Madur Grass Crafts – Bengal’s Pride

The word ‘Madur’ is a generic word for floor mats. Mats are an integral part of the Bengali lifestyle. Madur is a tradition and pride of Medinipur. The origin of the craft in West Bengal dates back to the Muslim period when ‘Masland’ mats of superfine variety with cotton as weft were produced under royal patronage.

The Fiber

Madurkathi is a rhizome-based plant that is found abundantly in the alluvial tracts of Purba and Paschim Medinipur due to their weather conditions.

The Weavers

There are around 6000 artisans in Purba and Paschim Medinipur. Mat weaving is the only source of income for most weavers. Around 74% of the weavers make hand-woven mats and the remaining develop loom-based products.

Earlier the craftsmen used vegetable dyes but later moved on to Azo-free dyes to add different colors to the weave. The process involves cutting sticks, making appropriate bunches, mixing colors in proportion, soaking the sticks in the dye, and drying them in the sun.

Handweaving starts with the painstaking process of preparation of raw materials by arranging the soft reeds and cotton or jute thread on a bamboo loom as weft and warp. The weaving process requires two people. One to place the reeds from left to right by placing one thread on top of another. The other person does the same in the other direction. When both meet at the finish line, the threads are reversed to continue the process. Installed looms called ‘char dhap’ (4 steps) are operated by a single person.

Looms produce large mats and are tailored to the actual size of the product. The popular designs on Masland mats are flowers, honeycomb (mouchak), Rhomboidal (barfi), and cascading (jharna). We present a wide range of eco-friendly, soft, intricate mats in the form of foldable floor mats, table mats, coasters, runners, letter holders, shopping bags, and hats.