Wonders of Handloom

• A machine or device, which is used for weaving or interlacing two sets of yarn and thread into fabrics.
• The longitudinal (length wise) yarn is called warp (tana) which is interlaced with horizontal (breadth wise ) yarn called weft (Bana).
• The twisted warp threads are held in the loom under pressure to enable the progress of the interweaving of the weft strands.
• Each thread in the warp passes through a heddle, which is used to separate the warp threads for the passage of the weft.
• The heddle is made of cord or wire and is suspended on a shaft of a loom.
• Each heddle has an eye in the center. where the warp is threaded through.
• Each shaft or harness controls a set of threads.
• Raising or lowering several shafts at the same time gives a huge variety of possible gaps, through which the shuttle containing the weft thread can be thrown.
• Reed is a metallic comb, which is fixed to Sley with a Reed cap. The stick of Reed is called Split and the space between two-wire is known as Dent.
• Reed of two types (i) Bamboo Reed and (ii) Steel or Brass Reed.

• Simplest type of loom
• Made from few pieces of bamboo or wood
• One end is tied to a tree or pillar
• Weight of the weaver is used to create tension and facilitate weaving
• Common to the tribal households of the Northeastern sates
• Each woman has her own loom and weave her own dress
• Usually of narrow width
• Non-commercial, domestic use
• Store house of design
• Efforts for diversifying use

• Pit loom is mounted on a wooden frame, made of wooden planks. The weaver seats at the ground level, with his legs below in a pit .
• Costs relatively less and hence affordable.
• Low height of the house in the rural area enable the weavers to fix designing devices above it.

• Made of wooden planks
• Has proper arrangement fo lseating of the weaver at a raised level
• Keeping legs are at the ground level
• Sturdy, convenient, costs more
• Fixing of designing device lbecomes easy

• Semiautomatic loom, sturdy construction, made of iron and wood, commonly used in Bengal
• Principal characteristic-in its beating up take up and let off motion
• For beat up, two wheels upon the top shaft connect the slay at two ends with two levers
• A five wheel positive take-up motion has been adopted to regulate pics per inch
• Shedding & picking motion in this loom work as fly shuttle loom.
• Production rate is high.

A part of the glorious tradition and culture.
Each region having handloom with its unique features represents “Unity in Diversity” is of enormous socio-economic significance.
Looms – 23.77 lakh (2019)

• 87% in rural area

• 77%women

• mostly loin looms for personal use / domestic
• 95%of world’s handlooms are in India
• 15,000 cooperative societiesProduction 7,990 million sq. Meters (2018-19)

Geographical Regions –

Handloom is practices by weavers living in geographical clusters. Major centre of Handloom production in Odisha located on either sides of the River Mahanadi

• Sonepur,
• Baragarh,Sambalpur,
• Kalahandi
• Maniabandh,Nuapatna,
• Jagatsingpur
• SouthBerhampur- know as the Silk city
• Gopalpurof Cuttack tassar weaving
• Kotpadof Korpaut – tribal design with natural dyes

Handloom fabrics – types

• Resistdyed – Tie & dye (Bandha)
• Extrawarp and extra weft
• Painted
• Printed

Comprised of Seven states namely Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and Mizoram

Commonly described as “Land of Seven Sisters “ because of

• their being a part of the contiguous geographic region and
• Interdependence on each other,
• similarities in the political, social and economic spheres notwithstanding ethnic and religious diversity

Formed under The North Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 Sikkim was added to NER in 1987

• Making NER a group of eight states in the north eastern part of India

NER has its unique features –

• Not only for its location- geographically isolated ( separated from the mainland by erstwhile East Pakistan now Bangladesh)
• But also culture, tradition, music, dance, religion, festivals as well as
• Wide and diverse range of hand-women fabrics ( handloom) with color and designs specific to each region and tribes .