MATA NI PACHEDI also known as the 'Kalamkari of Gujarat' due to its resemble of the art of kalamkari from the South India and the same method of painting, basically using a pen [kalam] made out of bamboo.
The term 'MATA NI PACHEDI' means 'Behind the mother goddess' and it is a cloth which constitutes a temple of the mother goddess. Certain scenes of celebration or incidents related to Mata are depicted on the cloth.
This artwork has been going on for the past 700 years, but in the present time there are very few craftsmen who follow the tradition of making this craft.
The creation of the artwork takes place during the Mughal rule. It is said that during Aurangzeb's [sixth Mughal empire of India] rule this artwork was created. During his rule many Hindu temples were demolished and Hindus were forced to convert their religions to the Muslim culture. As the temples were destroyed the Hindus could not worship their gods and they were not pleased with the situation. Some Hindu craftsmen decided to draw the goddess and gods on some cloths or something holy , so they could still worship and not be spotted. Slowly this act was followed by many craftsmen and the tradition of making the 'Holy cloth' was created which also depicted various scenes of the goddess's life and teachings. These cloths were also used by the mothers to teach their children more about their own religion and gods. Slowly this love and respect of religion had evoked a new skill of craftsmanship.
In the beginning the men used to draw on the cloths and women were only involved in the color making process. It was believed that men were capable of labour work and were good designers, so they work of creating and drawing on the cloth was always done by them. While on the other hand the women helped in the preparation of the ingredients and tools for the artwork. When the women's menstruation cycle began they were not allowed to touch or work on the craft as the craft was considered something holy [ due to cultural beliefs, it is believe that women are considered impure during their periods ].
The colors RED and BLACK were the only colors used from the beginning as the color RED symbolizes something 'holy, celebration and the color of joy' and the color Black symbolizes the 'Kali Nazar [the evil eye].'
Their love for their religion and culture led them to lift the kalam to express their love and gratitude to their gods and goddess.
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