Editor's Picks

Garnet-Rose Bedspread from Gujarat with Embroidered Kutch Patches and Mirrors

The right bedspread could work wonders for your space. After all, the bedroom is the inner sanctorum that rejuvenates you each night and should be an image of all that you hold dear. The bedspread you see on this page serves just the purpose. A warm colour palette against the superb cotton make of the spread creates an item that is designed to add comfort and personality to your space. A riot of soft natural pastels, to be found in remote Gujarati countrysides, infused with a vibrant, dominating shade of red is as characteristic of Kutch as it gets. It is a region known for the lively and colourful textiles produced by the women, a fine example of which is this bedspread.

The signature patches that grace this bedspread feature the rustic style of embroidery that has been perfected locally in Kutch. Tender foliage motifs in natural colours are to be found in abundance, the same having been puntuated with miniscule silver mirrors that shimmer against the light. All these are the rage across the subcontinent, which explains how widely coveted are the dupattas, ghagras, and home decor fashioned in the region. Infuse your space with a bit of the essence of India - earthy colours, rangoli-esque motifs, and a disntinctly endemic art of embroidery - to return to each night.

The Birth of Andhaka, From Devi Parvati's Playfulness Upon Mandara Parvat (Superfine Painting)

On a warm and clear blue-skied day, Lord Shiva sits on the mount Mandara. He has assumed the poorna-padmasana on a tiger-skin, and is steeped in dhyana. The conscious depths He is in could be gauged from the depiction of His form - five heads, ten arms, complexion like the polar dusk, and all the chakras of the body prominently shining through. The little Ganesha, His son, is sitting on His lap. He is enjoying a laddoo - no picture of the Lord Ganesha is complete without a laddoo in the periphery - and is lovingly held in place by His father. The trusty Nandi and a tiger have been painted in the foreground, quietly sitting on the flowers and verdure of the region. There is nothing to disturb the calm of the situation, till Mother Parvati arrives on the scene. Gorgeous as She is, She is a most playful mood the morning of the painting.

She creeps up behind Her husband, who is too consumed by dhyana to notice the rustling of Her silks and the tinkling of Her shringar. She is carrying a musical instrument, which She holds with one hand and the rest of Her hands She places on each of the three eyes on each of Shiva's heads. In the midst of His dhyana, with His eyes shut out, a darkness descends upon existence. As the palms of the perplexed Parvati perspires, a blind child is born of the fluid. Whilst the universe regains its light as Parvati stops Her trick, the baby Andhaka is given away to the childless Hiranyaksha. It is Him who grows up to earn His boons from Brahma Himself and rule the lokas as Andhakasura. Against the backdrop of undulating hills, pristine temples, and roseate skies, no one seemed to have seen what was coming.

Mask of A Lion (Large-Sized Wall-Hanging)

The lion holds a place of pride in Indian culture. The most ferocious creature of the wilderness, it serves as the vahana of Devi Durga Herself. Even Narasimha, an all-important Vishnu incarnation, is half-lion and half-man. Lions are also an indispensable aspect of Buddhist symbolism - they grace stupas and pillars and entrances to places of worship across South and Southeast Asia. The wall-hanging you see on this page depicts the face of a lion in all its ferocity. Mounted on your wall, it would be sure to add to your space an aura of the raw and the rustic, the brute and the invincible, the powerful and the indomitable.

The sheer degree of skill that has gone into this work could be gauged by zooming in on the mane and the face amidst the same. Each strand of the man, the alternating black and gold streaks, and the realistic ends of each clump of hair make this a one-of-a-kind sculpture. The musculature of the face is so lifelike. The eyes convey fierce anger, and the jaws are set to make the onlooker go weak in the knees. Note the curves of the whiskers beneath the fiery nostrils of the lion. Hang up this formidable work of art to add an aura of the wild and the otherworldly in your space.

Turbaned Ganesha Silhouette Pendant

This pendant is a must-have if you are fond of Ganesha. The most widely loved and revered of the entire Hindu pantheon, His unmistakable silhouette has been captured in this perfectly smithed glimmering gold pendant. It is His adorably chubby form, coupled with His propensity to bless and grant boons, that make Him the favourite of most devotees. The son of Shiva and Parvati, there is more to Ganesha than His childlike innocence and the love for laddooes that unmistakably creeps up in His iconography (note the mound of glittering silver gems in one of His gold-smithed palms). As the son of Shiva, He is warrior of dharm and was responsible for the efficient allocation of the amrit yielded by the samudra-manthan (Bhagavata Purana).

This pendant is a simple but substantial piece of adornment. From the delicately fingered palms and the pot belly, to the signature trunk that dominates the image and the tilak on His temple, the defining curves have been fashioned from gold. The dhoti that clothe His legs brought together in the seated posture, the laddooes in the one hand that is not raised in blessing, and kingly turban that sits on His brow are a glittering silver colour. Despite the minimalistic handiwork of this pendant, it would stand out in your jewellery box as a piece of devotional jewellery that is as complete as it gets.

Tango-Red Stole from Kashmir with Aari Hand-Embroidered Flowers and Butterflies

Layering could transform the entire mood of an ensemble. Pick this stole for a practical yet beauteous piece of layering. An inimitably gorgeous red for the foundation colour makes this the perfect addition to one's trousseau or a statement addition to one's wardrobe. The aesthetics and sensousness of a Kashmiri woollen is unmistakable. A statement-making base colour, high-precision embroidery that is also endemic to the valley (ari, in this case), and an aura of the regal about the moment you put it on. From the monotone tassels along the edges to the natural colour palette employed for the embroidery, everything about this stole is irresistibly beautiful and flirtatious.

It is fashioned from the pure homegrown wools, and is a fine example of the highly coveted Kashmiri handiwork. Signs of the latter could be gleaned by zooming in on the luxuriant, richly coloured ari embroidery that dominates the foreground. Team this with your choicest Indian suit or saree, preferably a neutral-coloured one that is low on the embroidery, in order to bring out the best of this number. Such a stole would serve to keep you warm yet fashionable-looking when the galas run a tad late into the evening.

Devi Bhadrakali, The Trimurti Bowing Before Her (Tantric Devi Series)

There is much to Devi Bhadrakali that is captured in Her name. In Sanskrit, the syllable 'bha' means 'maya' or 'illusion', while 'dra' stands for 'maha' or 'that which is superlative'; which explains why some people refer to Her as Devi Mahamaya Kali. She is the wife of Veerbhadra, and the supreme deity of the Shakti sect of Hinduism as well as one of the das mahavidyas. In this skilfully done Basholi-style watercolour, the all-powerful Devi is being paid obeisance by the Hindu trimurti, Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva. Despite being sole-responsible for running the complex dharmic cycle of creation-preservation-destruction respectively, these three deities themselves bow before the fierce Bhadrakali.

The rich red of Her silk dhoti brings out Her unmistakable ashen blue complexion. Her long silver hair is complemented by the white translucent dupatta around Her head and shoulders and the streams of pristine pearls that constitute Her shringar interspersed with studded gold. From Her protruding fangs and the third eye popping out from the vibhuti on Her brow, to the fact that from Her body language She barely acknowledges the trimurt's homage, everything about Her exudes a divine degree of power possible only for a Hindu devi. What sets this apart from the other watercolours in this series is the soorya-roopi mandala within which the Devi and Her worshippers are contained.

12" Seated Krishna, Making Music That Makes His Devotees Break Into Ecstatic Dance | Brass Statue | Handmade | Made In India

Gem-studded Mahakala Pendant (Tibetan Buddhist Jewellery Made In Nepal)

Like the rest of the art produced in Nepal, Nepalese jewellery is characterised by rich colours, high-precision workmanship, and a devotional-spiritual statement. This pendant is no exception, what with its earthy colours that depict the central Mahakala image. It is an example of a wrathful deity of Nepalese Buddhism. Unlike the calm Buddha and bodhisattva figures one usually encounters, mahakala figures exude violence and are invincible when it comes to rooting out whatever adharm may lie along the devotee's path to enlightenment. One such mahakala, of great ferocity of form, has been smithed onto the foundation silver of this pendant.

The figure is four-armed and bears the all-important implements required to overpower the adharmee. Its eyes are determined, teeth bared, lending to a merciless composure of countenance. Its legs are splayed such as it is about to pounce in attack. Note the glittering shringar and the red-coloured gem-laden crown - the handiwork is superb and the finish flawless. A number of gemstones in pastel blues, greens, and golds complete the picture. They fill the gold-lined aureole of Mahakala, as well as outline the composition with their flame-like shapes. A row of matching-coloured lotus petals constitute the Mahakala's pedestal, which is an indispensable aspect of Oriental iconography.

Blue-Ribbon Brocaded Lehenga in Multicolor Thread Weaving with Embroidered Choli and Pink Dupatta

For those of us who are not used to the complex drape of the saree, the lehenga is a fine substitute. It has all the traditional opulence of, say, a Banarasi or a Baluchari silk, and has been great favourite with modern brides who want to achieve a look that is exotic and regal. The lehenga comprises of three pieces - a long loosely flowing skirt, a choli, and an ample odhni. The ensemble you see on this page is replete with all three fashioned from pure homegrown silk. It is the skirt that adds the most personality to a lehenga ensemble, and the one you see on this page would make you the subject of conversations everywhere.

The ample pleats alone would make this a statement addition to your wardrobe or even trousseau. Ample brocade-work graces its gorgeous length, filled in with a definitive variety of motifs - gold tendrils with paisleys against the dark blue of the foundation, an infusion of petals in gorgeous bridal pinks and oranges, and panels of lilies and lotuses in matching colours all the way down to the hem. The choli has similar gold motifs in matching dark blue. The signature pink dupatta complements the base colour of the lehenga. It is so long it reaches the hem of the skirt, while the translucent silk it is made from is dyed a colour no woman or bride could go wrong with.

Enthroned Bhagavti, Accompanied By Her Handmaidens (Tantric Devi Series)

Bhagavati rules the Tantric heavenly realms. Framed by wisps of pale blue clouds in the background and a patch of dense green grasses in the foreground, this watercolour is a Basholi-style depiction of the Tantric Devi whose devotees never lack in wealth. She sits in lalitasana, which is highly atypical of Indian iconography, on a high-backed throne. It is richly studded with emeralds and rubies that glitter against the sun-bathed moors of the background. She leans against gorgeously coloured cushions in the sea of pastel-coloured silks that clothe Her beauteous form. Note how the garland of pristine flowers reaches all the way down to Her feet, and puts to shame the gold and jewels of the rest of Her shringar. She holds in Her hands a conch as fair and voluptuous as She is, its divine music being carried by the same winds that lift up the locks of Her waist-length hair.

The Devi is waited upon by two handmaidens who rival each other in terms of personal beauty and devotion to Her. Dressed in elegant silken skirts and seductive translucent dupattas, one of these ladies offers a namaskaram to Bhagavati while the other waves over Her head a chauri, which is an arati implement fit for royals. Their shringar does justice to the resplendent, enthroned entity painted betwixt them. Note how this composition has similarities with Mughal imperial portraiture, which serve to convey the power implicit in Her iconography and attributes.