Rugs & Mats

In India, the floor coverings have evolved with a great deal of imagination and aesthetic sense. Manufacturers have introduced elements of subtlety and sophistication in the rugs, by using the palest of colors in the most complicated geometrical designs.

Traditional rugs are pileless cotton woven in a single color, with or without a contrast border or in stripes of different colors and varying thickness. Chain stitched rugs are made on a hessian base with an additional lining of gunny sack cloth. Skillfully stitched rugs serve as floor coverings, wall decorations and mattresses. They are used as horse and camel saddles and wall hangings besides traditional floor coverings.

The chattai or grass mat is an indispensable part of an Indian household. India produces coir mats with improvised uses of coir, to even make mattresses. Mats are also made of wheat or rice straw, weeds and fine sliced bambooThe mats have a fine upper layer and a coarse bottom one, and are stitched at the edges. Rolled and made to stand upright in a corner, when not in use, the chattai is used as an instant sitting space. Mats in India are even made of wheat or rice straw, weeds and fine sliced bamboo. Madder grass is collected, immersed in water and woven into mats in its natural red colour, in Bengal and Assam.

Screwpine, two ply mats are the speciality of Kerala. The kora grass rush mats of South India, are very famous. In Tamil Nadu, kora grass is used to make exceptionally fine mats. Uttar Pradesh specializes in prayer mats, commonly known as the janamaz durries.

In the South, Coimbatore is famous for Bhawani durries and in Salem, both silk and cotton durries are made. The popular durries of Warangal in Andhra Pradesh are called shatrangis. In Maharashtra, Sholapur durries are also well known.