Shulba
Geometry drawn with a cord
Some of the oldest geometry in India was done on the ground.
The Shulba Sutras, the manuals of the cord, told priests how to lay out their fire altars with pegs and a length of rope: how to find east, how to make a square twice the size of another, how to turn a square into a circle of the same area, how to build a falcon out of bricks.
A hand-knotted rug is geometry made of cord as well. Every line in it is counted, knot by knot, on strings stretched across a loom.
Shulba is fifteen pieces in three chapters: the cord and the peg, brick and stone, and block and colour. Each one is knotted by hand in Jaipur.
- Origin
- Jaipur, Rajasthan
- Materials
- Hand-spun New Zealand wool with mulberry silk accents, cotton warp
- Density
- 6 to 14 knots per inch
- Lead Time
- 6 to 10 months on the loom
BaoriCord and Peg
A cord, two pegs and undyed wool. The lines laid on the ground before anything is built.
Parimandal →01
Rajju02
Parimandal03
Prachi04
Vedi05
Dviguna
Shulba, at home
Shown as a rendering. Woven to order in Jaipur.
Knotted for your room
Every piece is knotted by hand in Jaipur, in the size and colours your room needs. Tell us about the space and we will help you choose.
Lead Time · 6 to 10 months on the loom
