If Ganesha could speak..

...he will perhaps tell the story of Umreth. In regions throughout India, it's considered auspicious to have a Ganesha at the entrance of your house. Here in Umreth, he is carved right on the door frame. These are some of the doors where I found very intricately carved Ganesha along with beautiful, perhaps Arabic inspired design.

Fading art

Umreth is one of those places that has a rich cultural history. It used to be very famous for a particular type of wall paintings. By which I mean, paintings ON the outside walls.

The paintings are colorful. I don't know the type of colors they used, but my guess is some earth-based colors. The use of what is called Khadi seems prominent in these. The doors and windows surroundings are adorned with the characters I know nothing about.

The subject of these paintings seems to be rooted in mythology or perhaps popular kings. Why were they painted ? What is their significance ? The questions I don't know the answers to. I was told that artists in Umreth specialized in this type of wall art, and were renowned in the state of Gujarat for it.

Sadly, this special art form no longer seems to be practiced, or valued for that matter. The colors are fading, the details unrecognizable, and the walls themselves coming apart. Perhaps there are still some of those renowned artists left somewhere to pass it on to the next generation.

Walking the past

The streets in Umreth are narrow, barely wide enough for one car to pass. And yes, there are cows roaming about these streets. Just walking here makes the past come alive. This is the area both my grandparents grew up in. In those years, I am sure it must have been much livelier.

The doors and windows are handcrafted and are absolutely beautiful, as evident from this ancient door.

In a typical house, there is a patio outside the door, which is about two ft up from the ground level. The second floor has a balcony from the room, and on top a flat roof. A flat rooftop is an essential part of Gujarati lifestyle. It's used for things like drying mangoes to flying kites. Also getting to the second floor or the rooftop through those wooden stairs is nothing short of an acrobatic exercise. Keeps you agile, you know.