Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Rabari Village of Bhujodi
The first, official day of touring was dedicated to visiting villages around Bhuj engaged
in various handicrafts. Shawl weaving. Rogan art painting. Bead/mirror work on fabrics.
Leather embroidery, pottery making, and wood carving. Whew! Many of these people, who
are masters at what they do, exhibit and sell their traditional art.
The first village of the day was Bhujodi, occupied by semi-nomadic Rabari people who live
in small hamlets. Their huts were round with mud walls and thatched roofs. These Rabari
exist by selling wool and clarified butter to city merchants. We began by entering one house,
owned by a man who collects beautiful antique fabrics owned and worn by the Rabari.
Watch the videos on YouTube.com to see different fabrics, unique Rabari men's jackets that
are still worn, hats, and even a wedding scarf. If you happen to be a textile collector, this area
of Gujarat is for you. Specialty textile tours are organized just for collectors in this special
area. Unfortunately, I had no place to put (or wear) anything for sale, and passed on exquis-
ite pieces.
While examining the antique fabrics, drumming could be heard in the village temple.
We walked over and discovered that a
puja
ritual ceremony - "Baby Naming Festival" - was
taking place. Would you believe this ceremony takes place
once a year
, and was happening
today? How lucky could two persons be!
Greeted by a horde of children more interested in us than we in them, and colorfully
dressed Rabari women; sitting on the ground dressed in traditional black, green, and all col-
ors of the rainbow. With, and without babies of all ages, they patiently sat, waiting their turn
to enter the small temple for their child's naming ceremony. Lavishly decorated veils had tie
dyed patterns, while even "basic black" had embroidered dots and other large embroidery
decorations
Two women sang a traditional song while waiting their turn, children proudly displayed
their henna-painted, Mehndi hands, while Kantilal translated. I fell in love with a gorgeous,
chubby baby waiting to be named who wore a highly decorated his mother had embroidered
for the occasion.
We stayed in Bhujodi as long as possible, watching people carrying offerings and babies
into the temple, the ceremony, trying to be unobtrusive. At
least
70 photographs later, we
said goodbye and headed back to Bhuj for lunch before going to see even more villages.
Whoever told you that travel was relaxing doesn't know what they are talking about!
