POSHAK: THE HOLKARS CLOTHING

The Maratha rulers of Indore in India were known as the “Holkar Dynasty”. At that time people from the Mathura region migrated to the village of Hol. The peasant origin of the shepherd caste, the Hol Village, or Hal which coupled with kar, converted to be the Family Surname. The Holkar Dynasty was considered as Hindu Maratha Royal House of India, they ruled as Maratha Rajas and later as Maharajas of Indore in Central India as an independent associate of the Maratha Empire until 1818. So basically, the Dangar clan that is originated in Maharashtra later form the Holkar Clan. The source of the Holkar Dynasty was introduced with Malhar Rao who operated under the Peshwas of Marathas in1721.

The Holkar’s were great enthusiasts of art and even great collectors. They were famed for their collection of cars and jewellery. In the late 1900s after the fall of the great Mughal Empire, the Holkar’s of Indore gained great control. The Holkar’s occupied a region that was the most productive in arid central India and ended up making Indore their Capital. After an unrestrained period during their war with the Scindia’s and the British, the Holkar’s contracted the treaty of Mahidpur in 1818 in which they established the Dynasty to rule peacefully. At this time Holkar’s combined a huge collection of jewellery which was later misplaced and gone missing without a trace.

The essential trait of the Holkar’s of Indore was “Style”. Their Outfits were sober but rich in Fabric, women wore simple classic Marathi style saree. The Holkar Maharajas and Maharanis dressed in their prodigious finery which comprised Angas, Turbans, jewellery pieces and a sheathed sword. The Maharanis would generally bedeck in jewellery and Maheshwari Saree. The emphasis of this dynasty as their assets are stones and jewellery. There were so many prevalent heirloom collections that were once the dignity and pride of the Holkar dynasty, which imitates former splendour and Magnificence. The value of the entire jewellery collection of the Maharaja in the 1930s-40s was around 40 million dollars.

In the Holkar collection, the most widespread jewellery has been the bejewelled dazzling peacock turban, the Indore pearls, the Jonker and Porter Rhodes diamonds amongst many other such pieces. The legendary peacock bejewelled turban was one such delicate masterwork crafted by rubies, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and pearls that was specially made by European goldsmiths in a way of giving the impression to the crown on the turban. While dressing in the traditional insignia, the Holkar Maharaja would exhibit his exquisite and substantial collection of fine Basra Pearls.

The oldest cloth market of Indore, located at Bajajkhana chowk, was the centre of the wholesale cloth business in the region. Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar, the head of the Holkar State, donated the land obligatory to develop the market, which was named after him as Maharaja Tukojirao Cloth Market, also known as the M.T. Cloth Market. It was established in 1922, By 1932 there were 51 business establishments of the association. Today the number stands around 12,000.