Late 19th century

Sections of a Prayer Gauntlet (Gaumukhi)

Hindu devotees use prayer gauntlets during certain rituals of worship. The fronts and backs of this gauntlet have been sewn together to create a rectangular form; however, each side originally would have been composed of two horizontal sections and one vertical section, forming an "L" shape. A gauntlet is worn over the right arm, so that two sections cover the arm while a third drops down beside the hand. As the worshiper says a prayer, his right hand drops prayer beads into the hanging bag. The images embroidered on this one—a cow and cowherd, floral vases, the sun, and the moon—are typical gauntlet decorations.