Nakshi Kantha, the famous embroidered quilt of Bangladesh, is one of the
oldest and certainly, one of the most beautiful of traditional arts produced by
women. Using old saris, lungis and other articles of clothing, housewives
joined several layers of cloth, usually having white on top. But now for business
ake fresh saris, lungis and other articals of clothing are used. They used long
running stitches to keep the layers together, having spread out their work in the
sun baked courtyard.

Most traditional Kanthas are laid out with a central lotus representing the world,
unity strength, life, and in each corner, a tree of life. Village Kanthas abound in
fertility symbols: trees, flowers, animals, fish. Women stitched things which they
hoped would grace their own lives and those of their families: jewelry, winnowing
fan, farm equipment, household tools and livestock. Myths are great favorites.

From time immemorial has the Bangladeshi women tradition of recycling worn-out
saris by converting them into usable and durable quilts, bags, book covers, mirror
cases and others. Both the Hindu and Muslim women claim the best acumen of
making Kantha textiles.

These  Nakshikantha are made during their leisure times particularly during the
rainy season or before the bitter winter invades the villages of the Ganges delta.

The motifs of the Nakshikanta depict often Hindu festivals, folk festivals, marriage
ceremonies, lotus, Lord Buddha's footprint, different fishes, snakes, boats, Tom-Tom,
flowers, elephants, umbrellas, Rathajatra (Procession of Chariots), Swastika( symbolizing
the early Indus valley civilization), trees, wheels as universal order, etc, etc. The Muslim
women especially concentrate on the geometrical motifs. Still in the remote villages of
Bangladesh the expectant mothers own their last trimester of the pregnancy by making Nakshikantha for the new-born baby believing that wrapping the newborn baby by
Nakshikantha heralds fortune to the family and protects the baby from inflicting disease.
Like Russian wooden dolls Matriushka, one can never find two similar Nakshikanthas in
this planet. Sri Chaitanya(1485-1533), the Hindu Krishna-cult prophet and reformist draped
him often with Nakshikantha .

Kantha is like a personal diary, a letter one writes to a particular person, and is not meant to
be read by all. In East Bengal the kantha was a personal expression, an art-craft that was made spontaneously, even whimsically. It was never commissioned by rulers, nor ordered by the
landed gentry. It was a craft that was practiced by women of all rural classes, the rich landlord's
wife making her own elaborate embroidered quilt in her leisure time, and the tenant farmer's wife making her own thrifty, coverlet, equal in beauty and skill.