8an[ara Lmbro|dery

1he 8an[aras are a Lrlbe of norLh lndlan orlgln who

moved souLh lnLo Lhe ueccan plaLeau durlng Lhe
sevenLeenLh cenLury ln Lhe baggage Lraln of Lhe Mughal
emperor Aurangzeb 1he 8an[aras had Lo abandon Lhelr
ancesLral professlon due Lo Lhe 8rlLlsh rallway bulldlng
durlng Lhe nlneLeenLh cenLury 1hey now llve ln small
vlllages called Landas LhroughouL Lhe ueccan plaLeau and
work malnly as casual laborers 8an[ara women always
wear Lhelr flnesL cloLhes and [ewelry even when dolng
hard manual labor on bulldlng slLes or breaklng up sLones
for publlc roads
8an[ara embroldery ls noLed for lLs llvely decoraLlon cowry
shells colns coLLon and woolen Lassels welghLed wlLh
lead and glass beads and mlrrorwork are all used Lo adorn Lhelr LexLlles 1he 8an[ara women of Andhra
radesh wear gaghras cholls and odhnls ln bold appllque and mlrror work subLler ls Lhe work of Lhe
8an[ara of Madhya radesh and ad[olnlng areas ln MaharashLra and karnaLaka 1he 8an[ara Lo be found
ln Malwa and nlmar dlsLrlcLs of Madhya
!algaon produce beauLlful work made up of squares and recLangles of cross and sLem sLlLch conLalned
wlLhln a grld lald ouL ln closely worked herrlng bone sLlLch ueslgns are elLher geomeLrlc or angularly
zoomorphlc 1he mosL common arLlcles produced are Lhe square Lasselled rumals (kerchlefs) edged
wlLh cowrles whlch are used for presenLaLlons aL ceremonles and ln ceremonlal dances purses (baLua)
for money or areca nuLs and cholls gaghras and odhnls are also embroldered
CLher 8an[aras make beauLlful qullLed rumals bags and purses usually on brown or someLlmes blue
cloLh
aLLernlng ls someLlmes conflned Lo qullLlng sLlLches buL more usually coLLon Lhreads are lald on ln
conLrasLlng geomeLrlc paLLerns and Lhen couched down lurLher souLh Lhe 8an[ara work ls done uslng
woolen or coLLon Lhread and a greaL reperLolre of sLlLches 1hese are used Lo make bags purses walsL
bands and a recLangular plece of embroldery edged wlLh cowry shells whlch hangs down from a head
rlng called an lndhonl on whlch Lhe women balance poLs of waLer
LasLern and souLhern lndla boLh have very sLrong weavlng LradlLlons ln common wlLh oLher parLs of
lndla ln many of Lhe vlllages Lhe weavers produce slmple handloom fabrlcs for Lhe needs of Lhe rural
populaLlon 8egardless of wheLher Lhe weaver llves ln 8lhar or 1amll nadu he wlll be weavlng cloLh for
Lhe same purpose for sarls and shawls dhoLls and lungls 1he colors and sLyle of embelllshmenL of Lhese
LexLlles are dlcLaLed by cllmaLlc and culLural facLors and ln areas whlch hereLofore had rlch and courLly
paLrons sophlsLlcaLed LexLlles of complex Lechnlque and deslgn have evolved over Lhe cenLurles from
Lhe orlglnal slmple sLyle