A Carpet of 1.5 Million Basra Pearls: Maharaja Khanderao Gaekwad of Baroda’s Offering for the Tomb of Prophet Muhammad

Often, Maharajas and Princes of the Princely States were known for their passion for indulgences that only a few royals could afford. The Maharaja of Baroda, Khanderao II Gaekwad (1828–1870), was renowned for his eccentricities. According to historian and writer Manu S. Pillai, “When he met the French photographer Louis Rousselet in 1864, he got the man to dress up in his robes and the Baroda state jewels, just to amuse himself, even getting his staff to shout ‘Salam Gaekwar Maharaj’ at the bewildered European.” He reportedly owned 60,000 pigeons and even organised a marriage ceremony for two of them.But the Maharaja was also a discerning connoisseur and a devoted admirer of opulent jewellery. Though a Hindu by faith, he was fascinated by Islam

and its teachings. In 1865, he commissioned the creation of the legendary Pearl Carpet of Baroda. The carpet was intended to be used as a shroud for the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina, Saudi Arabia.The carpet took nearly five years to complete and was crafted entirely by hand by artisans who had once served the Mughal courts. Their work bore strong Safavid influences, a result of the longstanding ties between Persian and Mughal rulers.

According to the MAP Academy, the carpet is “estimated to contain over 1.5 million Basra pearls altogether weighing about 30,000 carats, and cut diamonds weighing close to 400 carats.” Measuring approximately 2.64 metres in length and 1.74 metres in width, it was constructed on a base of deer skin and silk, and embroidered with beads and precious stones forming intricate arabesque patterns and motifs.The decorative vocabulary of the carpet reflects a strong Mughal and Islamic aesthetic, with complex vine and floral patterns, large central roundels and richly detailed borders. As MAP Academy further notes, “The central field features three large roundels in a row, each consisting of an innermost circle of seven bright, round floral motifs made of diamonds set in gold and silver, surrounded by a rim of pink and gold petals, and an outermost ring of blue and white pointed petals.”The carpet’s edges are paved with inlaid gold, diamonds and precious stonesThe high quality Basra pearls, sourced from the southern Arabian Gulf, were mostly between one and three millimetres in diameter, with some reaching four millimetres. Beyond its visual splendour, the carpet stood as a testament to the skill of its makers and the depth of the Gulf trade networks. Basra pearls were frequently favoured by Indian royal families for their jewellery, prized for their lustre and rarity. Maharaja Khanderao died before the carpet could be completed, and it passed to his successors. It was originally part of a five-piece suite, of which only the Pearl Canopy survives today. It is believed that the carpet left India when the Maharaja of Baroda, Pratap Singh Rao Gaekwad, and his wife Sita Devi departed the country, after which she later sold it to address financial difficulties.The Pearl Carpet of Baroda was eventually auctioned by Sotheby’s, where it sold for $5.5 million. Today, it is housed at the National Museum of Qatar (NMOQ). According to Narae Kim, Head of Conservation at NMOQ, "the Baroda carpet has undergone alterations and conservation treatments throughout its life, which adds interesting layers to its story. There have been two conservation treatments carried out since the carpet was acquired by Qatar Museums in 2009 – first in 2010 for temporary exhibition at the Museum of Islamic Art and again in 2016 in preparation for permanent display at NMoQ"