The Sacred Goat in Mata ni Pachedi by Vasant Manubhai Chitara

This beautiful Mata ni Pachedi by Vasant Manubhai Chitara centers on a monumental depiction of a black goat, the sacred vahana (vehicle) of Meldi Maa, a powerful manifestation of the divine feminine worshipped prominently in Gujarat.

Mata ni Pachedi, literally translating to Behind the Goddess, is a textile painting that is hand-block-printed and hand-painted by the Vaghri community of Gujarat. A traditional Mata ni Pachedi textile usually depicts a goddess in the centre, inside a pillared temple shrine. This textile is then used as decoration on the temple walls and/or as a backdrop to the shrine.

According to legend, the demon Amruva tormented people until Goddess Uma appeared to protect them. Amruva hid inside the skin of a dead cow, an impure place Uma could not touch. In anger, she rubbed her hands, and the dirt that fell transformed into a young girl, Meldi Mata (born from divine dust). Meldi Mata killed the demon and pleased Uma. Uma then sent Meldi Mata to Goddess Chamunda, who tested her by sending her to Kamarupa, a realm of dark forces. There, Meldi Mata transformed an army of evil into a black goat, which became her Vahana, symbolizing her power over darkness.

At the center of this composition is a majestic, stylized depiction of this black goat, rendered with a combination of raw power and delicate ornamentation. The goat's body is painted a deep, flat black, which serves as a stark canvas for the exquisite cream and ochre line work detailing its harness and armor. It features a massive, almond-shaped eye filled with fine concentric circles, giving it an omniscient, divine gaze. A magnificent, multi-layered decorative collar adorns the neck, featuring alternating patterns of stripes, geometric triangles and fine stippling. Its main and a sharp, upright horn are filled with dense, rhythmic hatching lines, adding texture to its powerful silhouette.

This artwork utilizes a dramatic, high-contrast color scheme dominated by deep madder red, obsidian black and white, the three colors traditional used in Mata ni Pachedi, all derived from natural mineral and vegetable dyes. The central piece is silhouetted against a red background layered with intricate, fiery block-printed textures. The top and left margins feature elaborate, narrative-driven borders that act as a celestial gallery of the Goddess's various forms, true to the temple-cloth tradition.

Set against a dark blue background, the horizontal band features a radiant, central Surya (Sun God) mandala with a human face. It is flanked by a procession of multi-armed goddesses, celestial musicians, standard-bearers and sacrificial animals like cows and goats, moving toward the center in a state of celebration.

The vertical band transitions into a more vibrant blue base, beautifully illustrating a column of distinct avatars of the Mother Goddess, like Bahchara Mata,Amba Mata, etc. Each form is depicted seated on her respective vahana (vehicle), including lions, elephants and birds, surrounded by dancing devotees, hunters and flowering creepers. The border also illustrates images of other Gods like Ganesha and mythological scenes from the Ramayana, depicting Lord Hanuman getting the Sanjeevani herb for an injured Lakshmana, Ravana kidnapping Sita, Lakshmana chasing the golden deer in the forest, etc.

The entire composition is tightly bound by a crisp, black outer frame and a the red backgrond, safely enclosing the sacred, bustling cosmos of Meldi Mata within a formal boundary.

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