A rare masterpiece from the Vaghari community of Gujarat, this six-feet long and five feet wide Mata Ni Pachedi (cloth paintings for hanging behind or peeche the goddess or Mata) is a depiction of Visat Mata- she who has vees or bees (twenty) haath (hands). Mata Ni Pachedi is a portable shrine of the Vagharis of Gujarat that slowly grew into a rich folk-art tradition.
While earlier Mata Ni Pachedis used only two colors- red and black, this cotton canvas carries a multitude of hues, which suggests a personal experiment by the artist to add vivid beauty to the visual narrative.
The process of making a single Mata Ni Pachedi is a tedious one and by the time the painting reaches the patron, it has gone through several stages. The journey begins with a pure cotton cloth washed and de-starched and treated with a solution of Harada. The dried canvas is then used for drawing and block printing, after which it goes to the next step- filling colors.
The traditional red and black are ritually more significant and the process of making them is a long one. Once the canvas is painted, it is taken to the nearest waterbody, usually the Sabarmati River, where it is washed and dried so that the excess colors are removed.
In this painting, the mother goddess, Visat Mata is enshrined in a domical structure, an architectural motif that is a characteristic feature of Mata Ni Pachedis which serves as a mobile temple for the community of Vagharis who for a long time were not allowed to visit temples.
Visat Mata wears a beautiful lower garment that resembles the medieval Sharara and a headgear that attests to her folk origins. Riding a lion which is a mount of goddess Durga, Visat Mata slays the buffalo-demon whose figure is repeated twice on the canvas to add a dramatic essence to the battle scene.
Sea and resources derived from it form an integral part of the life of Gujarati communities including the Vagharis which is why they depict the goddesses with aquatic life, and fishes which are symbols of fertility and auspiciousness, floating in the foreground of the painting. Beyond it lies the human civilization, with different scenes of the Vaghari lifestyle and community displayed in great detail.
The remaining canvas is covered by stylized trees and vegetation on which birds of different species are perched, a representation of the Vaghari’s connection with mother nature. An unbroken tie with tradition is visible in the use of red and black, the primary and sacred colors of the Vagharis in the border, made from flowers, triangles, and a rich red hue, all symbols of fertility, abundance, and powers of the great mother.
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