For one thing, quick cooking methods like stir-frying and steaming are dominant in Gujarat, yielding dishes with cleanly defined flavors and vibrant colors, as opposed to the slow-braised dishes typical of Mughal cooking. For eaters accustomed to the creamy, onion-infused curries of the northern Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, and Kashmir-comparatively lavish dishes, with clear roots in Mughal court cooking-the foods of Gujarat seem strikingly different at first glance. Image sources: Hands-Across-Sea-Samplers, UnnatiSilks, Isha.Gujarat’s geographical position-on India’s west coast, roughly halfway between the subcontinent’s northern and southern tiers-places Gujarati cuisine at a crossroads. The use of the abhala can be traced to Islamic influences as Mughal architectures show a great deal of usage of mirrors. The tradition of the embroidery had begun under the Mughal rule hence its influences are palpable in the works. So, beautiful motifs resembling these elements are widely found in these.Īnother influence regarded is that of Muslim and Persian arts and architecture.
Peacocks, flowers, animals, men and women-all ignited the imaginations behind the works. Since the women engaged themselves with the extensive needlework, they picked up elements of everyday affairs in their creations. The inspiration behind the embroideries revolves mostly around the daily lives of the village folk. The use of such vivid colours along with sparkling embellishments brings a sense of celebration on the parched and sparsely vegetated lands of the Rann. The threads used are of vibrant colours like red, green, purple, black, blue, saffron, yellow and white. The thread used for embroidery is prepared from cotton, silk or wool. The embroidery is done most commonly on cotton fabric but also on silk and satin media. Patchwork and appliqué are also observed among many communities. The Kutch embroidery uses the ‘abhala’ or small mirrors in juxtaposition with geometric patterns that give rise to a richly embellished fabric.
The intrinsic part of all such stitches is the use of a lot of thread for concealing parts of the designs. The Kutch embroideries tread closely on the lines of ‘Bharat’ stitches such as Heer Bharat and Moti Bharat belonging to Rajasthan area.
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