The versatility of India’s handlooms
Hiranya Vastra or Putambhar Vastra, and gods are described as having been decked in hiranya as they set forth in their chariots. King Siddhartha shed his royal robes and is said to have wrapped himself in the fine cotton of that time. Today, the weavers of Varanasi weave resplendent brocade gyaser cloth for Tibetan monasteries all over the countey, with special commendation by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
When researching the range and locations handlooms in Uttar Pradesh for our series of Crafts Maps in the mid 90s, we discovered that gauze bandages for medical use were woven on handlooms. Today this would be considered unhygienic but at that time the semi-skilled handloom weaver served a purpose and earned a livelihood. The three most basic unstitched textiles required for clothing in India have been the gamchha, the lungi, or sarong style wrap, and the sari.
All these, interestingly enough, have multiple uses as well as ways of wearing them. The gamchha is known by various names in different regions but serves the purpose of a scarf for normal wear or for ceremonial greeting, it can convert into a turban, a rest for baskets placed on the head of the carrier, a waist band, a short lungi, a towel, kerchief or even a carry bag. The lungi is a garment spread across India and S.
Asia and worn both by men and women . The sari, worn in different ways, is common to women in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The interesting thing about saris is that they are often folded as hammocks and hung from the ceiling as a cradle for a small infant while the mother is working.
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