The embroidery of Kutch and Saurashtra: Part III – Ahir bharat

Ahir bharat (embroidery ) is a style of needlework practiced by the women of the Ahir community that is characterised by ornate geometric patterns (mostly circular) following one another in elaborate rhythmic rows, accentuated with a plethora of abhla (mirrors).

Photos: Vincent Boyer (Say hi on instagram @shape.photos)

This is the third in a series of blog posts discussing the needle work heritage of the Saurashtra and Kutch (also spelt Kachchh) regions in Gujarat, India, where I share a glimpse of embroidered textiles from the area that I have bought over the years as well my own creations.

You can find the first post here and the second here, I recommend that you read them as well. Embroidered pieces based on the dowry traditions of various communities in Gujarat like the Rabaris, Ahirs, Kanbis, Mutwas, Jats, Node have been an intrinsic part of the Indian arts and crafts scene.

Out of the many styles of hand embellishment from that part of the world, the Rabari and Ahir styles of needlework are by far my most favourite, I am endlessly inspired by their design language and traditional motifs. Ahirs are a cattle tending clan whose dowry traditions involve intricately embroidered pieces that just make my eyes bulge and jaw drop.

The women of this pastoral community work for years on their dowry gifts and bags that they painstakingly embroider to signify group identity as well as personal and marital status.

The first photo features an antique choli that is a few sizes too big so I knot it in the front to make it sit like i want to, it is completely embellished in the front and the back, the motifs on the back can be seen more closely in the second photo, the chaniyo (skirt) in the third photo has been hand embroidered by the women of the Boricha Ahir community in Saurashtra worn with a cropped sweatshirt and a clutch worked on by the ladies of the the Praanthadiya Ahir tribe in Kutch. The fourth photo features a vintage Pochampally silk saree worn with a swimsuit top and the same clutch.

The pink vintage choli (backless top) in the fifth photo is an oldie but a goodie, I have worn it countless times for everyday errands as well as for more special soirées. It was embroidered in the Praanthadiya Ahir style by the craftswomen of the Meghwaad Gurjar community in Kutch. The sixth photo also features a similar choli with ribbon ties at the back that almost looks identical till you look closely at the motifs.

I have shared photos of the same choli worn with a pair of denim shorts in Pondicherry it on my older blog here over five years ago.

If you look closely at the main header for my older blog you can see the chaniyo from the second photo, when it was shot over eleven years ago. Also the flared pants have been on regular rotation for a decade now, I have posted it ten years ago here. Just goes to show that if one invests in good quality pieces and hand crafted artisanal textiles, they never really go out of style.

The Ahir community identifies as gopas or herdsmen and are a part of the larger Yadav clan. As per their folk legend they are descendents of Lord Krishna and their ancestors are originally nomads from the north of India. Some Ahirs migrated to the western coast of the subcontinent along with Lord Krishna and different sub-groups settled in Sindh, Kutch and Saurashtra.

The group that settled around the Praanthad area in Kutch are now called Praanthadiya Ahir. Another sub-segment of the community originally planted roots in the Boricha region of Kutch but then moved to Jamnagar in Saurashtra in large numbers.

The various Ahir clans in Kathiawad are Sorathiya Ahirs are named after their adopted homeland, Saurashtra, Pancholi Ahir of Panchal region, Machhoya Ahir who settled by the banks of the river Machhu (of the Macchhu dam burst infamy) in Morbi and Kutchi Ahirs who originally settled around the rann but then moved south.

Women from the Meghwaad Gujjar community are very proficient at this style of needle work, so much so that well to do Ahir families get them to embellish items of significance in their home and for their trousseaus.

The motifs in the Ahir style of embroidery take a lot of inspiration from the flora and fauna around them, most motifs are simply named after their monikers from nature, like: Sachu phool (real flower), jhad (tree), suda (parakeet), mor (peacock); human figures, insects, from domestic activities, maiyari (a lady churning curd), paniari (lady carrying water pot). Depending on the destined usage of the fabric being embellished, Hindu deities like Ganesha and Krishna also feature prominently as the pièce de résistance among the motifs.

An elaborate motif created by mirrors in circular arrangement most commonly featured in this style is known as ‘dhungo’ and is very popular in the Paratharia Ahir sub-style, the top in the first and second photos is a great example. This style of needlework is characterised by the prolific use of simple stitches like chain stitch for outline, mirrors are embroidered using buttonhole or herringbone stiches, bavaliyo (interlacing) is also used elaborately while back stitch (bakhiyo) highlights the motifs and vaanu (herringbone stitch) fills gaps.

The Parathariya Ahir sub-style utilises simple chain stitch while the Boricha and Machoya Ahir sub-style employ open chain stitch to embroider the outline in a design. Traditionally the motifs were drawn free hand using the locally available clay that washes off post the needle-work.

The traditional costume of this community depicts the caste of the Ahir populace, with clothing that is generally brightly coloured, tie-dyed and richly embroidered. Older married women however tend to wear plain black and subdued colours with mashru odhnis with intricately embroidered border.

This style of embroidery is showcased in everyday clothing as well as household paraphernalia and religious objects like torans, dharaniyo, chakla, godhro etcetera.

Everyday objects of a home are decorated with intricate embellishment by the women of this community, elevating these  utilitarian products into works of art fit for museums displays.

The elaborate motifs and patterns of bandhani

Bandhani, the traditional Indian art of tying the fabric and then resist dyeing, is one of the earliest forms of surface ornamentation on fabric …

Photos: Vincent Boyer (Say hi on instagram @vincetravelbook)

I have a insatiable obsession with Jamnagari bandhanis and wear them for everything from treks to gala dinners and everywhere in between. The bandhej textiles from here are easily recognisable by the dexterous artistry on fabric and use of multiple vibrant colours sometimes incorporating up to nine different hues locally called the naurang chundhari.

The saree in the photos here features a traditional design called the bavanbagh (which is Gujarati for 52 gardens), in a brilliant red background, apparently the properties of the water in Jamnagar helps in giving sarees a particularly vibrant red hue.

Bavanbaghs typically feature a network of squares created by rows upon rows of bandhej spots with single motifs in each compartment. More red bandhani sarees on gajji silk from the erstwhile princely state here and here. plus a bright fushchia bandhani saree draped as a dress in winter here.

The unstitched fabric here was worn in a casual high-low drape with an indigo dabu print shirt dress, for a day wandering around a waterfall, reading books, drinking beers and playing with cute puppies.

Because bandhani is a labour intensive art, no two tie-dyed pieces can be the same, which makes each product a piece of art and truly one-of-a-kind. The quality of the artisanal craftsmanship is judged by the contours or kaff of the dots formed, as well as by the uniformity of their size and spacing.

Bandhani spots in Saurashtra are known by different monikers based on their size and shape. Bindi or boond is a tiny spot without a darker centre, chur is a dot with a darker centre, kori (Gujarati for cowrie shell) denotes a tear-drop shaped fleck, chundadi means a very finely done circular spot while ghatadi means a square shape speckle.

A collection of dots that combine to form different shapes also have separate names like laddu jalebi for concentric circles, dungar shahi for mounds made of bandhej spots, trikunthi for three flecks that make a triangular shape, charbundi is a collection of four specks while saatbundi is a collection of seven, dabbi is a group of spots that forms a tiny box shape etcetera.

Tiny flecks are made on the fabric in clusters to form other complicated motifs like haathi (elephant), keri (paisley), phool (flower) vaagh (tiger), mor (peacocks), chakli chaklo (elaborate squares with male and female sparrows), leher (waves), laduda (circle with a spotted centre), popat (parrot), swastik, kharek (dates), putli (doll), chulphul (four petalled flower), pachak (five round forms), panihari (female figure carrying a pot of water), draksh (grape), padma (lotus), pomcha (medallion), rudraksh (denoting Lord Shiva’s eye), jaaldar (weblike), veldaar (vine like) and more.

The complicated patterns on these textiles are a result of different motifs created by varying tying techniques and the result is a wide range of designs like:

1. Mothra is length of fabric decorated with a traditional plaid pattern typical to this art.
2. Shikari is a textile which is decorated with motifs depicting a hunt, it is a rarity to see this design these days.
3. Khombi describes a length of cloth that is decorated with white tie-dye spots on a basic red or maroon background.
4. Chandrokhani features a central moon-shaped medallion that denotes the figure of moon, a fabric with this design has spherical motifs on a dark blue or black backdrop.
5. Raas mandali is the portrayal of a dance form of Gujarat called the raas or garba on textile. You can see a previous post showcasing this kind of design in a cotton saree here with large medallions all over the body of the saree depicting raas.
6. Popat vel design depicts an arresting combination of dots forming a parrot vine pattern.
7. Nava aada vel is a stunning display of a diagonal vine pattern created with bandhej spots all over.
8. Paan kor vel is a wonderful arrangement of a repeating leaf pattern.
9. Mor vel is an array of peacocks on the border of a fabric.
10. Ambadaal is a pattern of mango branches all over a textile, you can see this design in a previous post here.

Traditionally there are a few distinct types of sarees that are worn for different occasions most common of which are the bridal textiles locally called panetar and gharchola. I will be elaborating more on these plus other facts and features related to this craft in a later post.

Jamdani sarees: The good, bad and the fakes

A vintage indigo jamdani framed by a ridiculously stunning sunset at the salt pans by the Arabian sea which is a favourite haunt of migratory birds …

Photos: Vincent Boyer (Say hi on instagram @vincetravelbook)

I love the ornate simplicity and the unparalleled comfort of tant jamdani sarees from West Bengal.

However, every time I wear or post photos of myself in one, I get a tonne of queries on whether the piece is a real Dhakai, with many wanting to know where to source authentic jamdanis and how to tell if a particular fabric is handwoven or machine made.

Honestly, I have just always been able to tell in photos as well as in person if a length of jamdani fabric is handwoven or not, its just something one picks up in a home where handcrafted textiles are appreciated.

It irks me to no end that these days many self-procliamed experts wear power loom replicas and give lectures on wearing handloom fabrics! Another thing that annoys me even more are sellers online selling tant jamdanis as Dhakai muslin jamdani.

Firstly, these days muslin or (mulmul in Hindi) means any lightweight, gauzy, mostly inexpensive, machine-milled cotton cloth, the word has lost all connection to the handwoven fabric that once came exclusively from Bengal.

The famed muslin of yore was a finely handspun and handwoven light cotton fabric that was woven in a specific area with locally grown crop by Bengali weavers called tantees or karigars.

Secondly, jamdani is an inlay weaving technique not a weave that is synonymous to a specific place. A supplementary weft is labouriosly added during weaving, where motifs are created by an extra weft, in addition to the standard weft that holds the warp threads together.

The standard weft creates a fine, sheer fabric while the supplementary weft, added separately by hand using fine bamboo sticks and individual spools of thicker threads adds the decorative motifs and patterns.

Jamdani on fine muslin has been synonymous with Bengal for many centuries, historically they were woven from hand spun cotton threads on a simple pitloom with no attachments of any kind, its distinguishing features being the motifs and the serrated edges or daant that give form to a large number of motifs.

Traditionally, the base fabric used to be white, grey or beige with natural dyed threads creating the supplementary weft motifs, however the delicate muslin mentioned multiple times in historical texts was a pre-colonial textile made from a cotton variety that grew only along the banks of the Meghna river near Dhaka and to its south.

Cotton harvested from Gossypium arboreum var. neglecta, known locally in Bangladesh as phuti karpas, was spun to create threads that maintained tensile strength at counts higher than any other cotton species. But phuti karpas defied transplanting to other locations, and British colonial policy eliminated it completely.

The gossamer soft, light as wind fine muslin of Dhaka hasn’t been produced for close to 400 years! Anything being sold as Dhakai muslin today is either the normal tant (cotton) or soft high count cotton or handspun as well handwoven delicate fabric or some other mix of cotton, silk and even nylon.

There are a lot of so called new-age muslin fabric out there but none of them are the original Dhakai muslin. It is for all intents and purposes extinct! Not all hope is lost though, for the past couple of years experts at the Institute of Biological Sciences, Rajshahi University (RU) have been working on reviving the famous muslin but their research is still ongoing.

Researchers working on the project have stated they will replicate the old method of weaving muslin by hand and try and use a machine to achieve the same result.

Many Hindu tantees migrated to India during and post the partition in 1947 and set up weaving units in West Bengal.

Delicate yet far less fine than the original authentic Dhakai muslin, jamdani sarees are currently hand woven in West Bengal, Bangladesh and Andhra Pradesh. I personally prefer the tant or khadi jamdanis from West Bengal over anything that comes from Bangladesh as I like hardy sarees that can be washed at home.

Currently the regional variations in jamdani include:
Dhakai Jamdani, made in and around the capital of Bangladesh.

Tangail Jamdani, woven in the Tangail district of Bangladesh.

Shantipur Jamdani, handcrafted in Shantipur, West Bengal and it is said that these sarees are similar to the Tangail jamdanis.

Dhonekali Jamdani with its origin in Dhonekali, West Bengal, these jamdani sarees are said to have a tighter weave compared to the Tangail and Shantipur varieties.

There are no written records of the various jamdani motifs and design types that are particular to Bengal but weavers colloquially know them as: the corolla butti, dhaner sheesh, bansh phool, pura phool, basher pa, golap pata, dola kata, chand, tara buti, dabutar khop, jalar naksha, hazar buti, panna hazar, kalka, butidar, duria charkhona, phulwar, naksha, belwari, nayan bahar, toradar, hazar tara mayuri, ichadar and more.

These motifs are repeated with extraordinary accuracy and remarkable precision all over jamdani sarees. Various combinations of designs are then known by different names, for eg: when the motifs are spread diagonally across the fabric it is called the tercha.

Most weaving artisans don’t even need the motifs sketched or outlined on the fabric, just a basic guide drawn on a translucent graph paper and placed underneath the warp at the beginning of the process suffices.

Differentiating between a true blue handloom jamdani and its various replicas, power loom or otherwise is quite easy.

Since the jamdani weaving is time-consuming as well as labour intensive process, sometimes even handloom weavers adopt short-cuts like weaving jamdani look-alike motifs on jacquard looms.

Another common dupe flooding the market is what they call cutwork jamdani, in which the extra weft threads are cut manually therefore they seem to call these handcrafted??!!

In these kinds of fabrics the looping of thread is made to run from selvedge to selvedge, letting it hang loose between two motifs and the extra-thread is then cut manually, making it a jamdani lookalike for the untrained eye. This is half as laborious as the authentic jamdani because picking and counting of the warp isn’t required at every motif.

A true blue jamdani is made from cotton, the motifs have sharp edges and on the reverse you can see the extra weft threads are never loose and always loop into the parallel lines of thread that create the design. Basically the front and the back are almost identical!

Previous blog posts featuring vintage jamdani sarees can be accessed here and here.