| Rabaris are nomadic people who came to Gujarat via Sindh, Rajasthan and Baluchistan. While the origins of this embroidery form are not exactly known, the style is quite similar to the ancient Baluch embroidery. Rabari women embroider textiles as an expression of creativity, aesthetics and identity for ever. Rabari embroidery is a pictographic representation of their mythology, beliefs, culture and life. Women embroider their clothes, cradle cloth and other linen of the house. Embroidery is a vital, living and evolving expression of the craft and textile traditions of the Rabaris. They use glass mirrors in various shapes: round, rhomboid, rectangular, square, triangular, and beak shaped. |  |
There is intensive use of shaped mirrors. The stitches are square chain interlaced with buttonhole for mirror work, single chain, knot, Romanian, blanket interlaced with herringbone, running, and double running. Temple motifs, women balancing pots on their heads (paniyari), mango leaves, coconuts, scorpions, camels, parrots, elephants and the tree of life are some of the beloved and auspicious motifs of Rabari embroidery.This embroidery style is not static. The stitches, scales, colour, everything changes with the imagination and spontaneity of the artist. The style is constantly evolving. It is the creativity of Rabari women, a manifestation of their extraordinary capacity for adaptation that keeps this tradition alive. |
