Everything That Makes The Damchiya A Forever Treasure

What can a piece of furniture hold? In the case of a damchiya, seemingly everything. A wooden chest to store jewellery, dinnerware, silver urns, silk and much more, it also carried within it hope, love, and blessings bestowed upon a new bride by her parents.

The damchiya, as it is known in parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan, vasai pitara in Maharashtra, sandook in North India, and in some places as simple as peti, has traditionally been used to store a bride’s trousseau.

 The simpler ones could be made of wood without any embellishments and housed vessels and clothes but the more expensive ones were made of mahogany, ebony, and teakwood.

Traditionally, motifs that represented nature, mythology, or religion were carved into the wood in the khambadi style of the Gujarat damchiyas.

These would usually be inlaid with metals like brass and copper. A representation of the blessings of the bride’s maternal home, it was an integral part of the possessions that a bride took along with her marriage.

Mumbai resident octogenarian Pramoda Shah remembers seeing the damchiya, or pitara, as it was known among the Gujarati communities in her native town Prabhas Patan. 

Shah’s school holidays were spent in the family home in the quaint hamlet, on the world map for being the site of the Somnath temple and its jyotirlinga. “We would visit in the month of Vaisakha, which was peak wedding season for the local communities,” she recalls.

 “The pitara was an important feature in these weddings. They would be filled with items for the bride, which the parents may have collected for years. There would be a small pitara which would contain the jewellery. It would be placed inside the big one.”

She remembers being fascinated by the stunning inlay work in brass and copper on the wooden boxes. “The pitara was a must for every bride, including those from humble backgrounds,” she adds. “And it was a matter of pride for the parents to show the guests all the things they had put inside it for their daughter.” The size of the chest has made it too impractical for city homes.

However, its historical significance and regal appearance continue to draw affluent families to include it as part of the gifts that accompany the bride to her new household. Rajkumar Jain, Director of Anemos Lifestyle Pvt Ltd, an antique restoration specialist from Mumbai, has sourced a few damchiyas for his clients over the years.

“They feature as part of the display at weddings, and later, they become a part of the home décor, often in holiday homes that are spacious enough to do justice to them,” he says. Elaborating on the material used to fabricate the damchiya, he says.

“The bark of the camphor tree is a popular choice of material. Its strong antibacterial quality makes the chest ideal storage, especially for silk saris which are not worn often.”

Everything from utensils to household items, jewellery, and clothes were fit into it. Jain recalls some with small boxes with mirrors, which would likely have contained the new bride’s make-up. “Some would have a tray on top to keep jewellery and the clothes below, and the elaborate ones would have a chor khaanu, a secret compartment,” says Jain.  The more affluent the family, the more intricate the patterns with customised designs.

“We have one in our Kachchh home, which my wife uses for bed linen.” The damchiya may no longer be a part of the bride’s trousseau, making way for practicality.

Its value as a cultural symbol makes its significance immeasurable. In its tangibility and heft, the very reasons for its disuse lies in its ability to outlast even the objects contained within — with it, offering an eternal sense of home and belonging.

With inputs from Himali Kothari

This has been adapted for the web from an article published in Manifest’s December 2024-January 2025 issue that is now on stands. For more stories like this, subscribe here!