A few kilometres from Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Orissa, is a village where all houses and shops along the roads have one thing in common: beautiful appliqué work, in the making or on display, all giving out a loud burst of colour. This famous appliqué work comes from Pipli village, which was established by the [...]
A precious piece of heirloom, passed down through generations and preserved to be brought out only for the most important occasions, the Patolu, or Patola is one of the most prized and valued textiles. (As described in the earlier post on “Patola” ) It is revered not just for its religious significance across many [...]
It is not just kaleidoscopic embroideries that Gujarat is so famous for; it is also the home of wonderful weaves that combine impressive skill and generations of expertise, with the result of pure aesthetic joy. Reaffirming that appearances are deceptive, the spectacular Mashru has the appearance of glistening silk that conceals the soothing feel of [...]
Long time ago, there was a king of Sindh, who like any other king, was fond of royal luxuries and used to sleep on a new bedspread everyday. One day, when his servant was about to change the bed sheet, the king stopped him, saying “Aaj Rakh” (keep it today); he had liked it so [...]
Large fields, small hills, going uphill in the summer and coming downhill in the winter, amidst the beautiful mountains… this is the life of the Bhotias of Uttarakhand.
The beautiful hills of Uttarakhand are the abode of the craft of weaving wool, initiated by the women of the villages. A craft, that has found its [...]
For generations, women residing in the villages of Punjab, India have woven the khes as a part of the trousseau that they take to their future home. With bold, harmonic and imaginative colour patterns, it is requisite as a coverlet while sleeping.
Khes is a floor spread and bed covering that is traditionally made of [...]
Patola is an exquisite and wonderfully intricate silk textile of India, believed to have originated in the 7th Century AD. Patola silk textiles are produced by resist dyeing of warp and weft threads before weaving, a complex process known as double ikat which is also practiced in other parts of India and abroad. However, Patola [...]
