LANTANA CRAFT

We sincerely thank MR. P. P. PRAMOD (IFS), Deputy Director for his kind guidance, valuable suggestions and encouragement rendered to us throughout the study.
It is our pleasure and privilege to express our gratitude and sincere thanks to all the members of Vasanthasena, Thekkady.






INSPIRATION

The deep feeling in our hearts to express a token of gratitude to the Mother Nature, landed us up at the most granted tropical heaven THEKKADY. Our love for trees made us stick to this place .This is how we came across a product made out of a weed plant called ‘Lantana-Camara’, an economic and eco-friendly substitute for plastic materials, which is a big threat to the existence of our planet. This inspired us to select this craft as our project topic.



INTRODUCTION

Despite years of natural history studies on Periyar’s Western-Ghats-Habitat has still not been compressively documented. In these dark thick forests the weed called “Lantana Camara” grows in large numbers in a wide area. This weed slowly destroys the forest reserves. Because this plant absorbs large quantity of water and releases heat in excessive amounts to the atmosphere, thus becoming a threat to all other plants and trees nearby.



The method of biological control has been introduced to remove this weed in Australia. There, 30 insects have been introduced in an attempt to control the spread of Lantanas. But, this has caused problems of its own. In this situation Mr. Abdul Basheer, Eco-tourism Officer, Periyar-Tiger-Reserve, Thekkady, along with other authorities, tried a new method of converting this harmful weed into useful products as a measure to protect Periyar Wildlife Reserve. The project is implemented in sites like:
• Bandipur Tiger Reserve (866 km sq)
• Malai Mahadeshwara Hills (420 km sq)
• Periyar Tiger Reserve (777 km sq)
• Palani Hills (320 km sq)








HISTORY OF THE CRAFT

The Western Ghats also known as the Sahyadri Mountains is a mountain range along the western side of India. The range starts near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, and runs approximately 1600 km through the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil-Nadu and Kerala ending at Kanyakumari, at the southern tip of India.
Harboring more than 25 per cent of the country’s plant species and rich in wildlife, the Western Ghats is one of three biodiversity hotspots in India. Indiscriminate industrial extraction has severely depleted the natural stock of Western Ghats. It also imperils the livelihoods of marginal communities who are dependent on these natural resources for their subsistence.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to reduce this depletion and to find an alternative raw material in order to enhance livelihoods.
One such raw material is the invasive alien species of weed, “Lantana Camara” which encroached into the native ecosystems of India as an ornamental plant in the 19th century. Not withstanding the apparent richness, these plants threaten the conservation of the unique and incredible biodiversity.
The Periyar Tiger Reserve is a pristine forest area in the Western Ghats which harbors 62 species of mammals, 320 species of birds, 45 species of reptiles and 27 species of amphibians Lantana invasion is found everywhere in the sanctuary but the density of Lantana growth is much less in the evergreen forest areas. Nevertheless, a scientific study has been proposed to assess the lantana invasion in the core and buffer zone of the sanctuary.
The most widespread invasive species -Lantana Camara- has unsettled innumerable native plants from their habitats in the process of encroachment. The presence of Lantana threatens local biological diversity. Several forest fringe communities in South India, as well as in the foothills of Himalayas, have found that lantana could be used in the place of bamboo for weaving baskets and fabricating furniture.
ATREE- “Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment”, following the adage that if one cannot destroy something, it is better to use it, developed an ingenious use of this weed. The use of the weed provides dual benefits of improving the livelihoods of the community and conserving the native biological diversity of farms and forest.



It is a conservational program which includes research activities by the effect of human use in forest, including the harvest of non-timber forest products and to suggest approaches that are sustainable. Other important research includes exploring options that could result in the increase in economic result in the sale of forest products. It is this ATREE foundation that provides training to Vasanthesena. In India, Karnataka is the first state to start Lantana craft.
In order to augment sales and create genuine value of the products, ATREE has conducted market surveys in urban and rural areas. Twenty one products have been designed based on the need of rural and urban markets. ATREE is concentrating on quality improvement through implementing production standards, In addition artisans are obtaining inputs from various designers and cane furniture manufacturers.
Training is a learning process where people acquire, skill, concept, attitude as knowledge to add in the achievements of the goals. Training is provided to make workers more efficient to obtain the goals & thus result in the success of the craft. Training evolves active participation by the workers.
Keeping with the adage that teaching a man to fish will ensure that he doesn’t starve, ATREE is establishing three kinds of self reliance groups called “Vasanthasena”. The self reliance groups consist of ten fuel wood collectors, who will collect lantana sticks from the forest. The production group will consist of 25 artisans who will make the products and the third group; the marketing unit will consist of ten members who will oversee the marketing of Lantana products in both rural and urban areas.


In order to providing a platform for Lantana artisans across the country to share their experiences, ATREE organized a Lantana confluence. Artisans met and agreed to establish a network amongst themselves to better co-ordinate the efforts to improve quality and popularize Lantana products in the country. The use of Lantana is not only improving the livelihood of the forest fringe communities, but also conserving the native eco-system.










RAW MATERIALS

Lantana, scientifically known as Lantana Camara is the raw material for this craft. Common name for Lantana Camara is “Ham ‘n’ Eggs” due to the adjacent pink and yellow inflorescences. The Malayalam name of this plant is “Kongini chedi”



Scientific classification:

Kingdom -Planatae
Un-ranked -Angiosperms
Un-ranked -Endicots
Un-ranked -Asterids
Order -Lamiale
Family -Verbenaceae
Genus -Lantana
Type species -Lantana Camara

Lantana is a native of tropical America, naturalized through out India. Lantana which is considered as one of the ten worst weeds in the world was introduced to India as an ornamental plant by British in 1807. There are around 650 varieties in over 60 countries or island groups. Lantana species are widely cultivated for their flowers in topical and subtropical environment and in temperate climates. Lantana’s berries are edible when ripe
Lantana is the most common species in cultivation. It has spread in many forest regions all over the world, often as a result of clearing of forest for timber and agriculture. It impacts severely on agriculture as well as on natural eco systems by absorbing large quantities of water and releasing heat to the surrounding.
Lantanas are generally hardy and some what toxic. So usually herbivores reject these plants. Still, they may be sometimes infested by pests. The stems of larger Lantanas are thin, very tough and durable and thus useful for various handicraft such as wicker work. The plant is an invasive weed and displaced much of the bamboo from the forest. Thus, these plants are being removed, to protect the forest.









LIFESTYLE OF THE PEOPLE

Lantana craft has enabled tribal artisans to earn a livelihood from a widely available weed. Prior to this activity the forest dependent considered this weed as a menace of little or no use. Further, the forest departments in allot a huge budget for the weed removal. Nevertheless, these efforts of removal have been futile. Now the Forest department is strongly encouraging the tribal communities to collect Lantana from the forest.
Removal has an impact on native species restoration although a scientific study is necessary to establish the significance of this impact. There is great opportunity for the scientific community to assess the impact of removal on native species regeneration and recruitment. The impact of the Lantana craft has been three-fold.
One, it has enabled tribal artisans, especially women, to earn a livelihood from a widely available weed. Two, income levels have been increased. Further, the number of work days has increased by 50 to 60% (days in which they earn an income). Finally, use of a problematic invasive has had positive impact on restoration of biodiversity.
ATREE has chosen a village from each site based on their socio-economic condition and forest dependency. All these villages are close to the forest and the people are dependent on the forest products. The Soliga’s (a tribal community) monthly income was from bamboo basket weaving, an average of about Rs.900 to Rs.1500.
After the forest department’s ban on bamboo extraction these artisans were restricted from accessing the resource and were left to manage household expenses with the meager income from seasonal agriculture. Now Lantana craft has provided an alternative livelihood for these artisan groups.
























AVAILABILITY

Lantana is basically a weed plant and is available throughout the year. Lantana plants growing in the forests are collected by the Vasanthasena members.
During rainy season, the work is not done because collecting of Lantana stems from the forest is troublesome, due to leeches and bad weather.
From a single plant at least 10 to 15 stems are collected. Not all stems of Lantana plant are useful; the ones which are most flexible are collected to make the artifacts.
























TOOLS AND EQUIPMENTS

• The strings - from the bamboo plant are used to bind up the sticks while constructing artifacts, since Lantana does not have strings.
STRINGS


• Nails - to join the sticks together 16-30 nails are used in each product. The number of nails varies according to the product.
NAILS

• Sickles - used to cut the sticks and to remove the bark of lantana stems.
SICKLE






• Hammers - to hit the nails.
HAMMER


• Boilers (Barrels) - to boil the sticks, for the easy removal of its barks.
BOILER


• Varnish and brushes - for finishing work.

VARNISH AND BRUSH



PROCESSING

The stems of Lantana are collected from the forest by the Vasanthasena members. They select thick, strong, straight and flexible stems. After removing the leaves, the stems are tied up in bundles and are brought to the workshop.



In the work-shop they are dumped into a boiler and boiled for an hour for the easy removal of their bark and for making the stems more flexible. It is very difficult to remove the bark from fresh, green stems. Also, if the stems are not boiled well, they will be raw and rigid, and will easily break off while the stems are bent and unbent during the manufacture of the artifacts.


After an hour the boiled stems are taken out. When they become cool, the barks are slowly removed from them and are bent into circular bails. The stems are tied in circles to add on their flexibility. The flexibility of stems is very important in the manufacturing of the product, because the rigid stems may break at the bent portions. The circular bails of stems are kept out in the sun and are allowed to dry.



ATREE, the institution in Karnataka, which trained the Vasanthesena members, have given these workers certain metal-frames, which helps in making the large artifacts like cots, wardrobes, sofas etc which require precise measurements. These frames serve the same purpose that the moulds serve in the making of artifacts in wax.
The Lantana stems, which have been boiled, and dried are un-bailed and cut into required lengths. The cut stems are placed over respective metal-frames and are loosely joined using strings. Then this loosely tied up figurine is taken from the frame and is joined tightly using nails.
Tools like cutter, axo-blade, nails, harmer, etc are used for this craft. The stems are cut using cutter and axo blade. Only the stems of the matured plants are usually collected.



The finished products are varnished and when the varnish is dried, they are carried over to the store-rooms.




PRICE

The responsibility of price-fixing lies in the hands of responsible government officers like Eco-Development Officer, who leads the craft. For fixing the price, market rates of competitors (bamboo products) are verified.
e.g. -price of a couple of bamboo chairs-Rs.1000/-. Pricing strategy is not only related to the profit margin, but also helps in finding target customers.
Market rates of some of the lantana- products are as shown below:

Couple chairs - Price: Rs.600/-
Bookshelf - Price: Rs.1200/-
Study table - Price: Rs.750/-
Pen stands - Price: Rs.75/-
Letter box - Price: Rs.150/-
Corner shelf - Price: Rs.600/-
Corner stands - Price: Rs.200/-
Coffee table - Price: Rs.400/-
Cot - Price: Rs.1750/-
Three-seater-sofa, Chair, Coffee table - Price: Rs.3500/-



















MARKETING

Marketing is one of the important functional areas in success of any craft. In modern days, the quality of production, perfection of work, production, training, and research may be the door to success but marketing is the key which turns the lock. The ultimate objective of any craft is to earn maximum profit by selling goods and services to customers.
The goods or commodities, manufactured or colleted by the tribes are sold through, The Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED). The Kumily Grama Panchayath and the Forest Department has jointly arranged the facility to the Vasanthasena members to do the lantana craft, in an auditorium called Vanasree. The Lantana craft is done here and the finished products are stocked in the store-rooms attached to the auditorium.
TRIFED officer collects the orders for the product from different organizations and individuals. Orders are placed through direct contact, or over telephone, internet, etc. The hotels and schools in Kumily are the major customers.
The federation would extend the values and expand the consumption levels of commodities that are traded and consumed in higher volumes. It requires encouraging, processing and converting them into a form in which it can be consumed directly. At the same time it requires promotion and brand building to increase consumption level.
The sale is also done by conducting exhibitions. TRIFED will arrange the venue and the Vasanthasena members along with the officers will conduct the exhibitions.
Initially federation will promote this brand on its own products and subsequently the brand equity shall be franchised. The federation is in the process of finalizing its retail sales strategy.
Even a quality product will not move well in the market unless it is given a good lounge. The main objective of marketing is to increase the sales volume to develop the markets and to increase the number of customers. Marketing is the very heart of the craft and customers are its assets.
Attention should be paid to storage, transportation, advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, publicity etc to achieve the objective. It should maintain relationship with the existing customers by offering after-sales-services.
In order to gain popularity and acceptance among the public, attempts are made to furnish all government offices with Lantana products, starting from pen holders to chairs and tables.




FUTURE OF THE CRAFT

The whole craft suffers lack of proper organization and lack of authority to lead them in well organized manner. This craft is not under the ownership of any particular person or government. Due to this factor the craft is still craving o get handsome income. Low remuneration even destroys the exiting dedication of workers to this craft and attracting new generation to Lantana craft. This makes the workers self-centered and not ready to work for up-lifting the craft. A mutual beneficial policy must be adopted.

Limitation:
The lantana craft could be same or be higher than the bamboo craft in quality. Since the raw materials are free of cost from the forest and the cost is limited only to workmanship. This makes the product very economical. Besides of all these merits craft is still unknown to public in large. Even though the craft is of bright future its publicity is limited to Vasanthasena members and people around the locality.

Consequences:
Rapid removal of natural forest without replacement of structurally similar native vegetation may be partially replaced with weeds like Lantana. Consequently amount of available natural habitat for wild animals may also decrease, though in some areas weeds like Lantana may provide shelter and vital winter-food for many native birds.



There are a number of endangered bird species, moths and butterflies which use Lantana as their habitat, when their native habitat is unavailable. The plant can grow in clumps or as dense thickets, crowding out other desirable species. In a disturbed native-forest, it can become a dominant-specie over other species, disrupting their succession and hence decreasing the bio-diversity.






SUGGESTIONS
The Lantana craft is getting endangered each day. Motivation and enthusiasm are the basic qualities for any craft to progress. The drowning future of this craft could be uplifted only if an immediate measure is undertaken by the government or by the forest department. The ownership of the craft should be completely undertaken by the government or privatized to the individuals, otherwise proper and responsible authorities should be appointed to taken care of the craft solely.
They should work to retrieve the endangered craft and for up-lifting the lifestyle of the workers. In case the craft is privatized, legal permission to collect raw materials from the forest should be provided.

Some of the problems faced by this craft are as follows:

• The difficulty for collecting raw-materials from the thick forest.
• Proper management is a paramount importance for the success of any organization. It is the wealth of an organization which can help it in achieving the goals. Any craft can succeed only when a number of persons join hands together. Presently it is the forest department that takes the initiative in bringing together the human & material resources together to carry out the craft.
• Fashion is as old as yesterday &as new as tomorrow. Product designs should be of the latest style & trend to beat the competitors in the market.
• Technology should be upgraded.
• Identify skilled and talented people to stimulate them to join the organization

Steps to improve Marketing
The Vasanthasena members should:
• Educate the public about the advantage of the product.
• Distribute palm leaflets, broachers etc. to the local people and to the tourists of Thekkady.
• Try to participate in exhibitions conducted all over the country without sticking on to the boundaries of Kerala.
• Advertising in all leading Medias.









CONCLUSION

Periyar Tiger Reserve is a Protected-Area (PA). In India it is not very easy to conserve the PA s, as they are surrounded by human settlements in and around. The flourishing of weeds and the depletion of forest resource due to the human invasion are the major problems faced by the forest department.
Even though the cutting of forest plants is prohibited by law, the locals and tribes are permitted to collect dried and fallen of sticks from the forest. They take advantage of this law, and cut fresh sticks of desirable species of plants and take home to be used as fire wood.


As if a part of daily routine, the tribal and native women go to the forest to collect fire wood. They cut the fresh wood and hide it inside the bails of dried wood. If caught by the forest guards, they will run off leaving behind the bails. Once it happened to weigh such a bail and it was found that each woman removed about 80kg of wood at a time!
These types of crimes which destroy the forest in course of time can’t be stopped by mere punishments. The low living standards and the low education level of the people are the factors which lead them to theses crimes.
So the forest department decided to solve the problem by educating the people about the relevance of forest conservation and by providing them an alternative livelihood.
They taught the people to respect and conserve the forest. Instead of desirable species of plants, they asked the locals to remove the Lantana plants, from the forest and to use it as firewood. Along with this they trained the locals to fabricate goods using the same Lantana sticks.
Because Lantana is a weed and the expenditure of weed eradication is Rs.5, 000,000 per year (1000Ha/ Year, Rs.5000/Ha). By launching the Lantana project the government could save this money and could also sell the Lantana products through TRIFED.
ATREE a Bangalore based research institute joined with the forest department to train the artisans. (ATREE, Hebbal, Bangalore, Karnataka, 080 2353 0069, website: www.atree.org)
Tribal artisans from the Western Ghats underwent training on lantana basketry at Chittoor- Andhra Pradesh, Natham- Tamil Nadu and furniture making training at Dehradun.
The Lantana craft has increased the average monthly income of the artisans by 90 – 100 %. It has increased the employment rate by 50-70 %.
The Lantana craft is an example for showing us that even the unwanted dangerous weed is mend to use. Origin & growth of this craft shows us that a livelihood can be found even from a weed if we work hard for it with a proper desire.
We feel proud as we were lucky enough to capture the knowledge of Lantana craft. It was a prestigious moment in our life when we could meet MR. ABDUL BASHEER, who was the master brain for the introduction of Lantana craft to Kerala, Kumily. At this moment of completing the craft our minds are filled with a sense of satisfaction, proud and joy that we could contribute certain designs that may popularize this craft and thus grabbing few orders for the product 



































BIBLIOGRAPHY

• World Travel: A Guide to International Eco-journeys – By Christopher P. Baker
• Eco-tourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? - By Martha Honey
• Encyclopedia Britannica
• The Botanical Magazine or Flower garden – By William Curtis
• Botany: An Introduction to Plant Biology – By James D Mauseth

Ancient India - Costumes and Ornaments

Men and women continued to wear three unstitched garments, as in Vedic times. The main garment was the antariya of white cotton, linen or flowered muslin, sometimes embroidered in gold and precious stones. For men, it was an unstitched length of cloth draped around the hips and between the legs in the kachcha style, extending from the waist to the calf or ankles or worn even shorter by peasants and commoners. The antariya was secured at the waist by a sash or kayabandh, often tied in a looped knot at the center front of the waist. The kayabandh could be simple sash, vethaka; one with drum-headed knot at the ends, muraja; a very elaborate band of embroidery, flat and ribbon-shaped, pattika; or a many-stringed one, kalabuka.
The third item of clothing called uttariya was another length of material, usually fine cotton, very rarely silk, which was utilized as a long scarf to drape the top half of the body. The uttariya was worn in several ways to suit the comforts of the wearer: very elegantly by those at court, who drape it on both shoulders or one shoulder, or diagonally across the chest and casually knotted at the waist, or it could even be worn loosely across the back and supported by the elbows or wrist, and in many other ways according to the whims of the weather. But for the labourers and the craftsman, it was more a practical garment to be tied around the head as protection from sun, or tightly around the waist leaving the hands free for work, or again as a towel to mop the face when sweating. Its uses were endless for the poor sections of the society and for them it would be made of coarse cotton.
Women tied their antariya in different ways. Originally opaque, it later became more and more transparent. A simple small antariya or strip of cloth, langoti was attached to the kayabandh at the center front, and then passed between the legs and tucked in at the back. A longer version of the antariya was the knee-length one, being first wrapped around and secured at the waist, the longer end then pleated and tucked in at the front, and the shorter end finally drawn between the legs, Kachcha style, and tucked in at the waist at the back. Another version, the lehnga style, was a length of cloth wrapped around the hips tightly to form a tabular type of skirt. This was not drawn between the legs in the kachcha style.
The uttariyas of upper-class women were generally of thin material decorated with elaborated borders and quite often worn as a head covering. Their kayabandhs were very similar to those of the men. In addition, they sometimes wore a patka, a decorative piece of cloth attached to the kayabandh in front by tucking in one end at the waist. The patka was made from plaited wool or cotton, twisted yarn or leather, and at times it was also woven.
Although, footwear is often mentioned in Vedic literature there is no sculptural evidence for this period, except in the case of soldiers who wear the Persian boot. It may be because shoes could not be taken inside a stupa or Buddhist temple, that they were not depicted on the sculptures on stupas.
In the more remote villages and jungles, shepherds, hunters and people of similar occupations were mostly aboriginal or belonged to the lowest caste. They generally wore simple unbleached coarse varieties of the cotton antariya and turbans, much the same as we find today, and the practice of tattooing was fairly common. The more primitive tribes who lived in the forest wore garments made from grass (Kusa), skin, and fur.

Headgear and Hairstyles
Women generally covered their heads with the uttariya, worn straight or crosswise, often resplendent with beautiful borders. The hair, centrally parted, was made into one or two plaits or in a large knot at the back. The uttariya could be worn simply hanging down at the back or secured to the head with a headband, or with one end arranged in a fan at the top of the head. Skullcaps were sometimes worn under or over the uttariya to keep it in place, or at times it could be decorated with a fringe or pendants. Helmets too are seen as headgear for Phrygian women who probably wore long-sleeved tunic with tight fitting trousers and a Phrygian cap which was conical and had ear flaps. In India, the Amazons wore in addition, the crossed-at-chest belt vaikaksha, with metal buckles, shield, and sword. Women sometimes used turbans of decorated cloth.
As regards male headgear, in the early Maureen period there is no trace of the turban mauli, but in the Sunga period we find great emphasis on this form of male head dress. These were remarkable headdresses in which the hair itself was often twisted into a braid along with the turban cloth. This twisted braid was then arranged to form a protuberance at the front or the side of the head but never at the center top, as only priests could use this style. Over the turban a band was sometimes used to hold it in place. In addition, decorative elements like a jeweled brooch or a jhalar (fringe) could be attached to the turban, or one end folded in pleats and tucked in like a fan.

Jewelers
From the sculptures we find there was a richness and profusion in the jewelers worn by both men and women. Earlier, it had a massive quality to it and the workmanship was coarse. A little later, with the Sungas, the jewelers became somewhat refined. In the Arthasastra attributed to Kautilya, and in the sculptures of the period we find references which show us that the material used most frequently were gold and precious stones like corals, rubies, sapphires, agates, and crystals. Pearls too were used and beads of all kinds were plentiful including those made of glass. Certain ornaments were common to both sexes, like earrings, necklaces, armlets, bracelets and embroidered belts. Earring or karnika were of three types-a simple ring or circle called Kundala, a circular disc earring known as dehri and earrings with a flower-like shape known as Karnaphul.
Necklaces of two kinds were worn. A short one called Kantha which was broad and flat, usually gold, inlaid with precious stones, and a long one, the lambanam. These chain or bead necklaces were sometimes three-to-seven stringed and were named after the number of strings of which they were composed. At the centre of each string of beads was an amulet for warding off evil forces. Baju band or armlets of gold and silver beads were worn on the upper arm, and were occasionally studded with precious stones. Bracelets called Kangan, very often made of square or round beads of gold, and richly embroidered cloth belts completed the male ensemble. Women, in addition, wore girdle called mekhala, a hip belt of multi-stringed beads, originally made from the red seed kaksha but now made of gold and silver beads, with shapes ranging from round to square and oval. Dancing girls added on to these, chains of gold and silver to which bells were attached. All women wore anklets and thumb and finger rings. The rings were plain and crowded together on the middle joints of the fingers. Anklets were often of gold in this period, though silver was more common. They could be in the form of a simple ring, Kara, a thick chain, sankla, or an ornamental circle with small bells called ghungru.
There is no evidence of nose-rings in the period. Forehead ornaments for women were quite common and worn below the parting of the hair and at the center of the fore-head. These consisted of thin plate of gold or silver stamped in various patterns, as well as a star-shaped sitara and bina. And a tiny ornament called bindi.
The only material evidence we have of a piece of Mauryan jewelers is a single earring found at Taxila dated second century BC which similar to Graeco-Roman and Etruscan Jewelers.

Military Costume
Sewn garments which had been used by the Persian soldiers were sometimes utilized for military dress by the Mauryans. This consisted of a sleeved tunic with cross straps across the chest to carry the quiver, and a leather belt with sword. The lower garment was more often the Indian antariya rather than the Persian trousers. The headgear was usually the turban or headband, whereas the Persians had worn the pointed cap. The mixture of foreign and indigenous garments is interesting as it shows one of the early phases of evolution in the costumes of Indians. This came about in the colder north, where the Persian garments were more suitable, climatically and functionally, in case of soldiers. Although, coats of mail are mentioned in the Arthasastra there is no visual evidence of it in this period.

Religious Persons
Of the three religions- Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, it was Hinduism which evolved from early Vedic sources with sacrifice as its main ritual and had as its keepers of religion the Brahmin priests, who belonged to what later came to be the highest category in the caste system as practiced in India. Later in life, a Brahmin man or woman became a sadhu or sanyasin, seeking detachment.
The Brahmanical Sadhu (Sanyasin) was an ascetic who lived either in a hermitage or visited holy places. He wore a shaped kilt-like garment made of strips sewn together, which was tied at the waist with a cord. A short rectangular cloak covered the left shoulder and breast, leaving the right side exposed. The hair and beard were allowed to grow, the former being plaited and arranged in a spiral at the top of the head. He sometimes wore a headdress in the shape of a cap. Women ascetics too wore this cloak and what appeared to be a cap. These garments, often made from leaves or the complete bark of tree, were tied with a cord. Such a bark garment is still worn by the Kumbipatta sect in Orissa. Skins of antelope and goat called ajina were used by anchorites and wild ascetics, muni, as a covering for the chest. Men ascetics did not cut their nails, hair and beard and carried there few possessions on a yoke balanced on the shoulders.
Buddhism, founded by Gautam Buddha, by fifth century BC, had no caste division. It had a religious order of monks, bhikshu, and nuns, bhikshuni, who set up monasteries where they studied their religion, later leaving to preach and collect alms.
Buddhist monks normally shaved their heads and beards but kept the head covered with a headdress. If unshaven, the hair was worn in a knot on top of the head. Lay brothers wore theirs on the right side of the head. Their dress was the common antariya with an uttariya and a larger chadder, all dyed saffron. Buddhist monks, bhikshu, had few possessions and their clothes were made of rags patched together and dyed red or yellow. These consisted of a lower garment antaravasaka, an upper garment uttarasanga, a cloak samghati, a waist clothe kushalaka, and buckled belt samakaksika. Worn-out leather soles strapped to their feet completed their attire. Their possessions consisted of a patra or begging bowl, a razor, tweezers for removing hair, clippers for cutting toe and finger nails, an ear pick, a tooth pick, gauze for filtering drinking water, a needle, a walking stick, an umbrella, a fan and a bag of medicines.
The third religion Jainism, was propagated by Mahavira, b. fifth century BC and its main doctrine was ahinsa, non-violence. Later two sects developed-the sky clad (naked) Digamber sect and the white clad Svetamber sect. Both had nuns and monks who functioned as missionaries.
In the Jain monastic order, monks and nuns wore a white costume consisting of a robe and cloak. They covered their nose and mouth with a piece of gauze to ensure they would not inhale even the smallest living organism and so cause its death. Their hair and beard were shaven and most lived the life of missionaries continuously traveling on foot. The Jain ascetics smeared their bodies with mud, took the vow of silence, clothed themselves in skirts made of bark, and carried a stick made of three rods bound together, and an umbrella. They wore brass ring and brass bangles. Their other possessions included a water jug, clay bowl, and pot with spout, broom, hook, portable stool, rosary, and an alms bowl.

Textiles and Dyes
Weaving of fine and coarse varieties of cloth was well established. Cotton, silk, wool, linen and jute fabrics were readily available. Furs and the better varieties of wool and silk like tussar, called kausheya like Eri or Muga silk of Assam, yellowish in its natural color but when bleached called patrona, were used. Kaseyyaka (High quality cotton or silk) and the bright red woolen blankets of Gandhara were worth a small fortune each. A rain proof woolen cloth was available in Nepal. Resist dyeing and hand printing in a pattern on cloth has been mentioned by Greek visitors to the court of Chandragupta Maurya, as is the Indian glazed cotton cloth which was in common use by 400 BC. Material similar to the khinkhwab (which is the interweaving of silk and gold or silver wires beautiful floral pattern) was in great demand and even exported to Babylon long before the Mauryas.
Cotton, wool and a fabric called karpasa were available in the north in both coarse and fine varieties. There were also fine muslins often embroidered in purple and gold and transparent like later-day material which came to be called shabnam (morning dew). The coarse varieties were used by the populace. Woolen cloth, avika, from the sheep’s wool was either pure white (bleached) or dyed pure red, rose, or black. Blankets or kambala were either made by completing the edges with borders or braids, or woven wool strips were joined together. The process of felting (pressing the fibers together, instead of weaving) was also making known. All varieties of wool were available, coarse for making head-dresses, trappings and blankets for richer class.
Washer men were also dyers, rajaka, and they perfumed garments after washing them. Four primary color were recognized in the dyeing of textiles: red (dyed with safflower and madder), white (through bleaching), yellow (natural color of yarn and saffron), and blue (indigo leaves). Fabrics were also woven in patterns and printed for use as carpets, bedcovers, blankets, and clothes.

Style
Forceful sculptures carved during the Mauryan-Sunga period in the first century BC in the north at Bharut and Sanchi give us a feeling of superhuman power. The drapery hangs heavy folds and the jewelers are massive and somewhat coarse. Turbans coil and twist with the hair to form protuberances, with serpentine armlets and anklets closing in on strong limbs. The head veils of the woven are voluminous; long-beaded aprons and crossed scarves at he chest suggest fruitful abundance, and necklaces and strings with amulet boxes suspended on the breasts indicate a fear of evil and dark forces around. With the coming of the Sunga dynasty there is greater emphasis on detail in the elaborate jewelers of the women, which is more elegant and finer and adorns the figures seen in soft relaxed postures.

Male attire
Antariya: Lower cloth, calf length, of fine cotton with fluted ends in front, worn in kachcha style that is between the legs.
Uttariya: Upper cloth of printed cotton worn crosswise on the head.
Kayabandh: Embroidered flat cloth band, pattika style, worn in a looped knot with fringed ends.
Mekhala: Six-stringed hip belt of gold or silver beads.
Lambanam: long necklace made of chains held at intervals by flat bands, phalakahara style.
Kantha: Short necklace of five strings of beads in gold or silver.
Karnika: Trumpet-shaped earrings.
Kangan: Ten bracelets adorning each hand.
Baju Band: Decorative armlets worn on upper arms.
Kara: Anklets of twisted wire worn on both ankles.
Sitara: Star shaped forehead ornament of gold or silver with a stamped pattern.

Female attire
Antariya: langoti style small strips of cloth drawn between the legs and attached to a cord at the waist.
Uttariya: There are two- one has an embroidered border and is worn. crosswise over the head with a jhalar (networking fringe) at the forehead; the other is draped across the back and over both arms.
Kayabandh: Flat cloth band, pattika style, worn in a looped knot.
Mekhala: Four stringed beads hip belt.
Patka: A strip of woven beads tucked in at the front of the waist reaching the ankles.
Atkan: bead necklace worn as slanting over the left shoulder and under the right arm.
Kangan: five bead bracelets on each wris.
tBaju Band: three row of beads on the upper arms.
Karnika: trumpet shaped earring.
Lambanam: long necklace of beads.
Kantha: Short necklace of beads
Sankla: anklets made of thick chains.

The Traditional Textiles of India

Annibuta Sari of Andhra

These saris from the south Indian state of Andhra have extra gold thread in the weft and pallu, which is made of tissue. The specialty of the annibuta sari is that the entire saree is woven with temple motifs. A traditional pit-loom is used to make these sarees. It’s a traditional art form and can be mastered by continuous practice only to get perfect designs.

Brocades of Varanasi , Uttar Pradesh

Banarasi Brocades as the world knows it is called by the name kinkab in Varanasi. A high quality weaving is done using gold and silver threads. Silk Threads are also used as well. The most common motifs include scroll patterns and butidars designs. The other designs are Jewelry designs, birds, animals, flowers, creepers, paisley motifs. Hindu religious and Mughal motifs also influenced the brocade designs. When a Gold embellishment is done on a silver background it is called ganga-jamuna in the local language.The designs are first drawn on paper. The person who draws this is called naqshaband. The main weaver is assisted by a helper. This design is then woven on a small wooden frame to form a grid of warp and weft. The requisite number of warp threads and the extra weft threads are woven on the loom. The famous tissue sari of Varanasi is unbelievably delicate, combining the use of gold and silver metallic threads.

Chanderi Saris of Madhya Pradesh

In the heart of India beyond forests and valleys, is the famous weavers town of Chanderi in Guna district of Madhya Pradesh. Once Chanderi cottons were comparable to Dacca muslins. When the British introduced mill-made fabrics to complete with Indian handlooms the weavers of Chanderi created the present form of the Chanderi saris. They used a silk warp with a fine cotton weft without compromising on the intricate gold borders and jewel like buttis, and the weave continued to remain as delicate and exquisite as it was.Colour was introduced into Chanderi weaving about 50 years ago. Till then only white saris were woven, which were then washed in saffron to give them their characteristic golden hue and fragrance. Flowers were also used for dyeing these saris into soft pastel colours. Now the saris are available in a range of light and dark colours with and without the gold borders and buttis. Plain colours are also woven to be used as a base for printing, embroidery and other embellishments.

Cotton Zari Saris of Andhra

Simple and elegant cotton saris, either with broad borders on both sides or with a single decorative, heavily patterned pallu are woven in Andhra Pradesh. The distinguishing mark is the korvai where the weft threads do not enter the borders. Single-border saris require two shuttles and double-border saris require three shuttles. Country jacquard is used for designs on the borders.Gadwal and Kothakota weave fine cotton saris with rich gold borders and heavy panel-like pallus. Cotton saris with richly woven pallus and borders in gold with opulent designs are also made in places like Siddhipet and Armoor.Upada in Andhra Pradesh is famous for the jamdani technique. The saris are usually in cotton, silk, and a mixture of cotton and silk and the motifs woven are simple and traditional. These white and gold saris are particularly dramatic.

Cut-Work-Textiles of Uttar Pradesh

The cut work of Banaras is a cotton inlay in cotton developed for furnishings, especially drapes, where it helps cut down the glare of the mid-ay sun. Extremely popular with the urban consumer, the design repertoire covers geometric, floral, and paisley patterns. The technique is suitable to light and transparent fabrics and the motifs are formed with extra weft threads which hang loosely at the back. After weaving these threads are cut away.

Dharmavaram-Silk-Sari of Andhra Pradesh

Indian beauties are known for draping themselves in saris. Sari is the national dress for the women folk of India. Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh is very well known for its silk saris. The beauty of dharmayaram sari speaks about the volume of hard work and the artistry done by the craftsmen. The borders of the sari is the highlight of this five yards of material because of the brilliance of its colours. Traditional designs of butis and dots are the motifs.

Gadwal-Saris of Andhra Pradesh

Gadwal in Andhra Pradesh is known for weaving saris in cotton weft, with richly brocaded gold borders and pallus with elaborate designs. These saris were originally woven for the royalty and the nobility. The borders and body of the sari are traditionally in dramatic colours. Now Gadwal is changing with the times and saris in silk and tassar are also being woven here.

Ganga-Jamuna-Saris of Maharashtra

The double-coloured Ganga-Jamuna saris are traditional Maharashtrian saris. The main characteristic of this sari is the plain weaving with solid colours on either side --- both sides of the sari can thus be worn. This sari is woven on double cloth principle with two shades of colour in the warp and weft.

Gharchola Craft of Gujarat

The gharchola is the traditional Hindu and Jain wedding sari and the numbers of squares in it is ritually important, being multiples of nine, 12, or 52. The making of the gharchola is a complicated and time-consuming process. A starched silk odhni or sari is fixed to a large wooden frame using nails. The sari/odhini, coloured red or green, is divided into a network of squares by rows of white tie-dyed spots or woven bands of zari. Motifs within each compartment range from elephants, parrots, and flowers to dancing girls.

Hand Block Printing of Balotra, Rajasthan

The traditional block-printing running in parallel lines technique of Ajrakh has attained a peak of excellence at Balotra. Although a desert climate but good water is one of the main reasons which imparts good colors which is so important for hand-block printing. The speciality of the block printing of Balotra is that it is done on both sides of the cloth. This is very diffult technique because there should not be any imbalance in the design-transfer from the block to the cloth. The reverse side hand block printing is done simultenously even when the other side of the design print is wet. The hand-block printed fabric from Balotra is therefore very exclusive and relatively expensive.

Ikat/Bandha of Orissa

Ikat or bandha of Orissa has gloriously woven, blurred, and gem-coloured motifs in silk and cotton. The dominant motifs in this craft include animals and birds, with the traditional designs being fish and conch shell as well as bolmala, chandankora, and sachipar. As the design-type is single ikat, the designs on the material are blurred; however, this trace-design has a beauty all its own.The intricate process involves tie and dye --- knotting sections of the yarn before dipping them in colours one at a time, and finally weaving them to produce motifs in multi-hued tones. While Sambalpur is famous for its double-ikat textiles, Sonepur is known for its gold embroidered ones.

Jamdani Weaving of Uttar Pradesh

The main centres of Jamdani weaving in Uttar Pradesh are Tanda (Fyzabad district) and Banaras. Jamdanis are very thinly textured muslins(white thin cloth) with floral, bird and animal motifswhich are woven on the loom. The warp is unbleached gray yarn and the motifs are woven with bleached white yarn. At banaras the craftspersons use gold thread in addition to the bleached and unbleached white threads. The finest Banaras muslins are called Kasivastras. Tanda fabrics are exceptionally frail and only white yarn is used for the weaving. The threads used for decoration are not cut at the edges, but are left hanging in the spool and then introduced into the figured pick.The craftspersons today also follow the traditional jamdani pit looms to form traditional designs. The weaving done is with two threads of yarn of the same count as the background are used to weave the floral motifs which are done by means of extra spools, The kind of weaving done is known as twill-tapestry, which is same as embroidery where the bamboo-spindle takes the place of the needle. Jamdanis are very suitable for saris, caps and angarkhis.. The motifs of flowers used for the weaving are chameli, pomera, genda, mogra, kamana, , juhi, khas ishqapench, harsingar and phulbanjari. Aribel, Kangura, Jaldar, Saro, Marava, Haravver, Lahar, Purmatan, Kharibel are few motifs which are very regularly used in jamdani weaving of Uttarpradesh.

Kanchipuram-Saris of Tamil Nadu

Kanchipuram is the famous weaving centre in Tamil Nadu. The weaving community in Kanchipuram is called Salgars (from the Sanskrit word, salika meaning weaver), and they claim descent from Sage Markanda, the weaver of the gods. Earlier the design-jacquards were made from round lamp-wicks but now mechanised hooks and jacquard boxes are used. The designs on the body of the sari are woven with gold thread and the motifs range from figures to temple gopuras (towers) along the border. One of the traditions of the Kanchipuram saris is the contrasting borders.Two weavers work on three shuttles to make the sari; the pallu is also done separately, especially if it is of another shade. The meeting of the body of the sari with the border is characterised by a zigzag design, the vanki design, which can also be found all over the body. Typical motifs used in these saris are the sun, moon, chariots, swans, peacocks, parrots, lions, coins, mangoes and leaves. Patterns are also formed by lines and squares and when the jasmine motif is found either inside a square or scattered all over, it is called mallinaggu. The Thandavalam motif has parallel-line motifs running all over the body of the sari. In the pattu motif, the pallu and the border alone have floral motifs independently woven on them. Other motifs used are creepers, peacocks and the rudraksh or red-dented seed pattern on the body and end-borders of the sari.These saris are usually made in brilliant reds, saffron, orange, emerald, henna green, maroon, peacock blue and ochre with bright contrasting borders. These days silver is being used in addition to gold. Weavers also make tissue saris, using only gold or silver metal threads. This tradition of silk sari weaving at Kanchipuram arose out of temple-traditions with the famous Kamakshi temple situated there. Upper-caste families wore only silk and weddings and festivals (Deepavali, Pongal, etc) were an occasion for the purchase of many silk saris.

Kantha Embroidery of West Bengal

The Kantha Embroidery is the predominantly the most popular form of embroidery practised by the rural women. The traditional form of Kantha embroidery was done the soft dhotis and saris. The thread for this craft was drawn out of the borders of the used cloth. It is a simple running stitch made on the edges. When five to six layers of the cloth were embroidered together it formed a quilt. Fewer layers of the cloth is used to make clothes for other purposes. The outer layers of the cloth comprises of white or light colored clothes which made the embroidery perceptible. Depending on the use of the finished product they were known as Lepkantha, Sujni Kantha etc. The mebroidered cloth is used as stoles for women and shawls. The clothes also find use as covers for mirrors, boxes, pillows etc. The entire cloth is covered with running stitches and usually has beautiful folk motifs, floral motifs, animal and birds figures and geometrical shapes. Themes from day to day activities are also a common subject for the embroidery. Such stitches on the cloth give it a slight wrinkled wavy effect. The contemporary Kantha is not necessarily done on old multiple layered saris or dhotis. It can also be seen on the present day garments like the sarees, dupatta, shirts for men and women, bedding and other furnishing fabrics. For these fabrics and dresses the base fabric used is cotton and silk.

Karvatkati Saris of Maharashtra

The Vidarbha region of Maharashtra is the place of origin of the karvat kati (saw-edged) sari, so named after the border design which resembles saw-teeth. This sari is generally used during ritual functions and is woven on a pit-loom using three fly shuttles with silk, tussar, and cotton yarns of various counts.

Kasuti Embroidery of Karnataka

Kasuti embroidery is a special craft practised mainly in Uttara Kanara district or North Kanara district. Its secret lies in the fact that it can be done only by counting the threads of the weft and the warp. There is no possibility of tracing or implanting the design prematurely as outlines. With considerable dexterity, an ordinary sewing needle is used to create a variety of designs with coloured threads on the cloth. The embroidery is done only by women. The two kinds of stitching are gavanti (line or double running stitch) and murgi (zig-zag lines done with a darning stitch). The two sides are neat and identical. Negi is the ordinary running stitch used in large designs, creating a woven design effect. Menthi is a cross-stitch used for architectural patterns.This embroidery is done mainly on handloom irkal saris.The motifs here range from architectural designs to a cradle and from an elephant to a squirrel. The main motifs are religious and are found to be larger near the pall; as they move downwards in a sari the motifs get smaller and smaller. Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal stitches are used. The motifs have to be completed as the stitching line comes back to fill in the blank spaces.Coorg has its own embroidery which is like Kasuti. In this the cross-stitch and the line or double running stitches are combined. The motifs are religious or taken from everyday life.

Khan Textiles of Maharashtra

Khan fabric is a woven butidar textile piece, originally made in 30 inches widths. It was usually used for making cholis and blouses. It is now woven using fly shuttles in a pit-loom with a lattice dobby attachment taking 60/40 counts coloured warp and weft yarns. The finished products include saris, scarfs, and dress materials.

Kodali-Karupper-Saris of Tamil Nadu

The first Karpur sari was exhibited in the Vishwakarma Exhibition inLondon and was defined a work of art and genius. Village of Kolli Karpur is famous for its Kodalikareppur /Karpur saris, and furnishings.The Karpur sari is a mixture of hand painting, block printing and brocade weaving. The rareness of the Karpur sari deceit in its perfect combination of these three distinct and different techniques. Its district characteristic is that the motif has an uncolored outline, which reflects the base fabric colour. In difference the residual area is filled by either two or three colours like red, yellow blue or black. To obtain this uncoloured outline the fabric is resisted with a wax line. On a sari the colours are both painted or printed with blocks.The pallu is woven with a cotton weft. The weaving of the fabric is shared with zari in the Jamdani method on the main body and the border. Zari weft can be traced in the motifs like the star in the border and tilakam in the body of the sari.

Kora Cotton Saris of Tamil Nadu

Saris of very fine cotton are woven widely in Coimbatore district. The kora cotton sari has a kora silk warp and a cotton weft yarn. The sari has a self-designed jacquard all over.

Kornadu Saris of Karnataka

These saris are a mix of cotton and silk and are woven with a blue cotton yarn and a silk yarn in several colours other than blue. The border motifs are varied and the body of the sari has checked or striped patterns.

Kota Doria Saris of Rajasthan

Kota, a small district situated in southeast of Rajasthan is very famous for its delicate kota doria saris, These dorias are fine woven fabrics containing a special type of check pattern in the weave itself, locally called khat. These saris are very delicate, lightweight and porous and this makes them favorable towards surface ornamentation techniques like batik tie-and-dye, chiknar work, hand-block printing, embroidery and appliqué work.Buy Kota Doria Saree In Real Zari Border at Whole sale prices.You can even Buy Kota Doria in yardage for suits and other dress materials in 11 mts and 13 mts.You can even custom order kota doria sarres to be printed in vegetable dyes and other hand block prints.

Kurainadu & Kodambakkam Saris of Tamil Nadu

Kurainadu and Kodambakkam saris are the blend of cotton and silk mixture. These saris are complimented with the beautiful geometric and floral designs. Some typical motifs are bells, toe ring armlet, rose-water pot, big seed and flowers. A variety of checks are also used as designs.

Maheshwari Saris of Madhya Pradesh

The motifs of maheshwari saris have been derived from the temple carving and the carving of the palace built by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar. Rani lived near the banks of Narmada.Maheshwari saris are woven by men as well as women folks. The weaving done is intricate with geometric designs with no motifs on the body of the saris. Weaving is done with a fine silk warp and cotton weft. Lines play a vital role as vertical stripes, and large checks are woven to shape up the pattern.

Nagpur Saris of Maharashtra

These saris are woven on pit-looms mainly with pure cotton yarn.The uniqueness of the Nagpur saris are the designs that are woven with the Nagpuri wooden dobby. Designs are woven in stripes and checks with fly shuttles, complimenting the finely textured body with richly attractive borders.

Narayanpet Silk Saris of Andhra

Various types of colourful silk saris, with intricate brocade work in silk and zari, are woven at Narayanpet. As the silk threads are not of a very high count, the saris are both light-weight and festive.

Paithani Saris of Maharashtra

A Blend of silk with a gold weave is the beauty of Paithani saris. Women weave the saris on a wooden loom skillfully mixing colours of blues, magentas and purples interspersed with gold threads. Asavali (vine and flowers), Narli (coconut design) and petal design are the few traditional motifs. Due to the closeness of Paithan to the famous Ajanta caves, there are motifs of Buddha weaved standing or in the sitting posture and motifs of gold coin are also recorded in paithani weaves. In the earlier days zari work, mixing intricately designed gold with copper threads was done to provide strength but these days zari work is done in beautiful designs on the pallu and border and highlight the sari. The more intricate and heavy the zari work is; more is the price of the sari. Sometimes to make the sari affordable, cotton and other blends of fabric are used as a substitute.

Patola Silks of Gujarat

Patola silk of Gujarat displays an exclusive and complicated craftsmanship. Patola silk fabric is one of most complex textile-weaving techniques in the world. The warp as well as weft threads are coupled and dyed into an complicated pattern, and while weaving the craftsperson has to ensure that the warp and weft threads intersect perfectly to produce the preset pattern. Patan in north Gujarat is the most famous centre for weaving. Figures of parrot and elephant are very popular, while geometrical and floral motifs are also woven.

Poornakumbham Cotton Saris of Tamil Nadu

Sari is the national dress of India. Poornakumbham saris are the fine cotton textured saris which are woven with rudraksha motifs highlighted with pearls or neuththu and cross lines.

Silk Weaving of Assam

Assam is the home of several types of silks, the most prominent and prestigious being muga, the golden silk found exclusively in this state. Muga apart, there is pat and eri or endi, the latter being used in anufacture of warm clothes for winter. The silk commonly found in Assam is non-mulberry silk. Pat which is mulberry silk is found in small quantities. Endi is yellowish in colour and is found in rough and smooth varieties; it derives its name from the castor leaves on which the worm feeds. This is woven, into shawls and clothing for the winter.There are two types of muga silk, depending on the leaves the worms feed upon: champa adakari and mejamkari. Muga silk has a golden sheen and is in high demand all over India for embroidery purposes. It grows more lustrous with each wash. This was used, together with zari, to weave fabrics for royalty. Today, the zari has been replaced by multicoloured cotton threads. The designs woven into these fabrics are drawn from the flora of Assam and, as in other parts of India, are symbolic of the different tribes and ethnic groups of the area.The main centre in Assam for silk-weaving is Sualkuchi. The texture is delicate, with dainty designs and natural colours. The main dress of the women here is the lungi called mekhela. This is usually plain but sometimes has motifs all over its body and can have elaborately designed ends. The other items of clothing include the chaddar, which goes over the shoulder, and the riha, which is tied to the waist. The motifs are usually flowers, birds, animals, leaves, and geometrical designs. One speciality of this region is the bamboo weft designs, eight in number, which are used as variations in weaving patterns.

Tie & Die/Lehriya/Bandhini of Rajasthan

Tie and die is a multi colored craft of Rajasthan. A large number of colours are used because once the base colour is tied in, a lot of colours can be applied on to the fabric at different stages and then tied and detached gradually. The motifs that are used are birds, leaves, animals, creepers, and human figures in dance poses.Designs are known by their names such as mountain design, dol design and kite design. Dots are used to make up the designs. A different colour on either side is also practiced by the craftsmen. Lehariya has long lines in a variety of colours found all over the body of the sari or dress material. Turbans are also a good outcome. The lehariya cloths have their own names depending on the designs. Bandhanis are related to festivals, seasons and rituals for which there are particular patterns and colours.

Tie & Dye/Bandhej of Gujarat

Art of tie and die is popularly known as Bandhej in the Gujarat region. Jamnagar, Anjar, and Bhuj are the main centres where artists work traditionally on bandhej.First step towards the procedure is the dipping of cloth into a colour after which the cloth is folded to a quarter of its size. The designs are created with the combination of small dots and circles. The borders are broad and are worked both in matching and contrasting colours.The tying of the border and the release of the colour is called sevo bandhavo. The colouring method involves the lightest shade being worked in first order , after which this is tied and a darker colour is introduced. An unlimited number of colour schemes are used. The quality of the bandhej can be judged by the size of the dots: the smaller and closer to the size of a pinhead the dots are, the finer is the quality of the bandhej. Red, , maroon , yellow, and golden, black are the common shades.

Tie & Dye/Bandhini of Madhya Pradesh

Tarapur and Umedpura are the main centres where as Bhairongarh is a smaller centre. Pillya is a woman's upper garment made in the bandani style and is a specialty of Jawad. Another specialty of Jawad is the parandas or the colourful long hair strings.Procedure of coloring is the same as of other states. The popular motifs include the dana pattern that is created by chains of grain on the body of the fabric with detailed designs on the borders and pallu. squares dots, flower dots, birds and flowers are the common and popular motifs.

Tie & Dye/Chungadi of Madurai, Tamil Nadu

The method of tie and dye is locally known as Chungidi and Madurai is the key place in Tamilnadu. The colours used are red, Purple, blue and black. The specialty here is the kolam or rangoli patterns. The kolams are all geometric in nature and the borders of the sari are in contrasting colours.

Tie & Dye/Telia Rumal/Ikat of Andhra

Ikats and brocade silks in Andhra Pradesh are skillfully woven at home under the supervision of master weavers. The wages at the end of the day depends on the quality and richness of the silks woven and the weaver who makes plain silks does not earn much. Pochampalli in Nalgonda district and Chirala in Guntur district are famous for their work in tie-and-dye weaving. This craft involves a detailed and sophisticated process where the warp and the weft are tied and dyed according to a predetermined design. Both cotton and silk fabrics are prepared using this process. A unique item called telia rumal (literally oily handkerchief) is made at Pochampalli which involves dipping the yarn into an oily solution before weaving. The patola or ikat saris of Pochampalli are generally centered on geometrical designs. A large variety of cotton lungis or cotton sarongs (draped around the waist ) for men are also prepared using this technique.

Tribhuvanam Silk Saris of Tamil Nadu

Silk yarn is made available through the government agencies and the weavers of the Thribuvanam silk saris are highly skilled. Saris are woven, with a special box fixed above the loom, in natural floral and animal designs.

Venkatagiri Saris of Andhra

Venkatagiri saris are woven with locally made jalas and are among the best examples of the jacquard weave. The weaving is fine and the body of the sari is in sheer cotton, ornamented with gold motifs like dots, coins, leaves, parrots, or simple geometric designs.

The process of Kalamkari painting.

The process involves treating of cotton fabric with buffalo dung. The kalam for painting is made of thin sticks of bamboo, one end sharpened and wrapped with wool or jute and tied with cotton thread.
A separate kalam is used for each colour. The cotton fabric gets its glossiness by immersing it for an hour in a mixture of myrabalam (resin) and cow milk. The myrobalan acts as a mordant binding the dye to the cloth and the milk keeps the drawn line from running.

The initial drawing is done with a rust iron solution, created by soaking rusty metal with molasses, water, and bran for 14 days. This solution is fairly clear and only develops a black colour when in contact with the myrobalan treated cloth.
Then an alum solution is painted on areas where red is needed. After drying for one day, the cloth is boiled with madder a vegetable dye. The red only penetrated the areas treated with alum. After rinsing the cotton or silk cloth, it is soaked in a solution of raw myrobalan and milk, which gives it a mild yellow tint.

On this, the basic design is drawn with a charcoal stick of burnt tamarind wood.Kasin -prepared by fermenting a mixture of jaggery (molasses) and rusted iron soaked in water for 20 days. The initial charcoal sketch is painted over with this solution, which fastens the black colour under the easily washable charcoal.
The cloth is washed, sun-dried, boiled in hot water along with powders which gives the red colour, again washed and dried, then dipped in pure milk and dried.Yellow, if required, is applied after this process, with dye made by mixing powdered myrobalan flower in water.
The colour blue is from indigo. Unfortunately, indigo is no longer available and chemical colour is used, which lacks the rich tone of indigo. If green is required, blue is painted over yellow.

1950s

Women's wear

hourglass silhouettes.
Women in the fifties dressed smartly.
tailored, feminine look was prized.
accessories- gloves and pearls.
older women opt for narrow skirts called pencil skirts.(was very tight.)
younger girls often wore wide, ‘swing’ skirts.
-poodle skirt.
-Peter Pan collars.
-shirt dresses.
-bolero jackets.
-short haircuts .
-towards the end of the decade large, bouffant hairstyles.

Men's wear
the suits became narrower.
hats were losing.
plaid, khaki pants.
short, post-military haircuts.

Teenage fashion
Girls usually wore flary dresses with frills.
worn high up jeans and petticoats.
Bobby socks were especially popular with girls.
Their hair was usually permed.
sometimes with a hat.
Boys wore straight legged jeans or suits.
Their hair was greased back.
White snickers were popular for both genders.
never went anywhere without their leather jacket and comb.
they were never worn with the collar down.
The girls’ hairstyle - the 'poodle-cut.'
The Men’s hair styles where very similar but it was called the 'ducktail' which used a lot of grease and hairspray; only rebels or teenagers did this.
Men's hair fashion favored the wet look, achieved by the use of products such as Bryl cream.
a pony tail andbeehive was also very popular among women.

Maternity Wear
Most of the maternity dresses were two pieces with loose tops and narrow skirts.
Stretch panels accommodated for the woman's growing figure.
The baby boom of the 1940s to the 1950s also caused even international designers create maternity wear.
maternity panty - patented, provided expansion in the vertical direction of the abdomen. The front panel of this maternity undergarment was composed of a high degree of elasticity so in extreme stretched conditions, the woman could still feel comfortable.

Children's wear
Due to the babyboom there was a high demand for clothing for children
wearing jeans to elementery school.

Foot wear
Saddle shoes
loafers
oxfords