Published By: Nirtika Pandita

The famous and most loved textiles of India

Each stitch and weave narrates the ancient tales of Indian tradition

From the very traditional and culturally rich land of India comes the great art of textile and weaving. There are garments and various weaving techniques emerging from the different regions and states of the country, each magnificent in its own work. Right from the type of fabric used, to the threads, embroidery and the pattern of bringing the motifs alive in the garment are different. And it has been a culture to weave unique patterns and textiles specific to a particular region. So here are some of the famous textiles from India that are making names internationally.

Muga silk

It is a variety of wild silk found in the state of Assam. The rich quality of this silk that has made it internationally favourable is its extreme durability. The Muga silk is found in the Brahmaputra Valley where the larvae of the Assam silkmoth feed on aromatic Som and Sualu leaves. The quality of the silk is that it can be dyed after bleaching, and can be hand-washed as its lustre keeps increasing after every wash. The fun fact, this silk has a natural yellowish-golden tint to it that gives it the shimmering glossy texture. And in the olden days, it was silk only to be worn by the royals. The silk can be commonly found in the traditional Assamese saree called mekhlachaddar which is white- colored with a zari border.

Manipuri cotton

With various tribes from the state come different types of fabrics, such as Moiraingphee, Lasingphee, and Phanek. The MoirangPhee textile fabric comes with a specific design, MoirangPheejin, is woven sequentially on longitudinal edges of the fabric which is oriented towards the centre of the cloth. The weaving is done using cotton or silk threads. Originally the fabric is a product of the Moirang village in Manipur.

Khadi or Khaddar

This is the face and recognition of India. The Khadi is a hand-spun and woven natural fibre cloth that has been long in the history of Indian textiles. It is a hand-spun and woven cloth from cotton and can also include silk or wool, which are all spun into yarn on a spinning wheel called a charkha. This coarse cloth is a versatile fabric that can be worn under any weather conditions. The term Khadi is used throughout India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Some other textiles famous from India are Bandhni, Silks from South India, Chickenkari textile, Kashmiri woollen fabric, Kota Doria, Ikat, Banarasisarees, Chiffon, and Bengal muslin fabric among various others.