Portrait of a musician from the Mir tribe, Gujarat

On our Ahmedabad Crafts Tour, we photographed this performer from the nomadic Mir tribe. Look at the wonderful colours on the stringed instrument in this portrait! I have never seen a musical instrument decorated like this. Have you?

Here is a closer look. Look at how the singer has personalised the instrument. The sense of colour and drama is incredible. The text on the left says Jai Khodiyar Maa, invoking the folk goddess Khodiyar, who is popular in Gujarat. There are interesting designs stencilled on the instrument; and even little Chinese or Japanese stickers have been used. I learnt that the word he uses for the instrument is "santaar". I had not heard this word before. Taar means string. I assume santaar means 4-string. Probably this is a variant of the taanpura?

The overall effect is amazing. See the photo below, with his family also nearby. I find so much beauty in this colourful chaos.

Calico Museum of Textiles in Ahmedabad

The Calico Museum of Textile in Ahmedabad is one of the best textile museums in the world. It was established in 1949, a couple of years after India's independence from the British. 

The Sarabhai family, who founded the Museum, were in the textile business. The family was very involved in the Indian independence movement. They were close to Mahatma Gandhi, and they founded many new educational and research institutions in independent India. The Calico Museum was one of them.

Originally, the Museum was supposed to focus both on traditional hand-made textiles of India, as well as modern industrial textiles. But later, as the collection and research grew, the museum came to focus more and more on the traditional textile crafts of India.

The stature and reputation of the Sarabhais as connoiseurs of the artistic traditions of India attracted the best researchers and scholars. Eminent museum scholars and administrators such as John Irwin, Alfred Bühler, Moti Chandra and Pupul Jayakar have been instrumental in creating a high level of scholarship at the museum. When you visit the museum, what strikes you most is also the technical excellence - the work of designers, lighting experts and craftsmen - which offers a unique viewing experience.

In 1982, the Museum went through a period of serious crisis, as the Calico Textile company ran into losses and could not fund the Museum's activities. It was then brought under the Sarabhai Foundation, and it moved into the Sarabhai Haveli, from where it still operates.

Today the Calico Museum contains what is possibly India's best maintained and best presented collection of traditional fabrics spanning over five centuries. But it is much more than just textiles. There are two display venues in the Museum:

• The Chauk contains textile-related displays: explanations of techniques (weaving, dyeing, embroidery, block printing etc), costumes, regional embroideries, textiles of the Mughal and provincial courts, and a display of India's textile trade with the world
• The Haveli contains Jaina works (manuscripts, textiles, woodwork, sacred objects, etc), Indian paintings from the Sarabhai collection, ritual art of the Vallabh tradition, bronzes from South India, etc.

If you are visiting the museum, please note the following important details:

- The Museum is closed on Wednesdays and public holidays.

- There is no entry fee for visiting. 

- Visits are by appointment only; you have to write to them in advance and obtain permission.

- There are 2 guided tours per day: covering the Chauk in the morning and the Haveli in the afternoon. There is no way to see the galleries just wandering around independently.

- Bags, cameras, cell phones are not allowed. Photography is prohibited without prior permission.

- The exhibits are at multiple levels and require some amount of climbing; but it is easy to do. It is not suitable for wheelchairs.

The Museum website https://calicomuseum.org/ is excellent and informative; please go through the rules and do's and don'ts before you visit.

Photo Credit: calicomuseum.org

The Shaking Minarets of Ahmedabad

-By Aishwarya Javalgekar

Below is a painting of the Shaking Minarets of Ahmedabad, also known as the Jhulta Minar. It is one of the architectural wonders of India.

This painting is of the Minarets at the mosque of Siddhi Bashir. There is another Jhulta Minar near Bibi ki Masjid, Gomtipur.

The mosque was built by Ahmedshah in 1430 in the memory of his mother. Built with super craftsmanship, the Minar sways whenever the slightest force is applied on its upper arc.

The Jhulta Minar in Bibi ki Masjid, Gomtipur is now on the brink of collapse. The monument has suffered certain damage due to attempts by the British to understand the cause of the vibrations, and the Bhuj earthquake in 2002. But one of the minarets still sways.

When one minaret is shaken from the upper arc, the other also begins to vibrate, though the passage connecting the two minarets remains vibration-free.

Though several attempts have been made to understand the mechanism involved in the swaying of the minarets, the cause of their vibrations remains a mystery.

(Painting from Volume I of 'Scenery, Costumes and Architecture of India', etched by G. Hawkins, engraved by T. Fielding and colored by J. B. Hogarth.)

Somnath Temple: a place of pilgrimage

Somnath is one of the holiest pilgrimage destinations in India - one of the "Char Dham" and the "Sapta Puri". Here, Lord Shiva is worshipped as Somnath, "the lord/protector of the Moon". The temple is beautiful and lies on the shore of the Arabian Sea.

View of Somnath temple

Here are a couple of legends associated with the temple, and the history of the temple:

HISTORY
Somnath temple was first built in ancient times (in the era before Christ, exact date unknown). This ancient temple was rebuilt c.650 CE by the Yadava king.

In subsequent years, the temple was ransacked and destroyed multiple times (in 725 by the Arab governor Junayd; in 1024 by Mahmud of Ghazni; in 1296 by Alauddin Khilji; in 1451 by the Sultan of Gujarat; and in 1665 by Aurangzeb). Each time it was rebuilt (in 815 by king Nagabhata II; from 1026-1172 by king Bhoj of Malwa, and Solanki kings Bhimdev I and Kumarpal; in 1308 by Chudasama king Mahipala Deva; in 1783 by the Peshwa of Pune, Raja Bhonsle of Nagpur, Chhatrapati Bhonsle of Kolhapur, Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore and Shrimant Patilbuwa Shinde of Gwalior). In 1947, it was reconstructed under the orders of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

An 1869 photo of Somnath temple. It had fallen into disrepair once again before being rebuilt by Sardar Patel in 1947.

Saadi's story about Somnath
On a side note, in the 13th century, Iranian poet Saadi Shirazi visited India and wrote the following tale about Somnath. Saadi came to the temple to debate the Hindu priests. First he put forth his points about the merits of Islam. In response, the priests prayed to the temple idol, which opened its arms. Shocked, Saadi came back later at night, inspected the idol secretly, and found a mechanism which controlled it arms! Must be a fake story but interesting nonetheless.

Here is a Mughal-era illustration of Saadi's Somnath story. Saadi's book Bustan (Garden), in which he recorded this tale, remained popular for centuries after his death. Many illustrated copies of the book were made.

Saadi at Somnath

THE JYOTIRLINGA LEGEND
A jyotirlinga (jyoti = light) is a linga where Lord Shiva appears in the form of a blinding column of light. What is the origin of jyotirlinga? Legend has it that once, Brahma and Vishnu challenged each other as to who was supreme. Shiva stepped in to arbitrate. He took the form of a column of light and told them to find the end of the column.

Leaving aside the results of the challenge (Vishnu honestly admitted defeat, Brahma lied and was cursed by Shiva), the places on earth where Shiva had manifested as a column of light are known as "jyotirlinga".

THE SOMNATH LEGEND
The Puranic king Daksha married his twenty-seven daughters to the Moon (Soma). But the Moon showered only one of the daughters with affection and ignored the others, and so they complained to their father Daksha. Daksha cursed the Moon, saying that his beauty and brightness would fade. Soon enough, the Moon began to wane, lost radiance, and all but disappeared.

Panicked, the Moon prayed to Lord Shiva for help. Shiva undid the curse partially - the Moon would not disappear completely, but would now have a waxing phase and a waning phase.

The grateful Moon built a great temple where Shiva would forever be worshipped as Somnath, "the lord of the Moon".

Statue of Somnath near the temple

Images from Wikimedia Commons

Tribal Terracotta figurines of Gujarat

Gujarat is home to many tribal societies. The Bhils, Choudharies, Dhodias, Konkanas, Halpatis, Garasias etc. follow the custom of offering a 'ghodo' or horse to the gods, on sucessful completion of a milestone, or for prayers answered, or to appease a spirit. 

This custom is seen especially in the Surat district, the Chhotaudaipur area, and the Poshina belt of the Sabarkantha area. 

In the tribal culture, each object has a spirit or essence which may be benevolent or malevolent. Daily occurrences, both good and bad, are often attributed to such spirits. The appeasement of these spirits is sometimes an annual feature or festival, or in some cases, it is based on a specific situation, for example, if a child falls ill, it may be attributed to a spirit. Tribal custom often requires the sacrifice of an animal or bird for such occassions, but these are often too expensive, so these terracotta offerings are used as a substitute. 

Apart from horses, there is also the custom of keeping other things, such as elephants, cows, birds, pots, human figurines etc. There is a wide range, depending on the skill of the craftsman in each tribe's area.

Such offerings - especially dome-shaped figures called dhabu - are also kept near the graves of departed ancestors, in the belief that they will be useful in the afterlife. Offerings can be very small in size, or sometimes large and life-size. 

The process of making the offering is also quite elaborate. First, the family decides that they want to make the offering. Then they contact the kumhar (potter community) to discuss the design, type of offering and the cost. It is not necessary that the potter is in the same villlage or neighbourhood, so people may travel to nearby areas to seek out the potter. 

Once the offering is ready, a band is arranged, and with music playing the procession goes to the potter's house to collect the offering. Certain songs are also sung for these types of occassions. Payment is made to the potter (sometimes cash, sometimes in food or other articles). 

Along with the terracotta offering, the family proceeds to the shrine. They make an offering of fowl, rice, coconuts, local liquor etc at the shrine. For larger occassions, the larger community may also be invited and given a feast. 

Many practices of the tribal cultures of Gujarat have been assimilated into mainstream Hinduism. Similarly, many mainstream Hindu practices are now found in tribal societies. The propitiation and veneration of spirits residing in trees, rivers etc, the prayers to snake-gods, various animal and bird gods, are found both in tribal societies and mainstream Hinduism.

Gujarati architecture - What is an Otla?

On one of my visits to Ahmedabad, I photographed the entrance of a Gujarati merchant house in a traditional neighbourhood. This type of entrance area is called an otla or otta, and it consists of a narrow raised plinth with steps.

The otla acts as a sort of communication zone between outsiders and the residents of the house. Typically in an otla, there is a row of columns supporting a wooden facade. The otla is often carved and decorated profusely, to show the social and economic standing of the household.

The American artist Edwin Lord Weeks painted a lot of otlas when he visited Ahmedabad in the 1890's. Here's a lovely one. The Gujarati love for ornamentation is visible beautifully in this painting. This type of architecture is characterised not only by the profuse nature of the abharana (ornamentation), but also by the continuity - meaning, there is no break in the design, we go from carving to carving and the entire area leaves the mind reeling with the overall impact of the design. There is no time to look at the details....we only see that later, when we come closer to it, and then we marvel even more.

Here is another painting by Lord Edwin Weeks: here also, you can see the profuse ornamentation. But also here we see another feature, a plain lintel beam. Beams are bulky and difficult to hoist, so often they were left uncarved, because they could otherwise be damaged in the process. In such cases, either the beam was left open, or ornamentation was later added using thin carved wooden strips, which were fixed by nails.

By the way, when I walking in one of the pols, I found a house that looks exactly like this one painted by Lord Edwin Weeks :) :) See the similarlity below. I was convinced it was the same house!! Edwin Weeks used to photograph the areas first, and then paint later. So his paintings are quite accurate. 

I have lots of photos of different houses in the pols of Ahmedabad, with otla of different types and colours, carved doors, pillars, beautiful woodwork designs etc. In some houses, the beautiful carved woodwork has been painted over, maybe to make it look well-maintained. But actually the paint obscures the carving. See this once-beautiful house below, now the stairs are crumbling, and the windows have been boarded up with metal sheets. But it still retains its old beauty. There is some fine fern-shaped carving over the doorway.

The otla need not always be such a traditional carved affair. For example, this small house is in a corner, and the otla is about 10 feet wide. However, all the typical architectural and functional characteristics of the otla are there: it is a well-demarcated area, with pillars, serving as a sort of interaction zone between outsiders and insiders. A more modern, art-decoish interpretation of the brackets has been done.

The otla is one of my favourite subjects to photograph and to marvel at. It is a place where in the evening the women of the household sit down and watch the world go by. They chat with neighbours and keep an eye on the children playing. In the past maybe the women of the house stayed inside, but these days we see them often sitting outside and enjoying the evening with family and friends. Next time you walk anywhere, look for the otla and see how it is being used!

With many thanks to Jay Thakkar, whose article on Naqsh helped me find out a lot about Gujarati architecture. 

Patola Silk Weaving

-By Aishwarya Pramod

Patola is the name of the silk saris unique to Patan. One version of the Patola legend is that King Kumarpal (12th century) commissioned Patola robes from Jaina (South Maharashtra), a new one for every daily puja. When he learned the King of Jaina was sending him used clothes, he went to the south to attack and defeat the southern ruler. He brought back 700 Patola weaver families to Patan. Of those families, only the Salvis continue the craft today.

Patola is one of the most difficult forms of weaving in the world. It uses a double ikkat style where the warp and weft threads are dyed meticulously before weaving, according to a pre-designed pattern. The weaver then aligns them perfectly on the loom, which naturally creates a unique combination of geometric delineation with soft hazy outlines. It is said that an Indonesian king visited India, was awed by the Patola craft, and took it back to his land saying that only Indonesian royalty would be allowed to wear it.

The saris take 4-6 months to make, with more than 70 days for the coloring of the silk threads, and about 25 days for the weaving. They come in four styles: 1) for the Jains and Hindus, with flowers, parrots, elephants, and dancing figures, 2) for the Muslim Bohras, with geometric and floral design, to be used at weddings, 3) for Maharashtrian Brahmins, in solid dark colors bordered with designs of women and birds, called Nari Kunj, and 4) for traditional export markets in the Far East. Immense dexterity is required of the dyer, for visualizing the pattern of dyeing, especially for the weft threads which are woven in zigzag, and also of the weaver, for working at an even pace, so that the warp and weft meet at precisely the right place without breaking the silk threads. These extreme levels of craftsmanship give Patola artists enough reason to put a high price on their work, and to guard closely their patterns as a trade secret.

To watch the masters of the craft at work, or order your own piece, visit Vinayak and Bharat Salvi at Patan Patola Heritage +91 2766 231369, Patolawala Salvivado, Patolawala St. or Ashok Salvi at Patolawala Farm House +91 2766 232172, outside Phatipal Gate. The price of saris start at Rs. 90,000. There are also smaller scarves available, starting at Rs. 5000.

Lentil Hunter with Chef Michael Smith

My friend Amit Vaccharajani helped produce this film set in Ahmedabad, for a Canadian TV show called Lentil Hunter.

Chef Michael Smith travels to Ahmedabad as part of his worldwide journey, hunting for lentil based recipes.

You can click this link, select Ahmedabad on the map, and enjoy this wonderful introduction to all the ways in which Gujarat celebrates dal. http://www.lentils.ca/lentilhunter/

Have fun :) :) The visuals are great.

Glory of Modhera and Patan

-By Deepa Krishnan

These are images from a long day trip to two major cultural centres, Modhera and Patan. 

Modhera is about 2.5hrs northwest from Ahmedabad. It is famous for its spectacular Sun Temple, built in the early 11th century by the Solanki dynasty. Solanki rule is said to be the golden period of Gujarati architecture. 

Patan is much older than Modhera, having been founded in 746 AD. It is one of the largest structures of it's kind, majestic with statues of gods and apsaras adorning its pillars. 

The spectacular Rani ni Vav stepwell is entirely an underground structure, with seven storeys, each carved with amazing sculptures. 

(Photos courtesy Vandita Pant and Gujarat Tourism)

If you'd like to check out more pictures of this excursion, check out our Facebook page at the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.344094102337053.82695.344085065671290&type=3

Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary

By- Deepa Krishnan

The Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary is 1.5hrs drive west of Ahmedabad. Spread over 120 sq.kms, it is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in Gujarat.

The huge lake and the extensive reed beds and marshes support rich aquatic life and plants, and thus provide the perfect habitat for birds. Over 225 species of birds have been spotted here, of which 140 are water birds.

The best time to visit Nal Sarovar is in winter when migrant birds appear from various parts of the world. Thousands of migratory waterfowl flock to the shallow areas of the lake and the ponds on the outer fringes of the lake. Birding is usually done on foot as well as by small hand-punted boats.

Popular waterbirds include flamingoes, cranes, ducks, gulls, terns, kingfishers, shovellers, cormorants, egrets, herons, ibis, etc. Apart from waterbirds, you can also see birds of prey, bee-eaters, rollers, doves, lapwings, coucals, parakeets, fly catchers, starlings, mynahs, bulbuls, sunbirds, wagtails etc.

Photos courtesy Gujarat Tourism