Hanging (Kanduri)

Kanduri

This tomb cover was being used as a canopy over a stall when Mr. and Mrs. William G. Archer came upon it at a village fair in the vicinity of Bahraich in the early 1930s. Timeless as it may be artistically—the cheerfully animated design recalls Alexander Calder's Circus, Matisse's cutouts, and Greek geometric painted pottery—one can be specific about its purpose and historical background. According to legend, Salar Mascud, a nephew of Mahmud of Ghazni, was slain in battle in 1033 or 1034. By 1325, a cult had evolved around his tomb. Despite the august recognition of Muhammad Tughluq and Firoz Shah in the late fourteenth century, the cult tended to be regarded very critically by orthodox Muslims.

It is said that the tomb is located on the site of an old temple to Surya, the sun god, and that the saint was slain on the night of his marriage to Zahra Bibi of Rudauli, whose tomb is nearby. In his name, spears were taken out and paraded, and it is claimed that he converted the Mewatis near Delhi, who continue to honor his memory with their spear ceremonies. When the saint's anniversary is celebrated, offerings of flags are made in honor of his flagstaff, one of the shrine's relics. During the celebration, the flag is also known as a kanduri, or tablecloth, because of the offerings of food and incense made to it. After the initial offering has been ceremonially buried, the rest is distributed on the new cloths brought by the devotees. People suffering from leg trouble make pilgrimages to Salar Mascud, and when they are healed they make little horses of wheat flour boiled in syrup called khule ghore (frisky horses)—like those embroidered here—which are blessed with the Fatiha and then distributed.

Ordinarily, kanduris are deeply stained by food and singed by incense. The Archer piece is a particularly large, splendid, and well-preserved example.

[Welch 1985]

Michael Archerand Margaret Lecomber, London (since early 1930s); W. G. and Mildred Archer, London (until 1986; sold to MMA)

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "INDIA !," September 14–September 14, 1985, no. 56.

Jayakar, Pupul, and John Irwin. Textiles and Ornaments of India : a Selection of Designs, edited by Monroe Wheeler. New York: Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1956. p. 28, ill. (detail in color).

Unknown India: Ritual Art in Tribe and Village. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1968. no. 195, p. 74, ill. pl. XL.

Welch, Stuart Cary. India: Art and Culture 1300–1900. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1985. no. 56, pp. 102–4, ill. (color).