BSC Degree in Textile Design 1st Year 352-6 Traditional Indian & Design Form 1 Page INDEX Unit – I .................................................................. 3 Lesson 1: History of Indian Textiles ...................... 4 Lesson 2: History and Function of Motifs, Shamanism ........................................................... 9 Unit - II ............................................................... 14 Lesson 3: Central Asian Motifs and their Significance ......................................................... 15 Unit - III ............................................................. 37 Lesson 4: Traditional Indian Motifs and their Significance ......................................................... 38 Unit – IV .............................................................. 82 Lesson 5: Contemporary Art ................................ 83 Unit – V ............................................................... 89 Lesson 6: Practical Exercises .............................. 90 Books for Further References .............................. 94 2 Page Unit – I Lesson 1: Brief History of Indian Textiles 3 Page Lesson 1: History of Indian Textiles Objective: “To know the depth of Indian textiles.” Introduction The production of sophisticated textiles within the Indian-subcontinent has prehistoric origins. The alternate wet and dry climate of the Indian sub- continent has ensured that only a few fragments of woven plant and animal fibres remain. The archaeological finds and literary references suggest delightful myths and legends, mystical and religious qualities still associated with traditional Indian textiles. For two thousand years, the Indian have had supremacy in textiles. The earliest textile finds were made at Mohen-Jo- Daro, an archaeological site of the third millennium BC (3000 years before Christ) on the Indus River. Madder (red) dyed cotton fragments have been found wrapped around a silver pot. It is the metallic salts of silver that are instrumental in preserving the fabric. The use of madder dye made fast with a mordant and the presence of dye vats suggests advanced understanding of the process of colour fixing on fabric. 4 Spindles and bronze needles have been recovered. Page Carved stone sculpture with patterned cloth. Some fabrics found in the tombs of central Asia, Cairo and Babylon may be of Indian origin and suggest trade in the 6C BC with this region. Our epics and Vedas talk of rich textiles of silk, cotton and linen between 15-2 BC. The silk is thought to be Chinese and thus suggests a long established trade route over the Himalayas. In the 6C BC the Persian Empire was a link between the Indus basin and the Mediterranean by overland and coastal trade. Indian cloth became famous with the Persians and Greeks because of brilliant colours. The quality of Indian dyeing was praised in the Roman world – as a reference made in the latin translation of bible says “wisdom is even more enduring than the dyed colours of Indian”. Between the 5 to 8 C BC, the famous Ajanta wall paintings depict loin cloth and blouses patterned by resist techniques of ikat and bandhini. There is also a reference made by two noted Chinese piligrims, Yuang Chwang and T Sing in the 7th C, which says that “The everyday costume of the people was draped, not tailored and was mostly white. This distinguished between the wealthy, poor and the priestly class.” In the 3rd C BC, the empire of Alexander, the greek conquorer extended to the foot hills of Hindukush mountains. This encouraged and strengthened trading and cultural links between Mediterranean to 5 Indian through Persia and Afganisthan. During this Page time a famous Greek scholar Magasthenes came to the court of Chandragupta Maurya and studied the trading and textile networks. In the 2nd C, BC, the Romans used a Sanskrit word for cotton i.e. „carbasina‟ in latin from karpasa in Sanskrit. During this time, as stated by Pliny, a Roman Scholar, the Indian merchants became both middlemen and suppliers to the trade. They travelled to China to get silk and Java and Sumatra for spices and jewels and supplied it to the Romans. Also famous during this time were the Indian Muslins which were described as “Venti” – (fine as the wind) and „nebula‟ (misty in nature). From 1st C AD onwards, the Afgans led by Muhammad of Gazni conducted his annual raids in India and by the 12th C AD they had established themselves in North and Central India and created the Delhi sultanate. A Delhi Royal silk karkhana is recorded as having employed over 4000 weavers to supply silk for the trade with Central Asia. This was the time when Mongols, Turks, Persians, Arabs were all drawn to the magnificent city and court of Delhi as craftsmen, soldiers and scholars. In the 15th C AD Babar founded the magnificent Mughal dynasty in North India. Also during this time, Vasco-da-Gama discovered the cape of good hope and founded the first European Coastal colonies in India. This was a very significant turn for the traditional Indian textiles as they were now being influenced by two totally different empires. During the 16th C the Indians had the ability to 6 cater for the export market. For Europeans they Page produced printed and embroidered textiles with animal and flower designs. For muslims of Africa and Arabia more simple printed and striped cotton was produced. For Indonesia, double ikat silk cloth was produced for the nobility. By the 17th C the English had gained control and established the East India Company. Chinese designs mingled with the Mughal, Persian and Hindu designs. Floral and bud life was intertwined to produce charming effect. The Portuguese called it „PINTATHOE‟ meaning painted and the English called it „CHINTZ‟ from the hindi word „Chint‟ meaning variegated. In the 18th C Kashmiri woven and embroidered shawls became a fashion wrap for the women of England and France. In the early 19th C, the Indian textile industry suffered from the influx of cheap English cloth. Mahatma Gandhi seized upon the idea of using the domestic weaving industry as a symbol to bring home to the people, the reality and implications of commercial domination by foreign rulers. „Khadi‟ – handspun and handwoven cotton was a symbol of independence and self-sufficiency. This khadi programme has reinvigorated the handloom industry of India, directly inspiring highly successful commercial developments such as co-operatives of production and marketing throughout the traditional weaving, printing and painted textile centre and states of India. It is seen that for ages the Indian textile has ruled 7 the world market. Certain textile terms which India Page has exported along with her textiles, over all the years are Calico, Cummerbund, Chintz, bandanna, dimity, dungree, gingham, khaki and pyjama. Till today, India remains the most original, creative and prolific source of textile production in the world. Fig.1: Scorpion Motifs seen in Gujarat Embroidery 8 Page Lesson 2: History and Function of Motifs, Shamanism The establishment of trade routes to and from the Indian subcontinent brought many non-indigenous motifs to be integrated with the traditional Indian motifs. The stylization and blending of various motifs have been influenced over the centuries by different emperors who have ruled India. Lot of intermingling of Islamic, Buddhist, Persian and European art is seen today in the Indian motifs. A motif‟s past meanings and history are usually discovered from sources that have nothing to do directly with textiles. Natural surroundings, religion, achievements of an individual, are usually the driving force behind the human psyche that leads to the development of particular motifs. Motifs made on textiles with printing, painting, dyeing, weaving and embroidering may serve as protective function i.e. gaurding the wearer against the evil eye and other misfortunes; For example, hunters use animals and harmful insect motifs such as scorpion, to protect the wearer from the live creature, (Fig.1). Another function the motifs may relate to is fertility – the ability to produce off springs and thus survival. In agricultural communities, fertility and wealth are closely linked, as the harvest is directly responsible for the communities well being. Pomegranate (Annar) with its abdunance of seeds is featured on marriage bed-covers in central Asia and is also used in the 9 Phulkari embroidery of Punjab. Pineapple motifs Page are used in island nation of Phillipines to devote fertility. Cowrie shells, woven, embroidered or used otherwise also denote fertility. Many motifs have religious commutations like the kalash motifs, lotus, swastik motifs, rudraksh, Islamic motifs of mihrab (arch) and the moon and star. Motifs take a variety of forms according to the craft-technique employed. The motifs following the weave of the fabric are reflected in stylized geometric forms eg. Phulkari embroidery or kasuti embroidery. The free flowing forms of embroidery achieved in kashmiri embroidery gives rise to a naturalistic form. A star may appear as a solid five or six or eight pointed figure when embroidered; but appears as an arrangement of triangles if woven. Shamanism The prime example of decoration endowing the wearer with the magical force of the creature it symbolizes is the shaman. Originating in the hunting societies of the palaeolithic era, shamanism lingers in the Arctic north, Korea, pockets of South- East Asia, Aboriginal Australia, Africa, among the Ainu and American Indian tribes and in South America. The shaman is identified by his costume