Prayer rugs came to India with the Muslim invaders and reflected their Islamic heritage. The design on prayer rugs is that of a mihrab, the niche placed into the wall of the Islamic mosque to indicate the direction of Mecca. Prayer rugs provided a portable ground cover that could be oriented toward Mecca at appointed times for prayer. Because the worshipers would kneel and prostrate themselves on the rug, a well-used prayer rug would show signs of friction from use. In a tapestry rug, the weft threads might become thin, revealing the warp threads, and in a pile rug, the pile would be worn down. In this way, a prayer rug could be identified from its wear patterns as well as its design.

Prayer rugs used in mosques were sometimes woven in long strips, providing a series of niches for many worshipers. The niche design was reproduced in the tile or marble floor pattern of the courtyard, as an extension of the patterns found on the prayer rugs inside the prayer hall.

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