KANTHA

Carol D. Westfall Dipti Desai

The word "kantha" is translated into English as "rags" and quite literally refers to the materials used in creating this traditional quilt form. Women of the state of Bengal laminate layers of worn-out saris with a running stitch, thus quilting the separate pieces into a single entity. The top layer, and, in some instances, the bottom layer, is heavily imbricated with embroidered images.

Geographically, the major areas of production are concentrated in Mymensing, Jessore, Faridpur, and Khulna, located in East and West Bengal.

Seven distinct types of kanthas have been identified. The thickly quilt - ed kantha known as "lep kantha" is approximately 6' x 4', and is used as a body covering during the cold winter months. The "soozni", or blanket, is 6' x 3', and is used on auspicious ceremonial occasions. "Bayton" is a book cover or a cover for valuable articles and measures 3' x 3'. A cover for combs and mirrors measuring 12" x 6" is called "arsilata". The "oar" is a rectangular pillowcase; the "durjani" is a square wallet, and a handkerchief size kantha is known as a "rumal".

Discarded saris are placed, one on top of the other, until the desired thickness is achieved. The edges are then folded and sewn together and the entire expanse of fabric is quilted with a white thread. Colored threads, drawn from the saris, are used to embroider both the border and the surface designs. The women usually outline the designs in blue thread and use a palette of yellow, red, black, and white to create the imagery. A small darning stitch, as well as the stem and satin stitch, is most commonly used and creates a rippled effect on the outer surfaces.

Some kanthas also include applique work which is accomplished in one of two ways. The first involves cutting a motif out of red fabric and

ARS TEXTRINA 7 (1987), pp. 161-177

blind stitching the motif onto the surface of the kantha. The second version involves cutting the colored cloth into strips and couching the strips around the outline of the embroidered design.

All classes of Bengali women are involved in the creation of kanthas, which are used as gifts of love on festive occasions. The kantha is also used as a fulfilment of certain vows (vrata) taken by women.

The imagery in the kanthas has been related to the "alpona" drawings made by the women for special festivities. These ritual drawings are freehand images drawn in a fluid, white rice paste on mud floors, and are created solely for a specific occasion. To quote Stella Kamrisch, "the women of rural Bengal act as a repository of knowledge from which each can draw on a given occasion, be it that of a ritual or in restoring wholeness to rags; by joining the torn bits and tatters and by reinforcing them with a design of such a kind that when a kantha is spread out, it unfolds the meaning on which life is embroidered."

The symbolism of the kantha begins with the rags or discarded saris which act as the foundation for the visual imagery applied to the surface. These rags, prior to being joined, also have an implied meaning. Two Gods, Chindiyadeo and Chirkutwa Pir, Lingri Pir, are worshipped by the offerings of rags. In return, the Gods present a new, whole cloth to the giver. In the lower Himalayas, rags are hung on bridges and tied to trees as offerings to the mountain spirit. The Buddhist prayer flag is actually made of rags. The rag in each case literally refers to the return of the part to the whole. The kantha then manifests this concept of reintegration and wholeness.

In Tanjur, a myth involving Guru Kantalipa, one of the 84 Siddhas, illustrates the concept of restoring wholeness, which is central to Indian thought. The Guru, a sweeper, picked up rags from the gar - bage and stitched them together. One day, he pricked his finger with a needle, and began to weep. A Dakini or Goddess happened to be near and took human form in order to speak to the Guru. When she learned of the source of his pain, she asked him how he was going to endure the untold suffering in ever renewed cycles of becoming and if he wished to be freed from the perils of reincarnation. The Guru replied "Yes!"

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to which the Dakini responded: "Sunyata is the space of the sky and also that between the rubbish. With thought and knowledge thread the needle. Sew the cloth with the needle of compassion. Meditate to embrace all living beings in the three worlds."

The notion of becoming while making a whole is a prevalent aspect of cloth consciousness in Indian culture. The universe is frequently spoken of as a "woven fabric where every thing and every human has a place at the meeting point of the warp and weft." The completed woven cloth is a symbol of wholeness and integrity. The patched cloth is a symbol worn by Buddha and Buddhist monks.

Designs embroidered on the kanthas reinforce the dual symbolism of universal manifestation (the lotus or mandala) and a return to the center (the Tree of Life many times depicted in the four corners and growing towards the center). The color scheme, style, and composi - tion vary, reflecting the individuality of the creator but the myths and symbolism remain fairly constant.

At one point in history, the imagery changed. Between 1550 and 1560, Bengali quilts became a major item of export to Europe under the patronage of the Portuguese traders. The designs accomplished in yellow thread and covering every inch of the ground fabric, were pic - torial in nature. Hunting scenes, ships at sea, fishes, mermaids, stories from the Old Testament, and legends from Grasco-Roman mythology were the usual design motifs. Although European in origin, these motifs were, in many instances, Indianized in execution. According to John Irwin, "recurring scenes with a ship manned by Portuguese sailors, surrounded by fishes and various marine monsters, are clearly derived from conventional Vaishnava representations of the Great Flood, in which Vishnu, in his Matysa or fish incarnation, is depicted guiding Man's Ark." Bengal was the center of the Vaishnava cult in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the artistic renaissance which accom - panied the religion marked a radical departure from Brahmanical art. In comparing the imagery in the kanthas and the terracotta plaques produced at this time, Irwin states, "there is the same spirited move - ment and the close crowding of detail, the same swirling rhythms and bold symmetry. The mixing of religious and secular, which is such a

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conspicuous feature of the quilts, is also characteristic of the terracotta reliefs. Another feature of the style common to both is the way in which the figured compositions are divided into self-contained narra - tive panels, often without logical sequence, yet organized within a strictly symmetrical plan. In the treatment of individual figures, pro - portion is often abandoned in the interests of narrative, the leading characters being enlarged to indicate their importance in the story. Perspective and depth are hardly used at all, the general effect being one of flat patterning, characteristic of Bengal folk art as a whole.

As India moves rapidly into the 20th century, kantha, like so many other indigenous craft forms, is rapidly disappearing. However, in New Delhi, Asha Gupta, a craftswoman of particular note, has trained 80 sweeper women in the craft of kantha making. Their work is now available at many museum shops in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The accompanying photographs document the creation of a kantha at Ms. Gupta's workshop in New Delhi.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Irwin, John. Indo-Portuguese Embroideries of Bengal, Arts and Letters: Journal of Royal India, Pakistan Society, vol. 26, no. 2, 1952.

Kamrisch, Stella. Kantha, Journal of Indian Society of Oriental Arts, Calcutta, vol. 7, 1939.

Mehta, R. J. "Masterpieces of Indian Textiles", Bombay, D.B., Tara - porevala Sons & Co. Pvt. Ltd., 1970.

"Textiles Embroideries of India", Marg Publications, Bombay, 1965.

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Carol D. Westfall is an Associate Professor in the Fine Arts Depart - ment at Montclair State College in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. During 1980-81, Professor Westfall was an Indo-American Fellow photodocumenting textile techniques as currently practiced by Indian artisans.

Research Assistant, Dipti Desai, has recently finished a degree pro - gram at Teacher's College, Columbia University, New York.

Carol D. Westfall Fine Arts Department Montclair State College, Upper Montclair, New Jersey

Dipti Desai Teacher's College Columbia Univeristy, New York

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