The world is constantly regaled with tales of the Indian Maharaja’s design ‘escapades’ with European ateliers. How a 34 year old Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala commissioned Cartier to create an heirloom with the De Beers diamond he had acquired in Paris as the centre piece. Or, how a certain Maharaja, smarting under the arrogant treatment he got by Rolls Royce, bought six of them and converted them into garbage dumpers!
Meanwhile, the fact that the Indian royals and nobles were equally strong patrons of indigenous craft is quietly forgotten. Both by the west oriented luxury industry and the popular, socialist discourse taken forward by powers that be.
However few can refute that it was within the palace studios patronised by Princely India that many rare, Indian art forms were born, schools of weaves nurtured, poets given a voice and classical music gharanas a chance to prosper. How the practice to create a palace karkhana for a master craftsman, a talented artist or a great weaver was the seeding ground for most Indian masterpieces. A practice that thankfully is still kept alive by some art protagonists and artist born to blue blood. We reminisce the origin of the royal atelier culture and look at a few still kept alive.
By Anshu Khanna
Royal patronage to art and craft dates back to the medieval era when the emergence of temple towns saw the birth of textile guilds and artisan studios that created rich fabrics and exquisite jewels both for the Gods that resided in temples and the King who lived in the palace. The karkhana culture however was brought into the Indian subcontinent by the Sultanate and fortified by the Mughals.It was the during the Mughal era that various artisanal studios or karkhanas were born . They were, simply put, indigenous ateliers where artists and artisans created objects of desire for the emperor to indulge in. In the Rangkhana and Chhapakhana were created textiles, gossamer and rich. Some printed, others woven and then beaded with precious gems or rendered resplendent with zardozi embroidery, the most favoured school of embroidery by the bahu begums in the jenana. In Toshkhana skilled artisans brought alive the finest in embellishments to go on chaddars (Shawls), gaddi- masnats ( Tapestry for the throne) and royal costumes. Meanwhile in the Kirkarakhana complete wardrobes came together like a perfect symphony.
Belonging to the Timurid dynasty the Mughals brought with them skilled artists, calligraphists, weavers and story tellers from Central Asia who moulded the equally dexterous Indian crafts men to their vocabulary of design. “ Large halls are seen at many places, called karkhanas or workshops for the artisans. In one hall, embroiderers are busily employed, superintended by a master. In another, you see the goldsmiths; in a third, painters; in a fourth, varnishers in lacquer-work; in a fifth, joiners, turners, tailors and shoe-makers; in a sixth, manufacturers of silk, brocade and fine muslins …”writes François Bernier’s journal Travels in the Mughal Empire.
While patronage to costumes and jewels continued, the ateliers for miniature artists got dismissed under the regime of Emperor Aurangzeb who encouraged Islamic calligraphy and greatly reduced imperial patronage of figurative Mughal miniature. Many miniature artists then fled to regional courts. Like the court of Raja Dalip Singh (1695–1741) of Guler who set up the first miniature art atelier in Haripur. Other Himalayan kingdoms followed with Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra- Lambagraon taking deep interest in its patronage. Ascending to the throne at age ten and winning back the Kangra fort from the Mughals at age twelve, he ruled with benevolence ushering in the golden era for Kangra Kalam. The master artist of his court produced more than 30000 paintings. Precise and fluid, lyrical and naturalistic these ‘Pahadi’ paintings revolved around the picturesque hills of the Himalayas. The works were inspired by the mythological verses of Jayadev’s Gita Govindam, depicting the eternal love of Radha and Krishna; the lyrical romance of Nala and Damyanti; the Bara-masa or changing seasons; the role of the Naika; Bihari Sat-Sai; the Bhagavata-Purana and the Ragmala.
The Kangra kalam is still alive due to the efforts of the young couple Ashwarya and Shailaja Katoch from the erstwhile royal family of Kangra-Lambagraon who founded The Sansar Chand Museum a few years back. Besides offering a generous window to the original art developed in the 17th Century, the museum also dedicates a space for local artisans to come and paint, their works sold at the museum shop.
“ Right through my childhood I was regaled with stories of my ancestor Sansar Chand. I saw my father show our private collection to art lovers, carefully preserving these fragile works in rooms that were painstakingly kept moisture free. My mother, Chandresh Kumari ( A Jodhpur Princess who served as the culture minister at the centre) was constantly supporting the local artists who were still engrossed in the art and it broke our heart to see the tribe dwindling by the day, the miniature artists preferring blue collared jobs to painting. The atelier culture was dwindling and Dharamshala was becoming a hub for Tibetan art which is as beautiful,” Shares Ashwarya.
The museum hence was born to bring the arch-light back to the Rajput riyasat and its artistic footprints. Adds Shailaja, “Few are aware that Kangra was also the hub for the most spectacular frescoes in the kangra kalam. Soft works depicting gentle hills, playful clouds, sloping roofs and women dressed in an ornamental peshwaj. Unfortunately many of them got destroyed during the devastating earthquake in 1905 that even saw forts and palaces tumble down.” The daughter of the Sailana Princely family in Ratlam who are known for their culinary brilliance, ( Her great grand-father Maharaja Digvijay Singh wrote the cookbook ‘Cooking Delights of the Maharajas’, that connoisseurs consider the bible for royal recipes), Shailaja meanwhile keeps the Dham (Temple) cuisine alive offering interesting dishes like Apple Panjiri, Rajma Madra at the café.
Miniature artists from Rajasthan also got great patronage from the rulers of Kishangarh, a 15 gun salute state. It was during the reign of Maharaja Savant Singh that the legendary artist Nihal Chand created his spectacular body of work dedicated to the poetic love of Radha and Krishna. In his works they were seen on a ‘boat of love’, or lost in a verdant garden full of Gulmohar trees. Their sharp elongated facial features, pointed, lotus-shaped eyes, and serpentine locks of hair becoming the most iconic identity for this miniature school. A poet and an astute believer he later changed his name to Nagari Das and wrote a series of verses in the praise of Krishna.
Continuing her family’s patronage to this school of art, Princess Vaishnavi Kumari of Kishangarh founded Studio Kishangarh, welcoming the few practicing artists inside a karkhana she created within her fort. “ I grew up seeing Shrinathji being loved like a member of the family, the temple in the fort frequently changing the Pichwai to match his myriad moods. When it was summer he wore a white angarkha, when it was phagun he was dressed in yellow! We follow the Vallabhacharya sect and worship Krishna in his playful childlike avatar.”
A SOAS graduate Vaishnavi works closely with the artists in her atelier introducing elements of pop art to the existing style. Taking inspiration from the architecture and the sumptuous greenery that surrounds the Kishangarh Fort and the Phool Mahal, Vaishnavi brings in a minimalist style. In her paintings can be found the Kamdhenu cow prancing against a solid red background, the gentle tree of life following the pastel palette, the furious blue clouds circling around a very dark moon and other icons of miniature art that break away from a complete, busy Pichwai bursting with colour and detailing. “ Art has to move with the time and adapt itself to the prevailing aesthetics, ”feels Vaishnavi.
Modern day inheritors of royal lineage are equally involved in conserving their textile legacies. One such family being the Baroda royal family who were one of the five 21 gun salute states and remained at the forefront of Maratha heritage. Living in temperate climates the Maratha families embraced the two cotton rich textiles, Chanderis and Maheshwari making them an integral part of their wardrobe. Feisty queens like Jijabai ( Chhatrapati Shivaji’s mother) , Maharani Chimnabai of Baroda and Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore were generously depicted in royal portraits dressed in a Chanderi or Maheshwari Nauvari . These gentle but resplendent weaves were also used to make the very origami like Maratha turbans, the flowing chaddars and the sharp yet flowing angarkhas worn by men of royal and noble blood. Woven with 200 count cotton these textiles were generously endowed with motifs of the kairi, the leheriya, the asharfi etc created from pure gold zari.
It was however in the famed Ravi Varma portrait of a statuesque Maharani Chimnabai II draped in a vermilion red Chanderi sari that the true richness of this weave was captured. A resident artist of the family for over ten years ( Maharaja Sayajirao III invited Raja Ravi Varma to the palace in 1881 and created a dedicated palace studio for him where he created an enviable body of work inspired by mythology as well as royal living ). These paintings inspired Rajmata Shubhangini Raje to start her own studio for Chanderi saris, an endeavour for which she was amply supported by her daughter in law, the iconic Maharani Radhika Raje Gaekwad. In 2015 when The Taj Mahal Palace celebrated its 110th anniversary, they presented a collection of handpicked saris from their studio in what was Maharaja Pratap Sinh Rao, Shubhangini’s father in law’s favourite suite. The saris are part of many a tasteful women’s treasure trunk.
Taking the rich legacy of woman empowerment forward with utmost reverence Radhika Raje, a writer, craft protagonist and philanthropist steers the family led skilling centre Maharani Chimnabai Udyogalaya established in 1914 with her golden heart. Skilling women to become tailors and beauticians , training women drivers and also grooming and supporting the LGBTQ
community of her beloved Baroda, Radhika is showing the way to young royal scions on how to keep their inherited legacy alive.
From the gossamer drape tradition, the royal fable of fashion progresses to costumes that were worn by the Maharajas in royal courts during the Raj. Inspired by the capes and trench coats worn by the British, the Maharajas started dressing in structured and sharply tailored costumes that were embellished with gold and precious stones and decorated with their jewels made from the finest Basra pearls, emeralds and diamonds. These vintage costumes can be now found in leading textile museums of the world.
They can also be found in the impeccable costume collection inherited by Umang Hutheesing, the heir apparent of the Hutheesing family legacy. The Nagar Sheths of Ahmadabad, this Jain family was known to not just have ties with the then rulers of Ahmadabad, but also for establishing many Jain temples and charities in the city. With a known history of over 250 years, the Hutheesings owe their origin to Osia, near Jaisalmer. They relocated to the Khambat port in Cambay, Gujarat when the Mughal empire began declining and the silk route became dysfunctional. The Europeans and the British meanwhile were opening new trade routes through the sea, and, hence they relocated to a port town, finally moving to Ahmadabad.
Umang, a costume collector and a couturier inherited a vast collection of royal costumes. Inspired by his inheritance he set up a design atelier where third generation artisans, trained in royal poshak-khaanas work. They hail from Bengal, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh & Kashmir and create a series of masterpieces: Embellished angarkhas, fluid Peshwajs, embellished lehengas, embroidered capes and peplums.
Taking exhibitions across the world, Umang’s studio: Hutheesing Design Company hosted an exhibition of antique textile art in Paris, the year 2010, with the exemplary patrons, the ex-French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla Brunei. For the Bahrain royal family he showcased an exhibition titled The Magnificent Maharajas. His show the Baroque Maharaja opened a few years back at the very modern Baroque Museum in Puebla, Mexico. His textiles have found their way to the Roosevelt House in Delhi as well as other state residences of present day leaders.