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Weaving at Kuthampully dates back to 500 years ago, when Devanga Chettiar community of weavers came to Kuthampully from Tamil Nadu at the request of the King of Kochi to weave the clothes for the royal family. This community settled on the land with the Bharathapuzha river to the north and the Gayathripuzha river to the west. In course of time, the weaving cluster of Kuthampully flourished by producing different products like sarees (6m long cloth) for women, mundu (2m long cloth) for men and sett mundu (two piece saree) for women.
The Kuthampully sarees, sett mundu and dhotis are instantly recognized by their distinct drapes and borders. It has a cream-colored main portion of the body decorated with usually golden zari and sometimes with coloured borders.
Another significant aspect of this weaving is that no bleaching or dyeing is involved throughout the process of making except for the dyed yarn used in the weft for the border or cross-border.
Kuthampully cluster of handloom weaving is known for their fine quality. Initially during the origin of weaving at Kuthampully, the weaving was mainly done for only the royal members of the Cochin kingdom. The women of this royal family used to dress up by wearing their hand-woven products specially: Neriyathu, Kasavu Mundu (dhoti)and Kasavu Sarees. Men used to wear a plain white fine muslin cloth Mundu (dhoti) with a golden zari border.
Today, Kuthampully cluster still makes these traditional dhotis and sarees for men and women, for which the weaving of this town was earlier famous for. However, the designs have evolved and changed but the usage of these garments still remains the same.
For Men– The Kuthampully Mundu is still famous in this area. An unstitched garment of fine muslin cloth is woven by the weavers. The mundu is usually identified by its plain body and kasavu (embroidery work done from silver wires coated with gold) border. The main portion of the dhoti is left cream off-white in colour. While, all the borders are either in plain gold zari.
For Women– Kuthampully classic off-white cream colour saree and set mundu is famous. Set Mundu is considered as the traditional garment and as the oldest remnant of saree for women of Kerala. The Sett Mundu or called as ‘Mundum Neriyathum’, is a combination of Mundu for covering the lower part of the body while Neriyathum is to wrap around the upper portion of the body. It basically acts like a dupatta over the blouse. The set mundu consists of two pieces of cloth: the Dhoti or Mundu and Neriyathum or also called Kavani. This garment is either sold alone or as a part of a set, including both dhoti and Neriyathu.
Initially, it is said that, the younger girls used to wear green hand woven blouses, while the married middle-aged mothers used to wear red blouses. Thus, the colour of the blouse would determine the age and the marital status of the women.
At present, an extensive series of cotton set saree, embroidery saree, hand-painted cotton and tissue saree, sett mundu, men’s dhoti and veshti with different colours recently adorns the product line.
The Kuthampully sarees, sett mundu and dhotis are instantly recognized by their distinct drapes and borders. It has a cream-colored main portion of the body decorated with usually golden zari and sometimes with coloured borders.
Another significant aspect of this weaving is that no bleaching or dyeing is involved throughout the process of making except for the dyed yarn used in the weft for the border or cross-border. The sarees of Kuthampully are the most visible style outside the state. These sarees are typically woven using a half-fine zari, which generally keeps down on the cost of the final product and adds to its popularity. It is a unique experience that the entire weaver community of Kuthampully works towards a specific purpose with such perseverance and diligence.
Long ago, there’s a tale about how this caste began. When Brahma crafted Manu, he assigned him the task of weaving clothes for both gods and humans. Manu diligently wove for years, eventually ascending to heaven through his righteous and virtuous life. However, after he left, gods and humans were left without weavings, resorting to wearing leafy garments.
This situation troubled them, and they prayed to Brahma for help. Brahma took them to Siva, who swiftly created a radiant being named Devalan. The brilliance of Devalan startled everyone, causing them to scatter, except Parvati, who remained by Siva’s side. Siva explained that Devalan was designed to weave clothing for gods and humans, thus covering their bodies. The descendants of these beings came to be known as Devangas. The Devāngas trace their lineage back to Devalan, asserting that they are Devanga Brāhmans.
the Baramahal Records says, the fascinating story of the Devangas’ origin unfolds. When Brahma, the creator, fashioned the living and non-living, crafting gods, demons, and humans, there arose a predicament: they lacked any covering for their bodies. This concern reached Narada, the wise being, who brought it to the attention of Parameshwara, the mighty Lord residing atop Kailasa Parvata, the mountain of paradise.
Parameshwara recognized the importance of addressing this issue and, from his very form, brought forth a male figure named Deva angam, meaning the body of God. Curious about his purpose, Deva angam inquired. Parameshwara directed him to seek Sri Maha Vishnu, the revered god, who dwelled by the sea of milk. Vishnu instructed Deva angam to weave cloth, thus aiding the inhabitants of the universe. He offered fibres from a lotus flower that blossomed from his navel and taught him the art of crafting cloth.
Deva angam wove a piece of cloth and presented it to Vishnu. After receiving it, Vishnu commanded him to travel and utilize tree fibres to clothe both gods and humans in the Vishnu loka. Deva angam formed a group of ten thousand weavers, gathering fibres from forests and skillfully fashioning them into garments.
One day, while collecting tree fibres in the earthly Bhuloka, Deva angam’s group encountered aggressive giants known as Rākshasas. Fueled by anger, he unleashed his long, coiled hair and struck it on the ground. In that instant, a powerful goddess named Chudeshwari emerged, armed with eight weapons. She defeated the Rakshasas, earning her the title of goddess of the hair. Grateful for her protection, Deva angam chose her as his guardian deity.
There is a myth associated with the Kuthampully weaving craft form. It is believed that the culture of the weaver community of Kuthampully i.e Devanga Chettiar, closely resembles Tamil culture. They are devotees of goddess Chamundeswari, whose main temple is located 13 km away from Mysore city on Chamundi Hill. In Kuthampully village, these devotees have built two temples for the goddess.
The Devanga Chettiar community believe that their craftsmanship is a direct result of Chamundeshwari’s benevolence. It is said that this community never makes use of modern equipment. The speciality of Kuthampully weaving is its fine cotton and pure gold kasavu. They believe that, if this is made with the help of modern equipment or handlooms, it will destroy their quality of craftsmanship and it might anger Goddess Chamundeshwari.
The town of Kuthampully located about 50km northeast of Thrissur district is a traditional cotton weaving village. The history of weaving at Kuthampully dates back to 500 years ago, when Devanga Chettiar community of weavers came to Kuthampully from Tamil Nadu at the request of the King of Kochi to weave the clothes for the royal family. This community settled on the land with the Bharathapuzha river to the north and the Gayathripuzha river to the west. In course of time, the weaving cluster of Kuthampully flourished by producing different products like sarees (6m long cloth) for women, mundu (2m long cloth) for men and sett mundu (two piece saree) for women.
Through the skill and crafts of Devanga Chettiar community, these weavers brought new life to the state of Kerala’s traditional wear- the sett mundu also called as ‘veshti’ and settu saree (golden zari border). In course of time, Kuthampully became one of the prominent centres for the production of handloom sarees and veshtis in Kerala state.
In 1972, Kuthampully Handloom Industrial Co-operative society was established with 102 members. The society is established with an aim that the ancient methods that were earlier followed back then still need to be continued irrespective of the changing world and current trends. This society is managed by a seven member elected body. It provides decent income to the weavers and also helps them to centralize their efforts by promoting and selling the Kuthampully products. The raw materials to make these products are supplied to the weavers by the society and wages are given based on the production. The famous Kasavu double dhoti, sett mundu, veshti are the popular products of clothing that are produced in this society. Recently, few modern weaving techniques have also been introduced to meet the current contemporary market demands.
At present there are 160 weavers working under the society. Apart from this society, there are other privately owned units in the village which constitute nearly less than 1000 weavers. In 2011 September, Kutampully sarees and sett mundu got exclusive Intellectual property Rights through Geographical Indication Act. GI tag is given by the Government of India to preserve the traditional knowledge of the region or a community which are specialized in a certain craft form. The Kuthampully products use a Government of India handloom hallmark that ensures their products are genuine and is the original handloom of Kuthampully.
Earlier during the rule of the kingdom of Cochin, where weaving of Kuthampully started and was later introduced in the market, it was woven without motifs and only with plain gold kasavu, zari borders. Traditional weaving of Kuthampully was woven as a mundu (dhoti) for men and sett mundu sarees for women. The mundu basically have a gold zari border at the end. While the sett mundu is a classic off-white cream colour stretch of cloth with gold kasavu in the pallu and the main body of the saree. These garments are generally woven from natural cotton yarn. Recently, few new experiments have been done with the patterns like weaving the same designs using coloured yarn for the weft and some popular imprints inspired from nature like peacock, elephants and flowers; imprints inspired from religious culture of Kerala- Lord Krishna motif; and also designs inspired from culture most famous one is design of Kathakali face. These types of imprints made garments are specially sold during traditional festivals like Onam.
During the 1990s, the use of ‘hal-fine zari’ at the border was quite famous. These traditional designs were made in ivory colour with golden borders. People today still make demands of these traditional designs which has now become a mark of divinity and prestige for Keralites, especially among the Hindus. At present, different types of varieties are introduced in the borders like the ‘tissue kasavu’ (woven alternately with the cotton yarn and the zari border). This type of border is considered generally stiff. The typical length of Kuthampully woven saree is 6.25m with a blouse piece. While, 5.5m in length without a blouse piece.
Kuthampully weavers known for their creation of classic off-white garment with gold kasavu border now are facing a challenge to continue this craft-form. An aging workforce, shifts in demand and power looms and low income are forcing the weavers to change their traditional occupation. Keeping the recent scenarios in mind, the pandemic, floods and the disapproval of the younger generation towards continuing their family handloom craft has caused the weaver community a severe crisis. Another issue is that the tourist who is not able to distinguish between the handwoven and power-loomed handloom gets easily manipulated. There is an increase in use of power-loom made handlooms recently in Kuthampully. Due to this, the weavers who used to make a chunk of profit during festivals by selling traditional and authentic hand-woven garments are now unable to do so. Hene, the majority of the weavers currently have a low income.
In the last 15 years, almost 150 weavers have quit weaving and have taken up different professions to earn their livelihood.
Various preparatory processes and tools are used in this type of weaving. These various pre-loom methods have been mentioned below.
Raw materials required are:
Cotton Yarns: 80s and 100s fine cotton yarn used to make Kasaragod’s saree
Zari: Currently, weavers utilize artificial zari threads in various shades including gold, silver, and copper. In contrast, in earlier times, authentic zari was employed, crafted by winding metal foil onto cotton threads.
Rice water (Kanji vellam): A liquid in which cotton yarns are wound up on the pins
Chalk Powder: Used to apply on the table for pasting the next set of fabric for printing
Sticker Gum: Used to stick the fabric firmly during the printing process
The type and quality of traditional products used is connected with the type of tools and techniques used for weaving and also with the pre-loom activities. The handloom industry of Kuthampully has the reputation as the weaving facility for manufacturing fine cotton combed yarn by 80s and 100s fine cotton yarn using a specific loom. The border of the saree and dhoti is often woven in extra weft zari designs by using either a dobby or jacquard loom. Also, the pallu of the saree is also woven with jacquard loom. For the preparation of warp thread, ‘street sizing’ technique is used. The street-sizing technique helps the warp threads to become almost round and uniform in shape so that the fabric has a very clear surface without any protruding fibres on it.
Wooden Handloom: The weavers employ both wooden frame looms and pit looms, each equipped with two paddles.
Jacquard or Dabby: To create intricate patterns and designs on fabric. This is done by controlling each individual thread using a series of punched cards or, in more modern versions, electronic controls. The Jacquard loom revolutionized the textile industry by allowing for complex and detailed patterns that were previously challenging to achieve.
Charkha: Weavers use a charkha to load the bobbin. During the weaving process, the bobbin is placed within the shuttle for the weft.
Small Bobbins: Used to wind the zari for warping
Scissors: Used to cut the extra fabric
Measuring Tape: Used to measure the length and width of the fabric
Piece of Fabric: Used to stick on the two edges on the printing table
Sand Paper: Used to rub the corners of the fly for better weaving
Safety Pins: Used to hold the printed fabric for drying
The process of making the special Kuthampully saree of either white or cream with a traditional kasavu (golden threads), involves the constant efforts and hardships of the weaver during all the steps of making it. Initially, paavu or starched cotton thread would come from spinning mills in bundles, in which each bundle is sufficient for weaving maximum six sarees. Usually, the elders in the family would separate and straighten out the threads and then they twist them into rolls that could be fed into the loom. Since these threads were about 44m long in length, the rolling and straightening was done standing on the street and it required at least seven pairs of hands. Meanwhile, the women and children of their community would help in spinning the yarn and twine the bundles of kasavu into smaller rolls using a charkha. It would usually take an entire day to complete this process.
At present, cotton yarns for making Kuthampully sarees are brought from the Salem regions of Tamil Nadu, while zari threads are brought from Surat. The cotton yarn in the roll form is then wound to a small pirns for the weft purpose and immersed in the kanji liquid for the purpose of stiffness. While rolling on the beam and knotting to the previous yarns, the fingers are first dipped into the melted wax to avoid the slipperiness of the fingers while rolling. The yarn is then extended and the beam is positioned on the loom for the process of weaving. While the threads of zari are wound up to small pirns for the design and weft purpose. The zari threads are usually kept dunked in water, to preserve its quality, shine and texture while rice water or kanji is used for the normal cotton yarns. These zari threads from the bobbins are passed through the eyelets and are then rolled on to the warping beams. It is said that, when the zari threads are passed through the eyelets these eyelets moved from one end to the other end of the warping frame, thereby winding about as said in the local language- ‘ Three Mona’, meaning (one set of the top and the bottom threads of the warp). These zari threads are then knotted to the earlier threads. They are then extended and applied with wax from one side to the other for the purpose of stiffness. After the zari threads and cotton yarns are inserted and tightened to the required length, the weaving process then starts with the controlled mechanisms of the jacquard loom for the insertion of the patterns.
It is important to note here that, although the weaving process is done on the handlooms, those sarees woven on the power looms from the Erode and Salem regions are brought to Kuthampully town for finishing work of the printing. This method is then followed by the screen printing where the films of the designs are sent from Tirupur and the screens are set here. As per the need, these screens are cleaned properly with the wet cloth and then the colour paste made is spread evenly to imprint the design on the fabric which is placed firmly to table with the chalk powder and the sticker gum. According to the weavers, in most of the cases the fabric observed is rough and hence, these fabrics are sent through the calendering process in order to obtain a smooth finish. It is then folded, pressed and packed now ready to be sold.
To sum up, these are steps, the weavers of Kuthampully follow for weaving:
1. The cotton yarn is brought from Salem while zari threads are brought from the Surat regions of India.
2. These cotton yarns are wound to pins with the help of Charkha equipment and are then immersed in the Kanji liquid for stiffness.
3. Cotton yarns are then spread on the beam, knotted with earlier cotton yarns and are then fixed on the loom.
4. Zari threads are then wound to pirns with help of Charkha equipment for the weft process.
5. Zari bobbins are then fed to the zari warping beam which has the eyelets moving from one end to the other end by the process of winding in the required length.
6. These zari threads are then knotted firmly to the earlier threads by applying the wax throughout the length for the better grip.
7. Right after the zari threads and cotton yarns are positioned on the loom, the weaving process then starts with the controlled mechanism of the jacquard for the insertion of the patterns.
8. As per the requirements, the woven fabric is then taken up for the embroidery and printing work.
9. This fabric is evenly spread on the table with the help of sticker gum and chalk powder.
10. According to the desired color and prints, the printing paste is made and it is spread through the screens to the saree pieces.
11. This fabric is then passed through a series of rollers for a smooth finishing touch which is usually referred here at Kuthampully, as ‘calendering process’.
12. The fabric is folded properly and is now ready to be sold.
List of craftsmen.
Team Gaatha
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