Day 154- Selecting Banjara Tapestry

A Vintage Banjara toranam or door hanging

I have always loved textile, especially folk and tribal ones. Even when I was a poor student, I would buy traditional fabric or textile whenever I travelled, usually  in nearby countries like Malaysia (batiik) or Indonesia (ikat),  They  cost very little then but today, they are regarded as vintage and rare pieces. For those of you who love folk textile like me, I want to share with you some facts I have found out about Banjara embroidery. 

 Most of my material came from this book, words in italics are verbatim from here

I also relied heavily on this guide written by Exotica Galleria India. 

The nomadic Banjara community who trace their origins in Rajasthan, create beautiful embellishments on cloth. The Banjara women, locally known as Lambani, make symmetrical embroidery by lifting the warp thread  of the fabric with a fine needle and making triangles, diamonds and lozenges, parallel to the weft thread, giving the effect of an extra weft weave. 

The base cloth is usually handwoven madder (red-coloured cloth) over which embroidery is done in yellow, green, red, off white and black. Referred to as "Banjara" embroidery, this style is accompanied with the extensive use of mirrors, beads and cowrie shells. Our women arrange vintage textile patches with Banjara embroidery in a harmonious fashion to create fascinating wall hangings or tapestries.

While the usual criteria such as  shape, size and colours apply to the Banjara tapestries as well, there are a few nuances that you should look out for in selecting an exquisite piece of craftsmanship. 

Extensiveness of Embroidery 

This is possibly the most important factor that impacts the beauty and the price of the Banjara tapestry. The best patches from vintage textiles and dresses are extensively embroidered. Wall hangings that are made primarily using these patches display a greater range of colours and motifs and are usually more expensive than the rest.   

Mirror Work and Bead Work 

If you multiply the number by 12, there should be 468 mirror beads (not including the big ones) in this piece of toranam.

Embedded mirror work in various sizes along with beads (usually wood, bone or metal) , old coins and cowrie shells add to the sparkle, weight and price of the Banjara hangings. In most cases, wall hangings with mirror work produce a glittering effect- the exceptions are cases where the mirror work has been exposed to the elements and is rusted. Wall hangings with patches over 20-25 years old can have cracked or missing mirrors.  

Cowrie shells are considered auspicious because they represent Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and most banjara tapestries will have a few of them. 

Pattern Arrangements

  

Banjara embroidery hangings tend to have a more ordered placement of textile patches compared to say, the Indian sari beaded wall hangings. The visual appeal of the two patterns is quite different. Some feel that much  more care and creativity goes into placing the patterns of a Banjara embroidery than the haphazard manner of the other. 

  

It is important that the pods (bottom part of the valance) should be as similar in size and shape as possible. They are usually made of simpler fabric and not as embroidered as the upper piece. Nonetheless, pricey vintage pieces show remarkable workmanship even in the crafting of pod pieces. 

I hope you have enjoyed the  facts as much as I have enjoyed making a piece of Banjara history.


All important photographs  courtesy of FaiZ and his super expensive new Canon.