Rabari Toran: Horse Drawn Wedding Carts & Trees of Life
11.5" High x 41" Long
This toran was handmade by the nomadic Rabaris peoples in the desert of  Gujarat. It is meticulously beaded with the tiniest beads of various sizes, clearly all hand made... very labor intensive. Torans are decorations placed over important doorways signifying welcome, protection & fertility. The tapering pennants or pattis represent mango leaves . They are considered auspicious & welcoming.  The set of pennants are seen as a protection  like a line of zig zag saw teeth. Women make these torans as part of their dowry goods using colorful bits of favorite cherished fabrics, some embroidered with a mutitude of designs , mirrors or beaded shaped by their hereditary community traditions.  The motifs they use, colors and images can be read like a book to tell you where she came from & things that have happened in her life.  It is a language in stitches.
Indian weddings are elaborate often with festively decorated wedding carts pulled by colorfully costumed horses.
The Tree of LIfe  connects us to the three worlds, writes Jasleen Dhamija, of the tree that both soars upward and plunges deep down while standing erect on the ground.  The Tree of Life concept is sacred to most cultures. Its significance transcends conscious reality, touching the subconscious and beyond the undefinable.
Ganesh is on the center pennant. It is a typically Indian tradition to offer praise and ask for blessings from Lord Ganesha ,the remover of obstacles, before auspicious occasions.
Hand Made in Gujarat, India