Among the traditional textiles of India, the art of appliqué work occupies a distinguished place. According to the Webster’s dictionary, appliqué is a ‘decoration or trimming made of one material attached by sewing, gluing, etc. to another.’ In India, appliqué art is widely prevalent in the western states, especially in Gujarat and Rajasthan, and in the eastern coast of Orissa.

It is believed that appliqué work made its way into western India either from Europe or Arabia in the Middle East through trade contacts.


¤ Gujarat Applique Work

oftentimes carried out on red cotton cloth against a white background, the appliqué work of Gujarat is primarily used on festive occasions, when rituals are performed, or to trap animals. Locally referred to as the ‘katab’, the word is probably a distorted form of the English words ‘cut-up’. The decorative appliqués vary from a range of stylised birds and elephants, to several geometric patterns.


¤ The Creation of Applique Art

In the19^th century, the Kathis, an agro-pastoral community of the Kathiawar region of Gujarat and their Muslim associates, the Molesalaams, or the landowning community are known to have produced intricate appliqué work. Some of the surviving specimens show a wide representation of stylised human and animal figures in cotton and silk cloths, bandhani (tie and dye), or patola cloth.

In the neighbouring state of Rajasthan, the Oswal Banias have a similar tradition of stitching large appliqué canopies with a range of panels or squares in different colour combinations, for marriages. The Rajputs, Satwaras and various other cattle-breeding communities also produce similar appliqué art to enhance the beauty of their chandarvo (canopies), dharaniyo (quit covers), amongst other things.



¤ Orissa Applique Work of Art

In Orissa, appliqué work is an inseparable part of the temple tradition, and its main centre of production is in and around Pippli, a small town near Bhubaneswar. Traditionally, the appliqué work of Orissa is used as canopies during the annual Chariot Festival at Puri to protect the chariots of Lord Jagannath (in this context, the Lord of the Universe), Balabhadra and Subhadra (Lord Jagannath’s brother and sister, respectively; together the three constitute the Hindu Holy Trinity of Puri). The Chariot Festival of Puri, also known as the Rath Yatra marks the annual spiritual journey of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra to the Masusi Maa Temple (temple of the maternal aunt). The journey, which attracts devotees from all over the country, begins on the 2^nd day of the shukla- paksh (brighter half) of the Hindu month of Asadha (July-August). 

In recent decades, the appliqués of Orissa in the form of beautiful animals, birds, flowers, leaves and other decorative motifs have been used as household lampshades, garden umbrellas and even handbags.