this collection are made by the Kathis of
Kutch. The Kathis are said to be the original Epthalites,
a branch of the Huns from Central Asia who invaded
India during the rule of the Gupta Empire, with
one branch of them settling in Gujarat around the
5
th
century. They were sun worshippers and this
is reflected in their textiles, as is the worship of the
Mother Goddess.
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