BASKETRY
Type : Folk Craft Form
Raw Material Used : Palm, Bamboo, Cane, Grasses, Reeds And Fibers
Main Centres : Dharampuri, Salem, Coimbatore, South Arcot And Tiruchirapalli Districts
Tamil Nadu is known for its cane weaving
and palm leaf products, including trays, flower baskets, shopping bags,
folding fans etc. Toys and dolls are also produced from grass, bamboo and
cane.
The Kora grass mats produced in the village of Pattamadai in Tirunelveli
are very famous. Kora grass, which grows in abundance locally along the
banks of the rivers in marshy areas is the material used for making fine
Pattamadai mats.
Raw Materials
While palm is a major source of raw material for basketry and related
products, bamboo, cane, grasses, reeds and fibres are also used in making
baskets, ropes, mats and many other items.
Types Of Basketwork
Basketwork is mainly of two kinds, coiled and plated. The former requires
two elements, the coil or core and the sewing and wrapping strips, while
the latter is made by crossing the warp and the weft, in chequered, twill
intertwined or hexagonal work.
Main Centres
The main centres of these crafts are Dharampuri, Salem, Coimbatore, South
Arcot and Tiruchirapalli
districts. The demand for Tamil Nadu's artistically
created basketry and fibre products is on the increase both in India and
abroad.
