Mata ni Pachedi is a traditional craft of painting narratives of the Goddess Durga on cloth that has been practiced for over 300 years by the nomadic Vaghri tribe in Gujarat, India. The paintings depict Durga in the center surrounded by gods, devotees, and animals. Only three colors are traditionally used - maroon, black, and the natural color of the cloth. The paintings tell stories and myths from religious texts and were originally hung as temporary shrines. Though now mainly block printed, Mata ni Pachedi remain important cultural artifacts celebrating Goddess Durga.

1. Mata ni Pachedi --- A Traditional Craft
Where
Gods come alive...
Presented by:
IIT KANPUR
ART701 Group Members
Mohit Kumar (11428)
Raghav Goyal (11555)
Saurav Narang (11664)
Harshal Uke (11773)

2. INTRODUCTION
• For the last 300 years, a wandering tribe, called Vaghris have been
keeping a tradition of this sacred painting alive.
• This tradition of painting narratives of the Goddess Durga, in her various
incarnations is called Mata Ni Pachedi, which in English translates as
“behind the idol of the Goddess”

3. Various Forms

4. A central panel with the Mata standing
on a crocodile
Accompanying imagery is taken from
narratives from religious epics such as
the Puranas.

5. SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS
The conventional matani pachedi uses only 3 hues;
• Maroon was associated with Mother Earth and believed to possess
healing powers.
• Black to ward off the evil eye and strengthen divine energy
• White which stood for purity
• Traditionally maroon and black were the colours used, with the surface of
the material as the third colour.
• Maroon and black colour are vegetable dyes while white was base fabric.
• Colours are applied with locally made paint brushes, bamboo stylus, and at
times, with a cotton wool wick.
• Community reverently draws on the fabric and fills in the images by hand

6. Colour Schemes
• Pachedi always framed with a bold border, termed as a lassa patti.
• After this, comes a band of decorative linear patterns.
• Black not only was used as a color but also as the outer linings of the icons
and the motifs.
• Filling in the motifs were sometimes replaced by linear work and pointillist
imagery.
• Contrasts between positive and negative spaces formed an important
balancer to the work.

7. Material Stuff
All the materials used in the creation of Mata ni Pachedi are organic
Pigment Dyes
Cotton Fabric
Silk Fabric
Pigment DyesKhadi FabricBamboo Kalam

8. Various Blocks
• Paniharin,women carrying pots of water.
• Fulwani malan,a gardener holding flowers.
• Peacock.
• Rann ki devi, the goddess of the desert.

9. Warriors, musicians, women holding
flowers and animals surround the central
panel containing the Mata, and is bordered
with geometric and floral patterns

10. ICONIC ANALYSIS
• Pachedi is the craft which is meant only for the devotees of goddess
Durga.
• The boldness of the paintings is reinforced by the starkness of red and
black, the only colors used.
• Lady with a flower, trumpeters, angels, flowers, the tree of life and animals
are the most common motifs.
• Traditionally pachedi has an architectural rendering of temple at its center.
Within a bold border, usually 7,9 or 11 blocks are created,and at the center
mother goddess containing story of the deity.

11. • Pachedis are used in religious ceremonies and record the myths and
legends associated with the living traditions of the people.
• The patterned form in the pachedi is always the same ; the commanding
figure of the goddess is centred, austere, stern, powerful and many armed
brandishing a weapon to ward off the purveyors of evil.
• Under her is her mount or vehicle and around her in procession are
attendant gods and worshipers.

13. THEMATIC ANALYSIS
• The historical evidence of this craft goes back almost 300 years. The
narrative hangings of epics of Mata were executed and worshipped by the
nomadic community of Waghari, who dwelled in Gujarat.
• Traditionally, four or five pieces of Mata-ni-Pachedi are erected to form a
temporary shrine.
• While the chitaras were the artists, the bhuvo or bhuva used to be the
priest and jagorais were the singers.

14. Geographical Location
• Sarkhej- Ahmedabad district
• Rajula, Palitana- Bhavanagar District
• Girnar, Porbandar-Junagadh
• Dhrangadhra-Surendranagar District
• Ambaji, Koteshwar-Banaskantha District
• Patan-Patan District

15. • Ethnographic studies point to the fact that for a long time in history, the
Devipujak community was disallowed entry into temples.
• They painted an image of the Goddess on a piece of cloth, hung it up
behind the temple.
• This practice took root and the painted textile came to be known as “Mata
Ni Pachedi” literally meaning ‘Behind the Goddess (temple)’

16. •
• Goddess Durga is at the center, the focus of the painting with motifs of
deities, priests, devotees, angels and animals drawn around her. Often
they performed garba .
• Many legends are depicted in these Pachedis. They are usually derived
from Puranic myths.
• Goddess Durga finds an important place in the Gujarati society.Even
today, these narrative hangings are sought after by the villagers in Gujarat
especially during Navratri.

17. • Once intricately hand painted, the Mata-ni-Pachedis are now largely block
printed to cut cost.
• Once used for temporary shrines, these appear as stoles, scarves or saris
now.
• Paintings now infused with many new hues.
• These days,textiles are sold mainly as a works of art rather than as
worship cloths.
• This craft is practiced by Chitara community and men folk generally do the
outline of the painting where as the women contribute towards the
elaborate and intricate part of the painting.

18. Mata ni Pachedi (Cloth of Mother Goddess) – A rectangular piece of fabric offered to the goddess. The fabric
is offered in the temples when any wish is fulfilled by the blessing of the deity.