Participating groups and individuals start preparation well in advance, as the costumes are designed and specially tailored for the occasion. They are typically custom-made for the individual wearing them.
Koli women assemble in front of Sri Hingla Devi temple in Versova village. Hingla Devi (also known as Hingula) is venerated as a Kuladevata among the Koli community. A Kuladevata is the family deity or patron deity of a particular clan or family.
Participants in the parade wear specially tailored garments, makeup, jewellery, and accessories. The parades are open and inclusive, where people of all ages, genders, religions, and walks of life participate.
Koli women dressed for a parade held on the previous night of Krishna Janmashtami. This is a lively and colourful event that showcases the creative spirit of the Koli community.
Traditional outfits showcase the Koli community's cultural heritage. Women wear the colourful Lugra saree, while men wear dhotis and kurtas, with turbans and angvastra (shoulder cloth).
Image Courtesy: https://www.metmuseum.org/
Date: ca. 1800
According to the MET museum website, this banner was likely used in an annual festival commemorating Krishna’s marriage to his first wife, Rukmini, that is still celebrated today in parts of the Himalayan foothills. As the work was shown only periodically, the colors remain vivid. The brilliant hues were produced from vegetable dyes: red derived from cochineal and lac insects, blue and green from indigo plants, and orange from safflower. In contrast, the silk threads, which were bleached white or etched with mordant to enable black coloring to bond to the fibers, have disintegrated, making it possible to see the underdrawing. Painted in henna with details created in carbon black, the preparatory sketch served as the guide for the final embroidery. This technique is similar to that used to make preliminary sketches for paintings, which are also produced in red and black.
Image Courtesy: https://www.metmuseum.org/
Date: ca. 1800
According to the MET museum website, this banner was likely used in an annual festival commemorating Krishna’s marriage to his first wife, Rukmini, that is still celebrated today in parts of the Himalayan foothills. As the work was shown only periodically, the colors remain vivid. The brilliant hues were produced from vegetable dyes: red derived from cochineal and lac insects, blue and green from indigo plants, and orange from safflower. In contrast, the silk threads, which were bleached white or etched with mordant to enable black coloring to bond to the fibers, have disintegrated, making it possible to see the underdrawing. Painted in henna with details created in carbon black, the preparatory sketch served as the guide for the final embroidery. This technique is similar to that used to make preliminary sketches for paintings, which are also produced in red and black.
Image Courtesy: https://www.metmuseum.org/
Date: ca. 1800
According to the MET museum website, this banner was likely used in an annual festival commemorating Krishna’s marriage to his first wife, Rukmini, that is still celebrated today in parts of the Himalayan foothills. As the work was shown only periodically, the colors remain vivid. The brilliant hues were produced from vegetable dyes: red derived from cochineal and lac insects, blue and green from indigo plants, and orange from safflower. In contrast, the silk threads, which were bleached white or etched with mordant to enable black coloring to bond to the fibers, have disintegrated, making it possible to see the underdrawing. Painted in henna with details created in carbon black, the preparatory sketch served as the guide for the final embroidery. This technique is similar to that used to make preliminary sketches for paintings, which are also produced in red and black.
Image Courtesy: https://www.metmuseum.org/
Date: ca. 1800
According to the MET museum website, this banner was likely used in an annual festival commemorating Krishna’s marriage to his first wife, Rukmini, that is still celebrated today in parts of the Himalayan foothills. As the work was shown only periodically, the colors remain vivid. The brilliant hues were produced from vegetable dyes: red derived from cochineal and lac insects, blue and green from indigo plants, and orange from safflower. In contrast, the silk threads, which were bleached white or etched with mordant to enable black coloring to bond to the fibers, have disintegrated, making it possible to see the underdrawing. Painted in henna with details created in carbon black, the preparatory sketch served as the guide for the final embroidery. This technique is similar to that used to make preliminary sketches for paintings, which are also produced in red and black.