Handloom weaving is Assam's largest and oldest industry. Weaving
has been a way of life in Assam since time immemorial. Tradition has it that
the skill to weave was the primary qualification of a young girl for her
eligibility for marriage. A soldier was sent off for battle with a dress
material made overnight. And one that was considered as important as his
weapon. This perhaps explains why Assam has largest concentration of handlooms
and weavers in the country. Handloom of Assam is not confined to a particular
group of people or to a particular region. Assam was one of the first places
where the practice of rearing silkworms and using heir thread came into vogue.
The practice is one that has survived the downfall of the Assam Raj and the
alterations in the economic conditions of the people that is entailed, and inspite
of the attraction of imported silk and cotton Muga silk 'Mekhala Chador' is
still the national dress of Assamese and forms the common costume of the woven
of the Assam valley. Weaving has been in Assam an age old affair descending
down from generation to generation through the pathway of centuries old
history. Assamese literature and scriptures bear ample testimony to this.
Types of silk:
Tussar / Eri / Muga: These silks are of coarser variety
because they are produced by insects which feed on leaves and trees other than
mulberry. These are produced in WB, Orissa, MP, Bihar, Assam, and Maharashtra. Motifs woven into fabric are local legends and patterns like houses,
palanquins, birds, flowers, domestic scenes which are depicted on the pallavs
as well as the main body. Mekhala silk is worn in Assam. These Sarees are small
motifs woven into fabrics.
Uses of Silk:
Silk can be used to make tapestry, carpets, embroideries,
furnishings and costumes. There is no time in the history of ancient India when silk was not honored as the symbol of the best, the rich, the royal, and the
holy. Silk can be put to varied uses as its strength and fineness can withstand
a lot of pressure. Right from using silk threads for intricate embroidery
designs to putting stitches on human body, making bicycle tyre-tubes to strings
for musical instruments, silk threads have been used for all.
Zari:
Silk fabrics were given an enhanced aesthetic value with the
use of gold thread to weave the 'zari' or border. Gold threads are new to
Indian culture. Vedic scriptures composed some three thousand years ago mention
gold fabrics worn by gods and goddesses. In the epic, Ramayana, there is a
description of the demon king, Ravana, wearing golden fabrics. Though, we have
no idea how gold threads were made in those times, in the recent times however,
gold threads are fine, and flat strips which are interwoven with silk or cotton
threads. Long silk unsown cloth with a gold embroidered 'Pallav', i.e. a Saree,
has become an internationally acclaimed Hindu feminine dress. While, the entire
length of the Saree has a thin border, which may be sewn or woven into the
fabric, the 'Pallav' is one end of the Saree which has a wide border. The types
of decorations in the border vary from region to region.
One of the distinctive types of Saree decorations is the 'chinai
work' where the knot stitch is used. Gujarati weavers use the tie-dyeing and
ikkat techniques. One of the most intricate of these methods is the Gujarati
double silk ikkat which is used for patola which are characterized by a bold
grid pattern with intricate geometrical and figurative motifs. Elephants, which
are considered to be symbols of wealth by Gujarati's, are supposed to be
auspicious for weddings and are thus frequently used for the borders while
weaving patola Saree's.
Bengali Silk Sarees:
They depict the sun, moon and stars in their patterns.
Phases of the moon, radiant rim of the sun are some of the common patterns;
Chanderi Sarees use silk warp and cotton weft. They are bright but subtle and
have rich gold borders. Colored flowers, and green parrots are some of the
patterns used in these Sarees. Silk Sarees from Murshidabad in Bengal use natural tussah with broad red borders. Baluchari Sarees, developed some two
hundred years ago, use palette of dark red, yellow, green, purple, chocolate,
cream, white and blue. Their borders are patterned with compartments containing
repeating pictorial themes, which range from figures smoking or merely
conversing, and holding flower sprigs. Some times trains, aeroplanes and steam-boats,
are also depicted.
About the Author
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