A 'Ghodiyu' - one of the most ingenious baby products the world has made.

It is a rectangular cloth hammock hung at the four corners

from a frame or even the branch of a tree

that wraps around the baby snugly.

With a long rope-string attached to the exterior the mother rocks the hammock in which the baby is ensconced as she goes about her household chores.

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At the 7th month ceremony, the mother-to-be is given gifts by relatives

and naturally, in Gujarat and Rajasthan where textiles are synonymous with wealth,

the gift given is also a textile specially created for this occasion.

And so the mother receives several embroidered cradle cloths

for her baby - some that will be used, others that are kept away.

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This gallery offers a collection of vintage ghodiyus that are

amazing textiles - either because of their embroidery

or handspun handwoven cotton

or the beauty of their dyes.

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