A brief write-up on Kottan Baskets, is posted right below the following pictures of these baskets.
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| Kottan Basket : Click here for source of image |
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| Kottan Basket : Click here for source of image |
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| Kottan Basket : Click here for source of image |
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| Kottan Basket : Click here for source of image |
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| Kottan Basket : Click here for source of image |
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| Kottan Basket : Click here for source of image |
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| Kottan Basket : Click here for source of image |
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| Kottan Basket : Click here for source of image |
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| Kottan Basket : Click here for source of image |
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| Kottan Basket : Click here for source of image |
Kottan baskets are traditional hand-woven baskets made in Chettinadu in South India. The craft is almost extinct now except for certain organizations working to preserve the beautiful craft. Kottan baskets are made from Palmyra leaves, and were traditionally made by the Aachis of Chettinadu. The 'Aachis' of Chettinad used to make varieties of baskets out of tender palmyra leaves and leaf stems. Palmyra leaves are dried and cut into thin strips. These strips are then dyed in brilliant colours and dried again. The strips are used to weave the base of the basket.
Kottan products were awarded the UNESCO SEAL for excellence in 2004.
Palm leaf Basketry is one of the well-known crafts of the South Indian state of Tamilnadu & is the major source of income for the local rural communities. Palm leaf baskets are made of very intricate captivating designs . These products are mainly used for daily activities. This traditional craft of palm leaf basketry is locally called "Kottan" in Tamilnadu. The local skilled artisans are developing new varieties of designs these days, to fulfill the taste of local people and the market.
These Kottan baskets had wide and varied uses once upon a time, in the day to day life of people in Tamilnadu, most importantly during marriages.
Mostly women artisans are engaged in making these baskets in traditional way in Chettinadu. The pliable, tender palmyra leaf has good structural strength & is used to make varieties of decorative baskets.
Palm leaf basket making has been a craft practiced since several generations, and has been a culture and tradition in Chettinadu. The tools and raw materials used for making these products are easily available in locally. Palm trees are abundantly available in the local Karaikudi as well as nearby villages. Artisans use long knives to harvest the leaves, and small sized knives to separate the mid rib from the leaves. The strips are dyed with vibrant colors to make the products very attractive.
Varieties of beautiful products are made using the palm leaf, like for example baskets, fruit baskets, mats, pen-stands, flower-vases gift-boxes etc. The baskets are used as storage containers as well as decorative items.
Earlier, Kottan baskets were mainly used during marriages for packaging gifts and as containers for gifts at family functions and festivals.
The beautiful craft is being revived once again with amazingly beautiful designs, and many popular articles of modern day utlity are now being made in Chettinadu.
( Disclaimer : All images featured in this Blog-post, are the property of their respective owners. Our deepest sense of gratitude to all of them for making this gigantic project a reality. If you see your picture anywhere in this Blog and don't want it here, send us a message with the details and the link to the picture, and we will remove it right away. But at the outset, I just want to let my dearest readers know, that the noble purpose of this Blog, is to promote 'The Glorious Cultural Heritage of India' worldwide, to every nook & corner of the planet, and I would immensely love to see every single one of us, of Indian origin, passionately participating in this Mega-Project. I am right now in the process of adding the web-links to the sources of the innumerable images in this Blog. Till the work reaches completion, I would request the readers to use 'Google Image Search' to trace the source / multiple sources of these images on the web. The rich text contents througout this blog are based on well-researched aggregated and curated content from innumerable sources. But mostly and most importantly, these contents are based on my own personal experience of untiringly exploring the glorious cultural heritage India, and the ageless timeless ethnic arts, crafts, textiles, temples etc of the whole of India, during my stay across the length and breadth of this vast expansive Indian subcontinent for more than 5 decades of my long adventurous life. I have expressed my deepest gratitude to all the text sources on the 'World-Wide-Web', that have hugely contributed and added to my existing database of knowledge on this subject, by inserting appropriate hyperlinks throughout this blog, to connect my ardent readers from across the globe, to these rich sources of information on India's heritage. So Long, Mala Chandrashekhar )
( Disclaimer : All images featured in this Blog-post, are the property of their respective owners. Our deepest sense of gratitude to all of them for making this gigantic project a reality. If you see your picture anywhere in this Blog and don't want it here, send us a message with the details and the link to the picture, and we will remove it right away. But at the outset, I just want to let my dearest readers know, that the noble purpose of this Blog, is to promote 'The Glorious Cultural Heritage of India' worldwide, to every nook & corner of the planet, and I would immensely love to see every single one of us, of Indian origin, passionately participating in this Mega-Project. I am right now in the process of adding the web-links to the sources of the innumerable images in this Blog. Till the work reaches completion, I would request the readers to use 'Google Image Search' to trace the source / multiple sources of these images on the web. The rich text contents througout this blog are based on well-researched aggregated and curated content from innumerable sources. But mostly and most importantly, these contents are based on my own personal experience of untiringly exploring the glorious cultural heritage India, and the ageless timeless ethnic arts, crafts, textiles, temples etc of the whole of India, during my stay across the length and breadth of this vast expansive Indian subcontinent for more than 5 decades of my long adventurous life. I have expressed my deepest gratitude to all the text sources on the 'World-Wide-Web', that have hugely contributed and added to my existing database of knowledge on this subject, by inserting appropriate hyperlinks throughout this blog, to connect my ardent readers from across the globe, to these rich sources of information on India's heritage. So Long, Mala Chandrashekhar )
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