The Sikh Empire or Sarkar-i-Khalsa (1799-1849), a state in the Indian Subcontinent under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a secular and cosmopolitan empire centred in the Punjab region (including parts of present-day Pakistan and northwest India). The empire extended into four provinces including Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Kashmir. Under the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, artisans and craftsmen, irrespective of their religious background, were commissioned to produce works of art. The art of the Kashmir shawl too reached its zenith under the patronage of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The emperor’s keen interest in art and architecture inspired the aesthetics of these embroidered cloths. The outlined domes of the gurdwaras or Sikh temples, Sikh martial arts, among other aspects of regional culture came to inspire the embroidered Kashmir shawls. This is an elaborate embroidered Kashmir shawl that illustrates the diversity that was Punjab located at the crossroads of West and South Asia. Incorporating lively scenes, mixing Indian costumes and mores with Persian mythology, this shawl is in the tradition of elaborately embroidered ones that were produced during the era of the Sikh Empire. At the centre are intricately embroidered scenes placed within Kashmiri shaped frames. Male and female subjects are seen pursuing a variety of activities, sometimes seated inside chhatris (elevated dome-shaped pavilions), and at other times hunting amongst birds, dogs, simurghs, dragons and parrots. The broad border is also finely embroidered with elephants, deer, hunting scenes, mythological creatures and centaurs shooting arrows.
