Jai-Namaz, or prayer rugs, are clean spread-outs for a Muslim follower to pray on. It could be either plain or colorfully printed on. For the nomad of this area, the jai namaz is above all a vital need and is perhaps his most significant personal property. On this prayer rug, he, whose unsettled life, is a constant struggle with nature and the elements, makes his devotions to his Creator five times a day.
The use of the prayer carpet is to inculcate a feeling of sanctity desired while praying. The motifs used are usually to establish a direct visual connection with strong Islamic elements over time, for instance: the mosque at Kaa'ba. Apart from this there are geometric and/or floral patterns used which are the common themes of Islamic art, portrayal of human forms being forbidden.
Whatever the motif used, apart from regional influence of art, the common underlying factor in all kinds of jai namaz is that the intention is to evoke a sense of connection with God & religion with the use of literal visual elements engrained in the collective minds as "Islamic".
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