Rajasthan is a land of ripplingsand dunes, picturesque architecture, and majestic forts. Colorful, incrediblyattractive and yet simple state. Located in the south east of Rajasthan, on thebanks of river Chambal is 'Kota' a small district, which is infamous for itsexclusive and incredibly delicate Kota saris. Originally, these fabrics werewoven in Mysore, and hence were called 'Masuria'. Later, the weavers werebrought to Kota during the late 17th century, and the fabricsstarted gaining popularity. These fabrics are known as 'Masuria' in Kota and as 'Kotadoria' outside the state.

 

The 'Kota Doria':

 

'Doria' means thread. It iswoven from silk yarn and cotton in a different combination of warp and weft withan exclusive check pattern in the weave itself, which is known as 'khat'. Thekhats are present in the basic fabric itself, and are woven in a very skillfulway that the fabric looks transparent. This is a hallmark and a unique featureof the doria fabric, which has made it an exclusive handloom product.

 

The doria fabric can be made in aseries of steps. First is the 'Pre Loom' process, where a traditional processis followed to spin the yarn. Under this process of weaving, peg warping andbrush sizing is done. Rice paste and onion juice is applied to the yarn so asto make it strong. Then is the application of dyes. Dyes are mixed in properproportion by traditional dyers to give a contemporary look to the fabrics.Mostly vegetable or vat dyes are used making the process eco friendly. Thefinal step is 'Design and Weaving', where weaving is generally done through pitlooms using the shuttle technique. The designs are made in the cloth using Jacquards,or dobbys. Dobby is used for ground motifs and pallus, while jacquards are usedfor making exquisite borders on the saris. This handicraft provides living formore than 2,500 weaver families working on pit hand looms.

 

Kota Doria at thespotlight of Fashion:

 

A wide range of fashionablegarments like saris, suits, stoles, scarves, and furnishings are made with thisfabric. The delicate and porous nature of the fabric makes it more convenientfor surface ornamentation techniques like batik, tie-and-dye, embroidery, andappliqué work. Today, both Indian and international fashion designers aredepicting a range of Kota Doria products in their collections. These fabricshave paved their way into the ramp shows as well. Bibi Russel, a model andfashion designer, whose name is well known in the European fashion world, hasbuilt an international reputation for these fabrics. She has displayed hercollections designed with the Kota Doria fabric, which has earned a global famefor the fabric. This also proves that fashion can also be used as a means ofsocio economic transformation for the poorer sections of the society.

 

The magical land of Rajasthan is bestowed with several captivating features since time immemorial. Kota Doria wovenwith the 'magical fingers' by the craftsman of Rajasthan is now one of thefavorite choices of fashionist, with its demand growing in the domestic and theinternational market.

 

References:

 

  1. &sec=article&uinfo=<%=server.URLEncode(1697)%>" target="_blank">http://www.craftandartisans.com
  2. &sec=article&uinfo=<%=server.URLEncode(1697)%>" target="_blank">http://kota.nic.in/ind.htm
  3. &sec=article&uinfo=<%=server.URLEncode(1697)%>" target="_blank">http://kotadoria.com/