INTRODUCTION
It is often said that an object, commodity, precious, or semi-precious thing conveys a story of a region and delves into the socio-cultural historical aspects. The storytelling behind these traditions reveals the continuation of oral history, a tradition that passes from generation to generation, ultimately leading to the creation of social history. The above statement becomes clear if we examine the cultural history of Bengal, not present-day Bengal, but the Bengal province of Colonial India. So, it’s about the history, legacy, and contemporary importance of Kantha embroidery that saw its rise from Bengal. In a general sense, Kantha is nothing but a textile made up of household clothes, and when these household clothes are combined and stitched, it is called Kantha stitch. When embroidery is done through needlework is called Naqshi Kantha. The stitching is often done with the help of silk fabric.
HISTORICAL ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION
The historical documentation of the evolution or origin of Kantha making is quite debatable, but few historical scholars show its rise to popularity in 16th-century Bengal when the Portuguese heavily dominated Indian maritime trade. It is stated that rural Bengal saw the rise of Kantha stitch when the Portuguese set the monopoly of trade over the Satgaon region near the Hooghly River. The people of Bengal used to make these kinds of textiles for the Portuguese market. As these were made in the Satgaon region, that’s why they were referred to as Satgaon Embroideries. There is another interpretation of history that the Kantha stitch was born in ancient India during the pre-Vedic age, around 1500 BCE. The term “Kantha” originated from the Sanskrit word Kontha, which means rags. The first mention of Kantha stitch is found in the book Chaitanya Charitamrita, written by a Bengali poet, Krishnadasa Kaviraja, where the mother of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, an eminent Bengali bhakti marg saint, gave his son a stitched homemade Kantha.
TECHNIQUES, MATERIALS, AND MOTIFS
The Kantha stitch textiles had a huge amount of variety, such as rectangular, square, geometric, rounded, hexagonal, and many more. But the important feature of these varied shapes and sizes is that they all share a basic composition that is a story behind the design and embroidery. The most popular shape is central rounded, around which the designs and embroidery are done. The designs, such as blossom lotus, rings in a pattern, or locking hexagons. The most potent among the designs was the blossoming lotus, which not only depicts purity but also shows the entire universe that radiates creation. Another important design in the Kantha embroidery was the motif of a flowering tree, also referred to as ‘the tree of life.’ This design was traced on the corners of the Kantha textiles. The main idea that this tree depicts is Krishna playing the flute under the Kadamba tree. This is how mythological history is being made out to public audiences through textiles. While decorating the Kanthas, the first step is to divide the textile into different fields, and in the middle, generally, a blooming lotus is depicted, and the flowering trees are on the corners. Other motifs were depicted, such as fish and banana trees, captivating birds such as owls or sometimes a pair of birds, peacocks, and many more. These Kanthas were made up from the cloths that were being used, or they became fragile, old cotton saris, lungis, and dhotis. They were combined and stitched together in various shapes and sizes by the household women. It was a hobby among the women that turned out to be an important commodity of trade and commerce during 20th-century India.
KANTHA STITCH IN SANTINIKETAN
Santiniketan is the embodiment of culture, heritage, and the abode of peace in the actual sense. Though Santiniketan saw its blooming of culture and tradition from the time of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore that is continuing till now, the witness of this cultural legacy is Visva Bharati. This abode of peace was discovered by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore, the father of Rabindranath Tagore. One of the most important tourist attractions in Santiniketan is Sonajhuri Haat. It is a place where both culture and tradition intermix with each other and also a place where one can delve into the essence of handicrafts and boutiques. While researching this Kantha stitchcraft in Santiniketan, I did a survey and connected with one of the artisanal families, the Dey family of Ballavpur near Amar Kutir, who have been involved in the art of Kantha stitch for the past 30 to 35 years in Santiniketan at Sonajhuri Haat. It is argued that one of the most popular Kantha stitches is the Khesh design, where the old cotton sarees are cut into thin strips and then they are woven into the new textiles, mainly in the Tanth textile in the form of vertical or horizontal designs. This kind of Kantha stitching is very popular in Santiniketan, Birbhum district, West Bengal. There is also a prevalence of Gujarati stitch, Lambani stitch, Cross stitch, Cheli stitch, and Raan stitch. This is how the culture of Santiniketan represents the diversity of Indian culture as well as promoting local handicrafts and their upliftment.
CONCLUSION
Last but not least, the legacy of Kantha Stitch can be seen in present-day Bengal, Bangladesh, and Orissa, but the design, the motifs, and the volume differ from region to region, showing the accumulation of distinctive culture and the representation of diversity across the Indian subcontinent.
REFERENCES
A short interview of an artisanal family of Birbhum district named Dey family and their commercial enterprise named Ankita Handicrafts https://ankitahandicrafts.in/
“History of Santiniketan – Discovering the Cultural Legacy.” Santiniketan, https://www.santiniketan.com/culture/history-of-santiniketan/. Accessed 31 May 2025.
“Kantha – history & meaning | House of Wandering Silk.” Wandering Silk, https://www.wanderingsilk.org/kantha-history-and-meaning. Accessed 30 May 2025.
Mason, Darielle, editor. Kantha: The Embroidered Quilts of Bengal from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection and the Stella Kramrisch Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2009. Accessed 30 May 2025.
“Sonajhuri Haat.” Santiniketan, https://www.santiniketan.in/sonajhuri-haat/. Accessed 31 May 2025.
“The stories hidden in the ancient Indian craft of kantha.” BBC, 20 October 2022, https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20221020-the-stories-hidden-in-the-ancient-indian-craft-of-kantha. Accessed 30 May 2025.