Handmade in India

PULA CHAPPAL - GRASS FOOTWEAR
KULLU SHAWLS
LEATHER SHOES MADE OF
cowhide were considered
inappropriate for treading on the
soil of Himachal Pradesh,
regarded as the land of the gods
and consequently the sacred
grass of shale (cannabis or
bhang) were used to make the
traditional footwear of the
Paharis, the pula chappal. These
lightweight shoes and slippers
are worn during religious
ceremonies, within temple
precints and to walk on snow.
Dried trips of cannabis grass or buckwheat stem are converted
into rope-like form and then strengthened by a process of
twisting and stretching it. Five loops in increasing or
decreasing size a relation to the toes are made from the
prepared rope. Each rope is then tightened around the junction
point of a T-shaped tool that is rotated at great speed while
holding the base of its Khaitadu, stem. The body of the
chappal is made by inter-twining very fine threads of grass
spun on a takli, spindle. In some instances, a decorative shoe
upper is created with a blanket stitch and contrasting colours
of wool. A simple system of hand measures is used to make
different sizes. Today, although the craft is chiefly practiced in
Chad (a village near Banjar), the market for the pula chappal
has spread to Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
Inset A craftsperson
finishing a chappal.
1. A slip-on
variation of the
traditional pula
chappal, the sole
is constructed
using the weft
twining
technique.
2. A pair of
Chappal with
coloured yarns
stitched onto a
pula grass sole
Production Clusters
Kullu district:
Banjar
Chad Village
Products
Chappal-footwear
Tools
Takli-drop spindle
Khaitadu-a T-shaped
spindle
THE HIGH ALTITUDE climate of Himachal Pradesh, woo
from locallu reared sheep and goat, the ease of procuring high
quality pashmina wool from Tibet have made weaving and
spinning important domestic industries, which have now
region, the textiles woven for a local consumption use
pashmina and three types of indigenous wool-byangi (from
the Kinnaur the lamb) and deshkar ( a coarse wool made at
kullu). Merino wool is used for making commercially
produced shawls and is imported from the plains, mainly
from Ludhiana in Punjab.The chief products are the famous
kullu shawls-the twill-woven body in the grey,off-white,fawn
or brown shades of natural wool and the tapestry woven
borders in multicoloured geometrical forms. These shawls are
used as draped garments; those worn
1 A Kullu
woman dressed
in a pattu, the
traditional
wrapped lower
garment worn
in the region.
2 A detail of a
Kullu Shawls`
border, the
swastika and
other geometric
forms wovens
in the weftfaced
tapesty.
by the women are called pattu and those used by the men are
called chandru. Although now associated exclusively with
Kullu, the technique of combing a twill-weave base with a
border of tapestry woven vegetable dyed wool originated in
Kinnaur. With the migration of the Bhushahra community of
Kinnaur to the Kullu valley, this technique of shawl weaving
and the Tibetan inspired geometric motifs of the Kinnauri
Shawls` borders were brought to kullu.The Kinnaur style has
largely replaced the chequered shawls that were previously
made in Kullu while the pattus worn daily still have a
chequered body of black and white and a single border;those
worn on festive occasions have plain bodies embellished with
woven motifs that run along their length and three borders.
Today, the vegetable dyed yarns have been replaced with
chemically dyed acrylic yarns in bright shades of red, yellow,
orange, pink, blue and green.
Production Clusters
Kullu district:
Manali
Bhuntar
Nagrota Baghwan
Aut
Kotsanor
Kullu town:
Bashing Village
Dobhi Village
Mohal Village
Mandi:
Panarsa
Nagwain
Bilaspur District:
Panthera
Chamba Town:
Dogra Bazaar
Kinnaur
Kangra
Shimla
Products
Pattu-wrap
Dhoru-blanket
Shawls
Mufflers
Loi-blanket
Caps
Tools
Frame treadle loom
Shuttle
Charkha-spinning
wheel
Needle