Jat

Kutch, gujarat

Cross-stitch embroidery from Jat community of Bhuj.

The pastoral nomadic Jats arrived in Kutch from Sindh around 400 years ago, seeking fodder for their cattle. Traditionally, the Jats in Kutch were Maldharis, keepers of cattle, predominantly large herds of camels. The community comprises three sects: the Garasia Jats, Fakirani Jats, and Dhaneti Jats.



According to legend, when the Jats migrated from Sindh to present-day Kutch, the ruler was warned about their vast numbers. However, the king welcomed them warmly, dividing them into smaller clusters. He granted land to one cluster, involving them in the governance of his kingdom, thus forming the Jat Garasia subgroup, exempt from taxes. The cattle-rearers who stayed near the border paid taxes and became the Jat Dhaneti. Among them were nomads with no land or cattle, only camels, who lived simply like fakirs and devoted their lives to Allah, becoming the Jat Fakirani.

A revered figure among the Jats is Mai Bhambhi. Her uncle, Sai Chirkitsa Baba, was their spiritual leader when their ancestors lived in Sindh. The Jats believe it was Mai who taught embroidery to the women. Mai instructed that embroidery was for personal use; embroidered garments that have been worn should not be sold. Old garments cannot be recycled or given to others. When these garments are no longer usable, they must be buried, deposited in flowing water, or placed in an abandoned well, a practice still followed today.

Jat embroidery resembles the mosaics found in Islamic tile work and also like the embroidery found in Baluchistan and the Middle East indicating their roots. This intricate embroidery is done only on the yoke, using a single stitch—the cross—to create a fixed number of geometric designs. Colors are used in a very specific manner in these designs. Jat embroidery is a counted thread style, with no outlines or drawings on the fabric to guide the craftswoman. Instead, the geometric forms are mentally conceptualized and plotted by counting the threads of the fabric.

The embroidery is done on thick, coarse cotton fabric. Using a very tiny and fine cross-stitch in double thread, the craftswoman plots the squares and rectangles that make up the geometric grid. The grid is uniform in size throughout the composition. The spaces within the grid are filled with bold colors and small, round mirrors, creating a striking and vibrant effect.

Mai Bhambhi instructed them that embroidery was for personal use but unfortunately today it is practiced as a means of making a living as the Jats have been a segregated community with women rarely seen outside their domestic spheres, embroidery becomes a way they can support their family while staying within their social confines.