Ikat, the Sacred ThreadArticle
Andhra's Own Muslin: Patnulu Khadi of PonduruImage Gallery
Indian Textiles
Displaying 1 - 10 of 12
Textiles weaving in India has been traditionally linked to rituals, both in process as well as in use. Here we explore put the spotlight on the sacred element in ikat textiles, traditionally considered a ‘magical’ cloth across communities in India and abroad. (In pic: Pidan, a sacred banner, from…
in Article
Women spinners use the traditional single spindle Gandhi charkha to make very fine khadi yarn up to 100s count. Harvesting locally grown native cotton and using handheld indigenous tools, the process of preparing the cotton for spinning—from ginning, carding to spinning—is entirely done in the…
in Interview
Patnulu (pronounced pātnūlu), the handspun khadi of Ponduru is one of the best surviving examples of the glorious heritage of fine-count cotton hand spinning and weaving in India. In and around the Ponduru town of Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, rural women are still engaged in spinning fine…
in Overview
Patnulu is khadi made from fine-count cotton spun on a single spindle charkha by the rural women of Ponduru and the neighbouring villages in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh.
Mostly of the Pattusali caste, the spinners of patnulu khadi make the entire fabric from scratch, starting from raw…
in Module
Vrindavan Vastra is a 400-year-old traditional textile from Assam, woven with the theme of Krishna’s various exploits. Prof. B.N. Goswamy traces the travels a particular piece from Assam to Tibet to London; from a Vaishnava setting to a Buddhist monastery; from being a hanging filled with ‘monsters…
in Article
Two books on the life and times of Burma in the early 20th century talk about Burmese silk having been 'introduced from Assam and China at an early date along the Irrawaddy Valley'. Prof. B.N. Goswamy talks about how 'hundreds of these Muneepoorian captives were put to weaving' in Burma in the…
in Article
A search for new clothes for Lord Jagannath during navakalevara—a ceremony of periodic renewal (every 12 years) of the wooden images in Puri’s Jagannath temple—unravels the business in sacred textiles. Prof. B.N. Goswamy writes about what goes into such a search and its trial. (Photo courtesy:…
in Article
Chamba rumals—which were used chiefly as decorative coverlets for platters filled with gifts in the hilly regions—started disappearing because of changing tastes and the availability of cheaper substitutes. Here, Prof. B.N. Goswamy writes about these Pahadi treasures, and the initiative to revive…
in Article