TDD 101 Unit 2

Chamba Rumals from Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is a mountain state that connects the foothills and the high
mountains of the Himalayas. The state is best known for its embroidery arts that centre on
the little town of Chamba.

From the early eighteenth century to the beginning of the twentieth, Chamba and its
neighboring hill states, such as Kangra and Basohli, formed the nucleus of 'rumal'
production, embroidery work on thin unbleached muslin (mal-mal) of great charm and
simplicity. 'Rumal' means 'cover' or 'kerchief, and these square-shaped textiles were used
mainly as a covering for gifts. When an offering was made to temple gods, or gifts
exchanged between the families of a bride and groom, an embroidered rumal was always
used as wrapping. Chamba rumals were also used in temples and homes as a backdrop to,
or canopy for, a deity. The region's rumals all shared the same basic composition. The
embroidered rumals from Chamba were the work of the ladies of the court and their

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attendants in their semi-secluded life in the palace. The subjects were pictorial, they
comprised of floral border which enclosed a finely drawn religious scene set against a
clear, unembellished arid unembroidered background. The designs were initially drawn out
in charcoal and featured scenes from Krishna's life and other mythological episodes, which
were surrounded by clusters of willow and cypress trees and running animals such as
tigers, horses and deer.

Chamba and its neighboring hill states gave refuge to miniaturists

of the imperial courts who fled to the hills at the break-up of the Mughal
Empire during the eighteenth century. These painters were to found the
school of 'Pahari' miniature painting. It was the Pahari School of painting
that inspired the making of these textiles, but the miniatures themselves
were not the direct source. The inspiration came from the murals painted by Pahari
miniature painters on the walls of the Rang Mahal, the residence of the ladies at Chamba
court. Ornate rumals were embroidered by ladies at the court with the designs most
probably drafted by professional artists. In the village, meanwhile,
women were embroidering the same articles in a much more primitive
folk style.

The embroidered Rumals from Chamba were the work of the ladies of the court and
their attendants in their semi-secluded life in the palace. The subjects are pictorial. The
embroiderers drew their inspiration almost entirely from epics and from lyrical poetry,
especially the legends of Radha and Krishna from the Bhagavata Purana and the Rasa lila.
The subjects were drawn upon fine cotton or muslin in fine outline with fair skill, are so
sophisticated that it may sometimes have been the practice for court painters to outline a
cloth for a lady. The embroidery, in silks of soft colour, is worked in small double-darning
stitches, which appear evenly upon both sides of the fabric. The effect is of soft flat tones,
as in miniature painting; outlines and details are worked in double- running stitch, and on
some early examples small patterns are darned in colours upon costumes and other details.
Silver-gilt flat wire is occasionally used to bring emphasis to the design, usually, as gold is
used in miniature painting, upon such details as jewellery or weapons.

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The chief of the Punjab hill states received their regal titles as personal honours
from the Mughal emperors. According to the Basohli Nama, the first Raja of Chamba,
Prithvi Singh, received his title from Shah Jahan in 1641. Their old traditions
as warriors are idealised by the embroideries in battle scenes which show the
influence of Persian miniature paintings from the Shah Nama. Scenes of the
hunt depict the horsemen in graceful profile among flowering plants and
trees, with no hint of the rough hill riding in the locality.

The eighteenth-century rumals with poetic themes, such as the Ashtanayika rumal
are reminders of contemporary Mughal influence upon painting at the Pahari courts,
especially those of Kangra, Guler and Jammu. The main focus is upon the figures, which
are finely drawn, the simplicity of the background often intensifying the emotional
expression. Raja Umed Singh of Chamba (1748·68) patronised Mughal painters who had
fled to the Punjab, and who came to Chamba from the neighbouring court of Basohli.
Embroidered rumals often of mid-nineteenth century, depicting Radha and Krishna with
attendants under a flowering tree, show the mature development of the Kangra style.
Miniature painting in Chamba was accompanied by a general encouragement
of the arts, and the rumal depicting a poet presenting his manuscript to his
patron, a subject which sometimes appears as the introductory painting in
Persian and Mughal manuscripts, may record an incident at the Chamba court,
for the two principal figures are vividly portrayed in local costume.

Though the development of Pahari miniature painting is reflected in the

embroidered rumals, the immediate source of inspiration appears to be wall painting. The
residence of the ladies at Chamba palace, the Rang Mahal, or "Painted Palace", had been
begun by Umed Singh work on the Rang Mahal continued under his son, Raj Singh, and
was completed during the reigns of his grandson Jit Singh (1794-1808) and his great-
grandson Charat Singh (1808-1844). During the last two reigns the wall paintings within
the rooms and verandas of the palace were executed. They are laid out in small panels,
usually about 2 ft by 2½ ft, surrounded by floral borders, and completely cover the walls of
centre of the room. In subject and style, they are in effect miniature paintings upon the

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walls; several artists have worked on them, Hindu and Muslim artists from Basohli and
Guler. The subjects of the rumals are very close in style to the mural paintings, even in
their floral borders. The Rang Mahal fell into dilapidation in this century, and in recent
years the mural paintings were removed, on their bases of plaster, to
receive conservation treatment at the National Museum, New Delhi, where
they are now permanently displayed.
The embroidery, in silks of soft colour, was worked in small
double-darning stitches which appeared evenly upon both sides of the fabric. The effect
was of soft flat tones, as in miniature painting; outlines and details were worked in double-
running Stitch, and on some early examples small patterns were darned in colours upon
costumes and other details. Silver-gilt flat wire was occasionally used to bring emphasis to
the rumal.

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