Temple Tents for Goddesses in Gujarat, India

Temple Tents for Goddesses in Gujarat, India is a monograph on printed and painted canopies and awnings used by some underprivileged groups in Gujarat to erect temporary sacred spaces to perform ceremonies invoking goddesses. The book is based on an exhibition catalogue (in German) the author produced in collaboration with Jyotindra Jain and Haku Shah in 1982 for an exhibition at the Museum Rietberg in Zurich. The first part introduces 52 matano chandarvo textiles that belong to the textile collection of the Museum Rietberg. Production, iconography, function and distribution of these fascinating textiles are discussed in parts 2–7 (plus appendix), supported by photographs which were taken by the author in the late 1960s to 1982.

Eberhard Fischer

Eberhard Fischer is an art historian and cultural anthropologist. Till recently he was the Director of the Museum Rietberg Zurich. Dinanath Pathy is a practising contemporary painter, art historian and creative writer. He has significantly researched into the pictorial art traditions of Orissa, its traditional and contemporary nuances, has published extensively, designed and curated international exhibitions.

Haku Shah

Jyotindra Jain

Haku Shah was the first to explore the printing of temple tent hangings in Ahmedabad in 1962 and owns a well-known collection of such textiles. He has received several awards including Padma Shri in 1989.