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Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c11.s3: Costume: Period II, 1300—1560 A.D.

Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c11.s3

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Costume: Period II, 1300—1560 A.D.

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Gujarāt, though it had felt the might of the rising power of Islam as early as 1009 A.D., and had also suffered from the invasions of Mahumūd of Ghazna in 1024, was finally conquered by Alāuddin in 1296. During the 14th century, the province of Gujarāt formed a part of the Sultanate of Delhi. In 1396, however, Zafar Khān, the governor of Gujarāt, revolted and formed the kingdom of Gujarāt which was finally annexed to the Mughal empire by Akbar in 1573 A.D.

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Ahmad Shāh founded Ahmadābād, the new capital of Gujarāt, in 1412 A.D. The building of this new city laid the foundation of the beautiful and interesting Islamic architecture of Gujarāt, which drew inspiration from the indigenous forms it tried to replace.

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In the period under review, Gujarāt had passed from the hands of the Hindu rulers to, Muslims, with the consequence that the early culture phase with predominantly Indian elements was closed, and a new culture phase started, in which Islam was destined to play an important part. This should not mean that there was any revolution in the indigenous culture of Gujarāt, as the traditions of the ancient culture were too deep-rooted to be displaced within a short time. Nevertheless, there was a definite change, and that change is reflected in a marked degree in the costume of the people. The shorts and jackets are discarded, and the *dhotis* and scarves are of much finer material and reflect the luxury of the age. Duarte Barbosa, who visited Gujarāt between 1500 and 1516 A.D., describes the costume and ornaments of the people. His accuracy is vouchsafed by Western Indian miniatures of the 14th and 15th centuries. I quote his description below:

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They wear the hair very long like the women in Spain, and they wear it gathered at the top of the head, and made into a band which is much adorned, and upon this a cap to fasten it; and they always wear many flowers stuck into their hair, and sweet smelling things. They also anoint themselves with white sandal mixed with saffron and other scents; they are much given to fall in love. They go bare, only covering themselves from the waist downward with very rich silk stuffs; they wear embroidered shoes of very good leather, well worked and some short silk skirts and other short ones of cotton, with which they cover their bodies. They do not carry arms, only small knives garnished with gold and silver, for two reasons—one because they are persons who make little use of arms, the other because the Moors forbid it to them. They use many earrings of gold and jewellery in the ears, and many rings, and belts of gold and jewellery upon the cloth with which they gird themselves. The women of these Gentiles have very pretty delicate faces and well made bodies, a little dark. Their dress is silk stuff like their husbands as far as the feet, and the jackets with narrow sleeves of silk stuff, open at the shoulders, and other silk clothes with which they cover themselves in the manner of *Morisco almalafas*; their heads bare, the hair gathered up upon the head; they wear thick ankle rings of gold and silver on the legs, and rings on their toes, and large coral beads on their arms, with beads of gold filigree, and gold and silver bracelets; and round thin necks necklaces of gold and jewellery fitting

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closely; they have large holes pierced in their ears, and in them rings of gold and silver large enough for an egg to pass through them.”⁶⁵

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⁶⁵ Duarte Barbosa, *The Coast of East Africa and Malabar*, p. 52.

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From the above description it is clear that the Gujarātīs of the 15th century wore *dhotīs* and *chādars* and small caps on their bun-like coiffure. The women wore *sārīs* and scarves. Now if we go into the details of the Gujarātī costume, as preserved in the illustrated manuscripts of the *Kalpasūtra* and the *Kālakāchārya Kathā*, dating from 1370 to 1426 A.D., we are convinced of the truthfulness of the observations of Barbosa. In the manuscript of the *Kalpasūtra*, dated 1370, in the scene depicting the birth of Mahāvīra⁶⁶, the dress of Triśalā is typical of a highly placed woman in the 14th century Gujarāt. She wears an indigo coloured *dhotī* worked with the geese pattern, a graceful scarf covering her coiffure and a part wrapped round the waist, and half sleeved green bodice (Fig. 251). In another 14th century *Kalpasūtra* manuscript from Idar⁶⁷, the typical costume of menfolk is heavily ornamented *dhotī* and scarf (Fig. 252). These typical costumes are followed without variation in all the subsequent miniatures.

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⁶⁶ *Jaina-chitra Kalpadruma*, Fig. 80.

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⁶⁷ Ib., Fig. 91.

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In the *Vasanta Vilāsa* the men wear *dhotīs* reaching upto the knees with a short scarf thrown across the shoulders, leaving the upper half of the body uncovered. The *pāijāmah* appears to have been totally unknown, as also the turban. The headgear is usually a peaked cap or *mukuṭa*.⁶⁸

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⁶⁸ Mehta, *Studies in Indian Painting*, p. 19.

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While the male costume followed more or less the ancient modes as depicted in the paintings of Ajaṇṭā, the female costume underwent radical changes. The *sārī* typical of modern Gujarāt was unknown. The women in the paintings of the *Vasanta Vilāsa* wear a long, gaily coloured scarf coming down from the shoulders and hanging loose below the knees. The lower part of their bodies are invariably covered with a *dhotī*, much in the same way as is done in the present days in Bengal and the United Provinces. The skirt seems to have been unknown. The women also wore a bodice (*cholī*) covering the bust almost down to the waist, a little above the navel (Fig. 253). Women of lower classes went about bareheaded, and the *mukuṭa* seems to have been a monopoly of the female aristocracy.⁶⁹

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⁶⁹ Ib., pp. 20, 21.

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Some very interesting details of the costumes of the female dancers are preserved in the decorative figures on the borders of the two early 15th century illustrated manuscripts of the *Kalpasūtra*. In one type, the dancer wears closely fitting shorts, *paṭkā*, half-sleeved closely fitting *cholī* reaching a little above the navel, scarf (*dupaṭṭā*) covering the shoulders, and a scarf tied round the hair (Fig. 254).⁷⁰ In the second type, the shorts are replaced by the *sārī* (Fig. 255).⁷¹ In the third type (Fig. 256)⁷², she wears what appears to be close-fitting trousers, the *cholī*, and a transparent *jāmah*. In the fourth type (Fig 257)⁷³, she wears a full sleeved *cholī* and a straight edged skirt.

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⁷⁰ *Jaina-chitra Kalpadruma*, Figs., 114-15.

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⁷¹ Ib., Figs., 116-125.

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⁷² Ib., Fig. 126.

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⁷³ *Jaina-chitra Kalpadruma*, Figs. 127—130, 132, 134-35, 137—140.

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Fig. 201

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Fig. 202

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We have already observed that Gujarāt in the beginning of the 14th century came under the Muslim rule. We know from the accounts of the contemporary travellers and historians the costumes of the Muslim kings, courtiers and soldiers, but it is only in Western Indian paintings that we find them visualised. We find that the costume was Turkish with strong Mongol influence. Al Qalqshandī, in his *Subh ul A'sha*⁷⁴, devotes a few chapters to India, one of which deals with the costume of the people. "The dress of the soldiers including Sultāns, Khāns, Maliks and the other officers," observes al Qalqshandī, "are given on the authority of Sheikh Mubarak ul Anbati as, 'Tartaric gowns (*Tatariyat*), *Jakalwat* and Islamic *qabas* of Khwarizm buckled in the middle of the body and short turbans which do not exceed five or six forearms (*dīra*). Their dress is of Bayd and Jūkh '."⁷⁵

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⁷⁴ *An Arab account of India in the fourteenth century*, tr. by Otto Spies, *The Muslim University Journal*, June, 1935.

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⁷⁵ *Ib.*, p. 69.

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"It is related on the authority of Ash-Sharif Nasīr-al-Dīn Muhammad Al-Husaynī al-Adamī that their usual dress is gold embroidered Tartaric gowns : some of them wear gold embroidered sleeves and the others put the embroidery between their shoulders like the Mughals. Their headdress is four cornered in shape, ornamented with jewels and mostly with diamonds and rubies. They plait their hair in hanging locks as it used to be done in the beginning of the Turkish rule in Egypt and Syria except that they put silk tassels in the locks. They bind gold and silver belts tightly round their waists, and wear shoes and spurs and do not girt the swords round their waists except when on journey."⁷⁶

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⁷⁶ *Ib.*, pp. 69—70.

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"The dress of the Vazīrs and Kātibs is like that of the soldiers except that they have no belts. But sometimes they let down a piece of cloth in front of them as Sufis do."⁷⁷

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⁷⁷ *Ib.*, p. 70.

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"The judges and the learned men (*ulamā*) wear ample gowns (*farajiyat*) that resembles Janādiyat⁷⁸ and Arabic garments (*durra*)."⁷⁹

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⁷⁸ Striped material manufactured at Janad in Yaman and hence a gown made of that stuff.

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⁷⁹ A garment opening in front and buttoned is an Arab cloth like the *Jabā* originally from Persia.

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"It is related on the authority of Qāḍī Sirāj-al-Dīn al-Hindī that none among them wears cotton clothes imported from Russia and Alexandria except he whom Sultān clothes with it. Their dress is made of fine cotton which resembles the Baghdādī one in beauty."

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From the above description of the costume of the ruling classes, it is evident that they wore sewn garments which were quite different to the articles of costume worn by the Indians. The exact shapes of these garments are, fortunately, preserved in the illustrated manuscripts of the *Kālakāchārya Kathā*, where, under the guise of the ancient Saka chiefs and their followers, the contemporary costume of the members of the ruling race are preserved. In a miniature from the *Kālakāchārya Kathā*, dated 1458 A.D., ⁸⁰ the Turkish costume is shown to consist of a full long sleeved Tartaric gown, half sleeved *qaba*, full boots and a pointed cap ⁸¹ (Fig. 258). This dress bears a remarkable resemblance to the 15th century costume of the Mughals from Herāt. There is, however, one difference that, while turban was worn by the Mughals of Herāt, the Indian Turks preferred pointed caps.

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⁸⁰ Norman Brown, *The Story of Kālaka*, Figs. 1, 22, 24, 30, 33, 37.

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⁸¹ Ib., Fig. 22.

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We have seen in the accounts of Nāsir-al-Dīn that the Turks in India wore their hair in hanging locks decorated with silken tassels. This characteristic mode of hair dressing is illustrated in the *Kālakāchārya Kathā*.⁸²

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⁸² Ib., Figs. 28, 33.

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The following variations in the Muslim costume may be noted. The king wears sometimes a cape attached to the *qaba*⁸³ (Figs. 259—61). On the battlefield, however, the *qaba* is replaced by a *jāmah* flying on the right and reaching a little above the ankles. There is also a *kamarband* with its ends fluttering in the air (Fig. 262).⁸⁴

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⁸³ Ib., Figs. 21, 24, 28.

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⁸⁴ Ib., Fig. 29.

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The cap worn by a king or a soldier is not of a fixed type. Sometimes it is pointed with a boss at the tip ⁸⁵ (Fig. 259). It is also conical with broad upturned brim ⁸⁶ (Fig. 258), triangular ⁸⁷ (Fig. 260), or four pointed ⁸⁸ (Fig. 261). At one place, it is dome-shaped⁸⁹ with seams visible in the middle.

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⁸⁵ Ib., Fig. 21.

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⁸⁶ Ib., Fig. 22.

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⁸⁷ Ib., Fig. 24.

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⁸⁸ Ib., Fig. 28.

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⁸⁹ Ib., Fig. 29.

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While talking of caps, it is interesting to note that some of the types described above are found on the Kushāna heads from Mathurā as early as the 1st century A.D. The cap, however, was not adopted by the Indians, who continued to wear the turban or scarf as a head-gear for a very long time. In the 10th century the cap, under its modern Hindi designation *topi*, seems to have been known. Thus Pushpadanta describes a variegated cap which covered both the ears ⁹⁰ (*siritopīdiṇṇau vaṇṇavaṇṇa, sā jhampavi saṃthiyaḍoṇakaṇṇa*). Such a cap seems to have been worn by Indra in the battle scene between Bharata and Bāhubali (Fig. 199). It is, however, certain that this cap was not very popular. Barbosa also says that in the 15th century the Gujarātīs wore caps to keep their hair in place, but this is apparently intended for the *mukuṭa* which both men and women of the upper classes seem to have worn.

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⁹⁰ *Jasaḥarachariu*, I, 6, 4, ed. by P. L. Vaidya, Poona, 1931.

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