The Guardian Gate – Tera Fort
Edition 1 of 1 · Lime-plaster fresco surface, texture, and material character of this particular work are unrepeatable. Future works inspired by the same subject, if any, will be created on different surfaces and will be distinct works in their own right.
- Level of Intricacy: ✦ Moderate
- ✦ Moderate
- ✦✦ Moderate+
- ✦✦✦ Intricate
- ✦✦✦✦ Highly Intricate
Origin
Documented during field visit by Nikhil Nagda
Artwork by Bhagyashree Nagda, House of Kutch Studio, Bhuj
₹22,000.00 Inclusive of 12% GST
1 in stock
Description
Overview
Tera Fort stands in the village of Tera in Kutch, built by the Jadeja rulers as a centre of power and trade. Its entrance gate is the first thing that stops you, two large cylindrical bastions rising on either side, a pointed arch gateway between them with heavy iron-studded wooden doors, and above it all, a carved jharokha balcony that seems almost out of place on such a fortified structure. Someone decided that even a fort gate deserved beauty.
When we visited, the bastions had wild vegetation growing from their tops. The whitewash at the base was peeling back to reveal the original stone layers beneath. Electrical wires ran across the facade. The fort is still standing, still occupied in parts, but the world has clearly moved on around it.
This fresco is drawn directly from that visit. The two bastions, the gateway, the jharokha, painted in the cool grey-blue and warm ochre tones of the mineral pigments, the way the fort itself appears in the afternoon light.
Tera is also the place where some of the Kamangiri paintings that define our research were found, inside the fort's interior spaces. This gate is, in a way, the entrance to that story too.
Painted using natural mineral pigments on a handcrafted lime-plaster surface, this piece belongs to our Heritage Fresco Series, a body of work rooted in specific places documented through fieldwork across Kutch.
Material
Natural mineral pigments on handcrafted lime-plaster fresco surface, mounted within a circular teak wood frame with natural oil finish.
Dimensions
Approx. 17.78cm diameter
More Information
Care
Keep away from direct moisture and prolonged sunlight. Gently wipe with a soft dry cloth. Avoid water, chemicals, or abrasive cleaners.
Handmade Nature & Variations
Each work is individually hand-painted, and subtle variations in surface texture, tonal depth, brushwork, and natural material character are part of what makes this piece unique. What you receive will be close to what you see, and entirely its own.
Certificate of Authenticity
Each piece is accompanied by a hand-signed Certificate of Authenticity bearing the artwork title, edition number, medium, and year of creation, confirming its place as a one-of-one original on this surface.
Delivered as Heritage Should Be
To own this piece is to carry a fragment of Kutch that exists nowhere else.
- House of Kutch
Your artwork arrives nestled in a teak wood keepsake box alongside its signed certificate. Packed with care from our studio in Bhuj, Kutch.
If you have questions About this work before purchasing, write to us at orders@hokutch.com, we are happy to share more about the piece, the research behind it, or arrange for additional photographs.
Returns & Transit
As each piece is a unique original, we do not accept returns.
We strongly recommend recording an unboxing video when your order arrives. Should any transit damage occur, this footage is invaluable, it allows us to coordinate effectively with our delivery partners and resolve the matter on your behalf.
In the event of damage, please contact us within 48 hours of delivery at orders@hokutch.com with your unboxing video and supporting photographs. We will take it from there.
