A low wooden seat with a backrest used in Gujarat, the pitha (Gujarati, ‘back’) is a historical form of vernacular furniture from northwestern India. It accommodates a single person and is known to have been used by shop merchants, noblemen, and religious teachers. 

Design

The pitha is a variation of the paatlo — a simple low wooden seat — and is also known as pithavalo paatlo (paatlo with a back). Though broader than the paatlo, it is similarly between 5 and 8 centimetres tall. It stands on two parallel bars, or four small feet with wide bottoms as in a bajot — a small, low table used for dining or ritual purposes. In some pitha the backrest can be folded down; here it is held open by means of a pair of metal cabin hooks that latch onto the seat on the sides. The backrest often takes decorative shapes, is embellished with intricate carving, or both. Some pitha also have armrests. An upholstered pitha with four feet and armrests used by the nawab Afzaluddin Khan (r. 1821–42) of the princely state of Surat is now part of the collection of the Sardar Patel Museum in Surat.

Digital drawing showing the various elevations and views of pitha
Pitha; Nadiad, Kheda, Gujarat, India; Digital drawing. Courtesy DICRC & SADACC, and Vernacular Furniture of North-West India
18th century illustrated folio from a Shripala Rasa showing a monk seated on a low-seat called pitha while preaching a sermon to Sursundari and Mayasundari (daughters of King Shripala and Queen Mayana)
A monk seated on a pitha, preaches a sermon to Sursundari and Mayasundari (daughters of King Shripala and Queen Mayana), folio from a Shripala Rasa (detail); Gujarat, India; 18th century. Courtesy Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Museum, Ahmedabad
Photograph of a 18th century cushioned low-seat called pitha belonging to the Nawab Afzaluddin Khan with the Nawab's portrait kept on it at the Surat Museum
Pitha of Nawab Afzaluddin Khan; Surat Museum, Gujarat, India; 18th century. Courtesy DICRC & SADACC, and Vernacular Furniture of North-West India
Photograph of a wooden low-seat with backrest called pitha
Pitha at Vishalla; Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Courtesy DICRC & SADACC, and Vernacular Furniture of North-West India

Use

Pitha are known to have been used by religious teachers in the region. In Jain manuscript illustrations teachers and monks are often depicted seated on pitha. They have also historically been used by merchants in their shops, along with a desk known as dhaliyu; cushions on the seat and back served to make them comfortable for prolonged use. They are occasionally used in these contexts even today. 

This article is adapted from the outcomes of Vernacular Furniture of North-West India — a collaborative research and documentation project by the Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University, India, and The South Asian Decorative Art and Crafts Collection Trust (SADACC), UK — shared with the Encyclopedia of Art through an Impart partnership. Explore more from this series in our Collection Objects Alive: Vernacular Furniture of North-West India.