The Saptamatrikas are seven mother goddesses adopted by Kartikeya that assimilated into Local Village Deities, blurring lines between classical Hindu concept of devi worship & folk version
Shefali Vaidya traces the evolution of the vaishnava sampradaya of the GSB brahmins, and its syncretic incorporation of other Mathas and traditions that have shaped the GSB community
The sacred synergy between the temple sculptures of Kanchipuram and the motifs used in Kanchipuram sarees invoke auspiciousness and purity in the weaver
The Divyamayura motif – a symbol of our deep communion with nature, also possesses grace, beauty and symmetry making it a favourite of our artistes across all spans of time.
The peacock has continued to maintain its place as the most popular motif in art and architecture of India over the last 7000 years or more.
In Part 3 of our series on Unique Motifs in Indian Art by Shefali Vaidya traces the history & meaning of the unique motif of ‘Kirtimuka – Face of Glory’.
The four elephants in this motif were supposed to represent four Islamic sultanates – Bidar, Bijapur, Ahmadnagar, Golconda while Hindu Vijayanagara kingdom was the mighty Gandabherunda.
From this week onwards, we will traverse through the beautiful world of Indian Textile Motifs and their significance through the gaze of Shefali Vaidya. This week we will talk about the exquisite Nava Nari Kunjara motif, a composite animal figure of an elephant that is composed by nine women that depicts not only the artist’s skill but also its deep spiritual context.
The rattlepod bushes stood in a row, replete with flowers. Clusters of butterflies buzzed around the flowers, opening and shutting their colorful wings lazily, the afternoon sunlight throwing iridescent hues…
Shefali Vaidya is an award winning multi-lingual author and media professional with a keen interest in history of Indian textiles and temple architecture, history of Goa and contemporary politics. She manages these diverse areas of interest with great aplomb. She holds a post graduate degree in Communication Studies and post-graduate diplomas in Indology and Spanish. She has over 20 years of work experience in the field of media and film and TV production. Shefali has given several lectures on Textile history in India and abroad. Currently, she is the chief curator of the Western Ghats Literature Festival, Coimbatore. Shefali has participated in several literary and cultural conferences and festivals. Her series of research articles on the significance of motifs used in Indian Art and the synergy across multiple art forms has been critically acclaimed. Shefali has written columns on temple architecture and textiles in both English and Marathi for leading publications. She has been an expert member of the committee of textiles appointed by the central ministry of textiles. Shefali is a best selling author of 3 books in Marathi. Her coffee table bilingual book on temples of India is slated for a release in early 2023. Shefali has curated conferences on the history of Indian Textiles and read several papers on Hindu Temple Architecture, Textile Art and Hindu traditions of arts and crafts. Shefali has been invited by prestigious national institutions like IGNCA, Delhi and DIAT, Pune to give lectures on textile history. Shefali Vaidya is a fellow of Ananta Leadership Academy and is a recipient of the prestigious Infosys Fellowship from BORI, Pune. A keen collector of heritage weaves, Shefali is a firm believer in giving back to the society and her career reflects a consciously chosen balance between professional appearances and pro bono work for weavers and other social causes close to her heart like heritage conservation, craft preservation and Vedic education.
