Durga Mata astride her Vahana
Details
Artform
Traditional Mata ni Pachedi, Gujarat
Artist
Vasant Manubhai Chitara
Dimensions
26 x 48 Inches
Medium
Natural Stone Pigments on Cotton Cloth
Framing
Unframed
Learn More
The Painting
This intricate Mata ni Pachedi artwork is hand-painted by master artist Vasant Manubhai Chitara. Here Goddess Durga on her Vahana, the lion, dominates at the center while deities and commoners around her are shown worshiping her. The artwork serves a dual purpose as it holds religious significance. Historically, the textile was used as a temple backdrop for Vaghara tribes who were forbidden to enter temple sanctums by upper caste tribes. Vasant Chitara uses natural colors sourced from tamarind powder, iron rust, jaggery, and indigo, and paints the intricate patterns on cotton cloth using a bamboo stick brush.
The Artform
Mata ni pachedi means “behind the Mother Goddess”, and is a cloth that constitutes a temple of the Goddess. When people of the nomadic Vaghari community of Gujarat were barred from entering temples, they made their shrines with depictions of the Mother Goddess on cloth. The paintings usually have a set pattern, with the Mother Goddess dominating the central area, surrounded by deities and commoners worshiping her with equal reverence. This art form is deeply rooted in the Bhakti movement and Jain culture, tracing its beginnings to the late 17th century. Originally, Mata ni Pachedi served as a religious textile to depict the goddess Devi, often Durga or Amba, within the sanctified spaces of temples or during festive processions. The art form's dual nature of being both a form of worship and a visually captivating craft lends it a distinctive significance.
The Artist
Born in 1976, Vasant Manubhai Chitara is part of one of the last surviving families that created the Mata ni Pachedi cloth paintings. They are also called Mata no Chandarvo. They trace their association with the art of painting ritual cloth back three centuries. A ten-year-old Vasant Chitara started building portable Devi shrines in the form of textiles under the tutelage of his father Manubhai Chunnilal Chitara, a 2009 Shilp Guru awardee. They come from Vaghari tribes who were historically prohibited by upper caste communities from entering Goddess Temples. At present, Vasant Chitara has moved away from the traditional palette of maroon and black made from oxidized iron and palm sugar and experiments with turmeric, henna, and indigo to create a more varied color scheme while still using the age-old methods of extracting color from natural materials. His works are thus portable shrines that adorn houses of private collectors and organizations. He won the Gujarat State Award in 1995 and a National Award in 2001. His studio is based in Ahmedabad.
Provenance
The painting has been created by Bridge Bharat’s master artist partners.
Customizations
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Other details
"The price you see is for an unframed painting. If you want us to custom frame the artwork, please drop us a message. We highly encourage this, framing is an art by itself :) The artwork you will receive is as close to the original artwork as possible but as with all things handmade, there may be minute differences in color and motifs, truly rendering each artwork one of a kind. Trust the process! "