Chakla (square wall hanging)
Name/Title
Chakla (square wall hanging)Entry/Object ID
2025.10.41Description
Kathiavad, in eastern Saurashtra (formerly called Kathiawar), was ruled by Kathis, who migrated south from Kachchh. The Kathi women embroidered in geometric style, commonly used for decorative hangings. It was characteristically composed of a ground and a series of borders. The ground was divided into squares or diamonds, each filled with geometric motifs such as the kaliphul, an eight-pointed star. The borders surrounding the ground were composed of repeating geometric motifs studded with mirrors. Kathi embroideries were worked in long herringbone, and used a limited palette of colors, usually red and/or purple on an indigo background. Interlaced stitches were also part of the Kathi style, as well as a variety of accent stitches including chain, pattern darning, running, and double buttonhole stitches. Regarding the difficulty of attributing work incorporating this technique to a specific ethnic group, the authors of "Mud, Mirror and Thread: Folk Traditions of Rural India" explain: "The Kathis themselves stopped embroidering by the 20th century, but the Mahajans (merchants of Kathiavad) adopted the geometric style, motifs, and particularly the border patterns of the Kathis…This truly regional style was perpetuated until the 1940s. The simplified embroidery style, with subtle variations in different sub-regions was subsequently adopted by many communities in the peninsula of Saurashtra. It is currently not possible to determine the ethnic identity of the artisan of embroidery done in this style."Textile Type
Embroidered PanelCategory
Embroidery, Homeware