Ancient Ganesh embroidery art inspired by Gaekwads

VADODARA: While the whole of Gujarat is gripped in the euphoria of Ganesh Utsav, a collector in the city is displaying a rare craft that celebrates the magnificence of Lord Ganesh. ?Ganesh Thaap', an embroidery work that flourished in Saurashtra after the Gaekwads of the erstwhile Baroda state conquered parts of it, is extinct today with only a few samples surviving.
The handicraft is mainly a cloth in the shape of a house, triangular from the top and square towards the base, with embroidery depicting Lord Ganesh in various postures. The embroidery is believed to have started after Damajirao Gaekwad conquered Amreli and Visavadar in 1730.
Gita Sheth Bhatt, who has a rich collection of Ganesh Thaaps made by women in the 18th and 19th century, said, "Owing to the conquest, Saurashtra belt gradually assimilated culture of the Baroda Gaekwads. The presiding deity of the Gaekwads was Lord Ganesh, and this was reflected in various handicrafts and art forms of the community. Ganesh Thaap, which means Ganesh Sthapana, was an embroidered work that was to be included in a woman,s dowry."
The embroidered work was heavily influenced by the Marathi folk culture. Women designed the thaaps according to their creativity and expertise. Ganesha was depicted in various forms and postures. These included interesting forms like him dancing or even as a clown.
"I began collecting Ganesh Thaaps in 1975, when I was 19 years. Ever since I have been passionate about the embroidered work," says Bhatt, who has a collection of about 150 Ganesh Thaaps that she displayed at the Sarjan Art Gallery.
Bhatt discovered the Ganesh Thaaps at a store named Kashida, in front of Barton library in Bhavnagar in 1975. She bought the first piece for Rs 27 after bargaining with the shopkeeper. It was after her trip to France through a cultural exchange programme that she was inspired to collect Ganesh Thaaps.
"The trip to France made me realize how passionate they are about their heritage. They take the best measures to preserve their art forms," says Bhatt, who held her first exhibition of Ganesh Thaaps at the Nilambaug Palace in Bhavnagar in 1980.
Bhatt, who also has a collection of Italian bead works, plans to have an arts revival and resource centre in the city to preserve handicrafts and other art forms.