Trishala Mata and the Fourteen Auspicious Dreams in Mata ni Pachedi by Dilip Chitara

This sacred textile in Mata ni Pachedi by Dilip Chitara centers on a highly revered narrative from the Jain scriptural tradition, capturing the precise moment Queen Trishala (Trishala Mata) experiences the fourteen prophetic dreams (Chaudah Swapna) that foretell the birth of the twenty-fourth Tirthankara, Lord Mahavira. The overarching context of these dreams represents a momentous cosmic announcement, indicating that the child to be born would be exceptionally strong, courageous, and filled with immense virtues. The collective visions served as a divine guarantee that he would be deeply religious, growing to become either a great king or a spiritual leader who would actively reform and restore the religious order, guide all creatures of the universe to attain salvation, and ultimately achieve liberation himself.

Mata ni Pachedi, literally meaning “behind the Mother Goddess”, is more than just a painted textile. Traditionally created by the Vaghari community of Gujarat, it serves as a portable shrine for devotees who were once denied worship of the local mother goddesses into the mainstream Hindu temples.

The focal center of the textile portrays Queen Trishala reclining in tranquil elegance on an elaborately patterned royal couch. Her form is defined by the fluid, black kalam contours typical of the art style, showing her face in sharp profile with traditional nose ornaments, heavy multi-layered necklaces, and finely patterned robes texturing her silhouette. She is attended directly by three royal women; one stands near her head gracefully waving a monumental ceremonial fan filled with intricate geometric grid patterns, while the second attendant sits respectfully near her feet, playing a string instrument and the third stands nearby, playing a flute with a peacock face to lull the mother into her prophetic slumber.

Surrounding this central bedchamber is a highly structured layout composed of fourteen circular narrative medallions, each housing an explicit, hand-drawn symbol corresponding to a specific dream. The first dream is of an Elephant, which indicated that she would give birth to a child with an exceptionally high character, where its four tusks signified that he would guide the spiritual chariot with its four components consisting of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. The second dream is of a Bull, a vision indicating that her son would be highly religious, a great spiritual teacher, and an instrumental figure in cultivating the religion. The third dream is of a Magnificent Lion, which foretold that her son would be as powerful, strong, and almighty as the beast itself, leaving him completely fearless and capable of ruling the world. The fourth dream features Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, prosperity, and power, indicating that her son would enjoy great wealth and splendor as a Tirthankar, the supreme benefactor of all. The fifth dream displays a Beautiful Garland descending from the sky, signaling that the fragrance of her son’s teachings would spread throughout the universe and earn him universal respect.

The sequence continues with the sixth dream of a Full Moon, which indicated that the child would bring peace to the world, help lessen the suffering of all living beings, and aid the spiritual progress of entire humanity at large. The seventh dream depicts the Bright Sun, signifying that her son would possess supreme knowledge and completely dispel the darkness of worldly delusions. The eighth dream presents a Large Flag flying on a golden stick, foretelling that her son would proudly carry the banner of the religion and reinstate the religious order throughout the universe. The ninth dream is of a Golden Vase filled with clear water, which indicated that her son would be a supreme religious personality, perfect in all virtues and entirely full of compassion for all living beings. The tenth dream features a Lake full of Lotuses, indicating that her son would remain entirely beyond worldly attachments while helping to liberate human beings who were tangled in the cyclical miseries of birth and death.

The final group of visions concludes with the eleventh dream of an Ocean, which indicated that her son would possess a serene, pleasant personality, achieve infinite perception and knowledge, and escape the stormy ocean of worldly birth and death to attain Moksha. The twelfth dream is of a Celestial Plane, indicating that all the angels in the heaven would deeply respect, honor, and salute her son’s spiritual teachings. The thirteenth dream showcases a Big Heap of Jewels, a vision predicting that her son would have infinite virtues and wisdom, allowing him to attain the supreme spirit. The fourteenth and final dream is of a Smokeless Fire, which indicated that her son would decisively reform and restore the religious order, completely remove blind faith and orthodox rituals, and successfully burn and destroy his own karmas to attain salvation.

By seamlessly organizing these fourteen distinct visual keys around the serene form of Queen Trishala, Dilip Chitara preserves a sophisticated theological record through the traditional designs and color palette of Mata ni Pachedi, using primary colors such as red, blue, green, yellow, white and black. demonstrating how a singular handloom cloth can function as an expansive site of sacred contemplation.

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