Plants in Himalayan arts & crafts

Posted by: Admin Pragya
Posted On: 22-Aug-2012

The plants of the Western Himalayan region have been used, either directly or indirectly, in the arts and crafts of the region. In the case of grass mats, this use has been direct; while in the making of other woven crafts of the region wool, plants and plant derivatives have been indirectly used, for instance, in the wooden looms on which these crafts are woven and the vegetable dyes obtained from leaves, roots and flowers of different plants are used to make these crafts look bright and attractive. 

Adding some colour!
People of this region have been using the native plants as dyes. Some of the species used include Rheum dahlia, Rheum australe, Tagets indica (marigold), and Arnebia euchroma. Rheum australe yields an orange dye; while Arnebia euchroma yields a bright red dye. Walnut peels are also used and yield a yellow dye. A grass called ‘Yumbok’ is used in Nubra to yield an extract that is used as a base though, not as a dye itself.
These plant dyes were used in colouring fabric, foodstuff and various other objects; in earlier days, murals that decorated the walls of monasteries and palaces were also painted using plant based dyes.

Weaving Fabric
Pattu, the rough, warm, woollen material used for clothing is made from locally produced wool, spun by women on drop-spindles, and woven by traditional weavers on portable wooden looms that are set up in the winter sunshine or under the shade of a tree in summer.

Woodwork
Woodwork is confined largely to the production of pillars and carved lintels for the houses and the low carved tables or Chog-tse that are a feature of every Ladakhi living room.  The woods are painted with bright colours and often patterns are carved on the wood. Dragons and demon faces are common among these motifs. Almost all monasteries and some private houses have traditional wooden bookshelves with separate shelf for each wood bound book.

Also from the ‘Greens’
Baskets, used for the transport of any kind of burden, are woven out of willow twigs or a particular variety of grass. In Ladakh, the fresh branches of Ephedra gerardiana (Buchchur or Somlata) are also used as toothbrushes, as are Salix (Changma) twigs. The dried twigs of Ephedra gerardiana are used as firewood for providing warmth through the intensely cold winters. Many species are also used as cosmetics. For instance, the milky fluid or latex derived from the hollow stems of Taraxacum officinale (Sarkhen mendok) is used by girls for beautification purpose.

Posted on: 27-Aug-2012