vijay Sanatbhai Chitara

Mata Ni Pachhedi literally means “behind the mother goddess”, and is a cloth that constitutes a temple of the goddess. When people of the nomadic Vaghari Community of Gujarat were barred from entering temples, they made their own shrines with depictions of the Mother Goddess on cloth. This ingenuous solution is believed to be the origin of Mata Ni Pachhedi, the sacred art, which is now revered by all. The Boldness of the paintings which usually follow a set pattern is reinforced by the starkness of the red and black the only color used. In the center is the commanding
figure of Mata or Mother Goddess in various iconographic forms, either seating on a throne or mounted on an animal In Ahmedabad, artisans make these paintings using the same methods followed 750 years ago. Cotton fabric is first de-starched and then treated with harada paste to prepare it for absorbing the color. The outline of the figures are painted first, with black color prepared from Jaggery & Iron. After this red color extracted from tamarind seeds is filled in and the areas supposed to be white or left blank. After the application of colours, the fabric is boiled in alizarin solution to bring out the color and then washed. For washing the artisans go to Sabarmati as the cloth must be washed in running water only so that excess color flows away instead of staying the cloth. It takes days of patience and dedication to prepare one piece. The strong line and bold use of color, that reflects the power and energy of the goddess, have now transformed into more artistic and detailed illustrations; but the style of depicting mythical characters remains the same.

Why Is Durga Worshipped?
Goddess Durga / Mata symbolizes the divine forces (positive energy) known as ‘divine
shakti” (female energy/ power) that is used against the negative forces of evil. She protects her devotees from evil powers and safeguards them. It is said that her ‘shakti’ contains the combined energies of all the gods in the form of weapons and emblems (mudras). Navratri the Hindu festival symbolizing the triumph of good over evil celebrates the 9 nights dedicated to the nine divine forms of Goddess Durga. Mata Ni Pachhedi is important during this time as it acts as a witness to religious and auspicious festivals and is used as the object of holy Worship.