Windows (Dec.8, 2001)

Reviving a dying tradition S.P. Sharma EFFORTS are being made by non-government organisations to give a new lease of life to the dying tradition of embroidering Chamba rumaals, following the failure of the state government to do so. The Chamba rumaal depicting the Godhuli theme in Calico Museum, Ahmedabad The Art and Culture Department of Himachal Pradesh had done almost nothing for the revival of the over 300-year-old tradition because of non-availability of funds. The department was pinning hopes on the NGOs for this purpose. The Delhi Crafts Council, in order to give a push to the art has organised a series of exhibitions of the Chamba rumaal in various parts of the country, including Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad. About two dozen Chamba rumaals recreated from the originals in various museums in the country and abroad were displayed in these exhibitions.

 

Images of Hindu gods and goddesses and motifs of flowers, birds and animals are generally embroidered on these jumbo-sized rumaals. This famous craft started during the reign of Raja Umed Singh (1748-68). The craftpersons were not only inspired by the miniature paintings done by Pahari artists, but also by paintings on the walls of the Rang Mahal in Chamba. The rumaal dated the oldest belongs to the 16th century. It is said to have been embroidered by Bebe Nanki, the sister of Guru Nanak. Another important rumaal depicting the battle of Kurukshetra was presented by Raja Gopal Singh of Chamba to the British in 1883 and is now preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Handspun or handwoven fabric was originally used for embroidering the rumaals. The quality of the rumaals deteriorated in the modern times as the art got commercialised and people started using fine cloth and inferior threads. Earlier, unbleached mulmul or fine khadi from Punjab was used for embroidering the rumaals which varied in size from one and and a half foot to four feet. It is believed that the embroidery art form of Chamba rumaal originated in the princely hill states of Chamba, Kangra and Basohli (in Jammu). The craft came to be associated specially with Chamba because of the patronage given by the rulers of the area and the quality of craftsmanship. Chamba rumaals are like paintings translated into embroidery. Raja Bhuri Singh was a great patron of this art and he took many rumaals to Delhi and displayed them in the durbars of 1907 and 1911. After Independence, some efforts were made to revive the art. However, the revival did not continue for long.