Kota Doria is the name of a light woven fabric made of tiny woven squares (khat) which is still handwoven on traditional pit looms in Kaithun near Kota in Rajasthan and in some of the surrounding villages.
The unique characteristic of Kota Doria is the square-check pattern, locally known as the ‘khat’ present in the base fabric which are made skilfully that the fabric becomes almost transparent. Kota Doria fabric is being produced on very traditional and age-old pit looms with a throw shuttle technique. All the process involved from yarn to fabric stage are also carried out manually.
The main components being used in the production of Kota Doria are yarns made from natural fibres viz. cotton and silk. Besides Zari (of pure gold-silver) PMC yarn, jute and other fancy yarns are also used in lesser amount for motifs or other ornamental purposes.
The weaving technique as well as the product evolved over a period and in the modern times became famous. Though there are many tales passed on by word of mouth, there is no written form available to substantiate the beginning of this exquisite fabric. The region has been a weaving centre from 13th century.
Cotton as well as silk is obtained in the form of hanks. These yarns from the hanks are transferred onto bobbins for warp and pirns/sirkies for the weft. Warping is done to obtain a predetermined length of warp having desired number of threads as required for the whole width of the fabric. The warping method generally used is Peg Warping which uses wooden pegs.
Then the fabric is dyed for desired colour and shade. The prevalent dyeing processes for the various shades are VAT, Napthol, Direct and Reactive. Sometimes they are tied and then dyed in different shades to produce tie-dye effect in the fabric.
Sizing is mainly done for imparting the yarn enough strength, surface glaze and stiffness. Sizing is done by using thin paste of rice (‘maandi’) and the juice of a special wild variety of onion available as a natural vegetation in the nearby jungles of the area. The onion juice renders a soft feel to the yarn and it retains a luster and soft feel. Special brushes made up of particular type of leaves available in the region are used for brushing the yarns stretched along the stand.
All the individual threads of cotton and silk are drafted through the country cotton heald locally called as “Ranch” and dented through reed locally called as “Fani” in particular order to produce the check pattern. Since it is time consuming, alternative method of Piecing is used in which all individual threads are tied with corresponding threads of the previous warp.
Then it is weaved in the traditional pit loom. Inherited fine skill of weaves of this region enables creation of the structural pattern by throwing silk as well as cotton yarns along the width according to the design requirements and with just two pedals.
Besides the Khat pattern, the fabric has soft feel, sheerness and lends a fantastic fall. The weaving textures can be assessed by count of the yarn. This is mainly because it uses cotton and silk in predefined proportions in the warp as well as the weft of the fabric.
GI Tag Registration Date : 05 July 2005
GI Tag Number : 12
Certificate Number : 10
Geographical Area : Rajasthan
Special Cover Release Date : 18 August 2021
Cancellation : Jaipur 302 001
Type : GI Tag Cover
This cover is issued with 7 other covers as a Presentation Pack titled "Special Cover & Cancellation - Geographical Indications of Rajasthan" priced at Rs. 100 per pack. Total quantity issued 2500 Nos.
India post has issued a picture post card on Kota Doria. Details are furnished below
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