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Khes

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A stout cloth used for bedding and wrap (shawl)
Khes (a kind of thick blanket, it is a handoom damask cloth) used in bedding in Pakistan and northwest India.
For other uses, see Khes (disambiguation).

Khes (Punjabi: Shahmukhi:کھیس, Gurmukhi:ਖੇਸ੍) (Punjabi pronunciation: [kʰeːsː]) is a thick cotton blanket cloth in the Indian subcontinent; it is a damask cloth used for blankets and winter wraps.[1][2] Khes is generally hand-woven with coarse cotton yarns. Khes as a garment is a simple clothing item to wear loosely to cover the upper body by men in Pakistan and northwest India. Khes is an important cloth in the Sindh[3][4] and Punjab,[5] regions which are famous for its production and historically has been known for not only the production of Khes but also many other coarse cotton textiles, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries.[6][7] Khes is a comfort object used in bedding, and is also usable as a cover.[8][9][10][11][12][13]

Khes weaving

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Weave

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Khes is a thick woven cloth made on a handloom. Khes weaving was a traditional textile art associated with rural Punjab. The craft of khes-weaving had cultural significance in rural areas.[14][15] Women in villages used to weave khes.[16] Women in the villages of Punjab have been weaving khes as part of their wedding trousseau for years.[17][18]

Spans of khes were traditionally woven in pairs and then stitched together.[19] Khes pieces from the town of Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, were larger and available in sizes of up to 6 by 9 feet (2.75 by 1.8 m).[20]

Khesi [21] is a wider variant of khes, for use in making sheets.[1]

Patterns

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Most khes were made of cotton, but there were also some varieties of cotton and silk.[22][23] Khes varieties were distinguished by different weave patterns and origins. Primarily, Khes were plain or with geometrical designs, including check pattern (charkhana, chequered) and diamond patterns.[9] The frequency of the checkered style has led to khes sometimes being referred to as a type of tartan cloth[5] (a term more often reserved for Scottish textiles). Dabba khes is a pattern with squares formed using dyed yarns.[24][25] Khes from Rampur State was famous for its superior-quality cotton and unique, interwoven patterns, often with gold thread and borders in various coloured yarns.[26][27] Khes patpatti had white and red check patterns, while khes tukridaar was the name for white and blue checks.[28] Khesbaf weaving was the term for forming diagonal patterns.[28]

Production

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India

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Production in India takes place in the Malwa region and the southern Indian Punjab.[29] Other places in India include Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.[20][26][27]

Pakistan

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Production in Pakistan takes place in South Pakistani Punjab (in the city of Bahawalpur, Multan, and in the villages of the Cholistan Desert)[30] and Sindh (in the city of Naserpur, Sehwan Sharif, and Thatta)[31][32][33][34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Tortora, Phyllis G.; Johnson, Ingrid (2013-09-17). The Fairchild Books Dictionary of Textiles. A&C Black. pp. 327, 357, 361. ISBN 978-1-60901-535-0.
  2. ^ Mukharji, T. N. (1888). Art-manufactures of India. Gerstein - University of Toronto. Calcutta. p. 323.
  3. ^ IVS, Textile Resource Centre (2020-12-28). "CRAFTS OF SINDH". Agha Hasan Abedi Textile Resource Centre, Department of Textile Design, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  4. ^ "Traditional weaving: Rain hampers last day of exhibition". The Express Tribune. 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
  5. ^ a b "The Lost Tartan Khes of India – Global InCH- International Journal of Intangible Cultural Heritage". Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  6. ^ Parshad, Gopal (2007). Industrial Development in Northern India: A Study of Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, 1858-1918. National Book Organisation. ISBN 978-81-87521-20-4.
  7. ^ Punjab (India) (2000). Punjab State Gazetteer. Revenue and Rehabilitation Department, Punjab. pp. 299, 566.
  8. ^ A. BISWAS. Indian Costumes.
  9. ^ a b Baden-Powell, Baden Henry (1872). Hand-book of the Manufactures & Arts of the Punjab: With a Combined Glossary & Index of Vernacular Trades & Technical Terms ... Forming Vol. Ii to the "Hand-book of the Economic Products of the Punjab" Prepared Under the Orders of Government. Punjab printing Company. pp. 6, 16, 22.
  10. ^ Rutnagur, Sorabji M. (1984). The Indian Textile Journal. Business Press. p. 139.
  11. ^ Industries, Pakistan Ministry of; Yacopino, Feliccia (1977). Threadlines Pakistan. Ministry of Industries, Government of Pakistan.
  12. ^ Askari, Nasreen; Crill, Rosemary; Museum, Victoria and Albert (1997). Colours of the Indus: Costume and Textiles of Pakistan. M. Holberton. pp. 12, 88, 142. ISBN 978-1-85894-044-1.
  13. ^ "India" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 14 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 375 to 421.
  14. ^ Gupta, Suchitra (1973). "THE BRITISH IMPACT ON THE INDIGENOUS COTTON TEXTILE INDUSTRY OF THE PUNJAB 1875 to 1885". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 34: 122–128. ISSN 2249-1937. JSTOR 44138701.
  15. ^ "The Khes of Punjab". Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  16. ^ Askari, Nasreen; Crill, Rosemary (1997). Colours of the Indus: Costume and Textiles of Pakistan. M. Holberton. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-85894-045-8.
  17. ^ "The Khes of Punjab". gaatha.com. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  18. ^ "Sangrur | How this entrepreneur is helping empower rural women through handicraft". Hindustan Times. 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
  19. ^ Arts and Crafts of Pakistan. Export Promotion Bureau, Government of Pakistan. 1994. p. 47.
  20. ^ a b Pradesh (India), Uttar (1959). Uttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Allahabad. Government of Uttar Pradesh. p. 133.
  21. ^ "Punjabi Dressing | Coloursofpunjab". 2015-05-03. Archived from the original on 2015-05-03. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  22. ^ Askari, Nasreen (1999). Uncut cloth. Internet Archive. London : Merrell Holberton. pp. 84, 90. ISBN 978-1-85894-083-0.
  23. ^ Watt, George Sir; Brown, Percy (Illus ) (1903). Indian Art at Delhi, 1903; being the Official Catalogue of the Delhi Exhibition, 1902-1903. Superintendent of Government Printing (Calcutta). p. 528.
  24. ^ Punjab District and State Gazetteers: Part A]. Compiled and published under the authority of the Punjab government. 1916. p. 196.
  25. ^ Proceedings - Punjab History Conference. 2003. p. 103. ISBN 978-81-7380-885-2.
  26. ^ a b Gazetteer of the Rampur State. W.C. Abel, Government Press, United Provinces. 1911. p. 34.
  27. ^ a b Mukhopādhyāẏa, Trailokyanātha (1888). Art-manufactures of India: Specially Compiled for the Glasgow International Exhibition, 1888. Superintendent of Government Printing. p. 321.
  28. ^ a b Baden-Powell, Baden Henry (1872). Hand-book of the Manufactures & Arts of the Punjab: With a Combined Glossary & Index of Vernacular Trades & Technical Terms ... Forming Vol. Ii to the "Hand-book of the Economic Products of the Punjab" Prepared Under the Orders of Government. Punjab printing Company. p. 16.
  29. ^ Harris, Jennifer (2020-09-16). A Companion to Textile Culture. John Wiley & Sons. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-118-76890-7.
  30. ^ Claus, Peter J.; Diamond, Sarah; Mills, Margaret Ann (2003). South Asian Folklore: An Encyclopedia – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Taylor & Francis. p. 394. ISBN 978-0-415-93919-5.
  31. ^ Industries, Pakistan Ministry of; Yacopino, Feliccia (1977). Threadlines Pakistan. Ministry of Industries, Government of Pakistan. pp. 60, 63.
  32. ^ Arts and Crafts of Pakistan. Export Promotion Bureau, Government of Pakistan. 1994. p. 40.
  33. ^ Sind Quarterly. Shah Abdul Latif Cultural Society. 1994.
  34. ^ Fanthorpe, Helen, ed. (2020). Insight Guides Pakistan (eBook ed.). Apa Publications. "Textiles" section. ISBN 9781839052583. Retrieved 4 December 2020 – via Google Books.
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