When people talk of textiles of Northeast India, it is rarely the textiles of Meghalaya that will be first brought into the conversation. Bold tribal textiles of Nagaland, Eri and Muga silk with floral motifs of Assam are well established on the textile map.
Some may know of the fine and compact Phanek embroidery and the Wangkhei Phee textiles of Manipur (using the same technique of Jamdani from West Bengal and Bangladesh), while textiles from Meghalaya are barely given a mention. While the state is more or less off the well-trodden textile trails of India, it has a rich, sincere and humble textile history.
For our collection Treasures from Meghalaya, we have borrowed design elements from the three major tribes of Meghalaya - Khasi, Garo and Jaintia - using various floral motifs and geometric patterns found on Dhara/Jainsen and Eking, the traditional attires of the tribal women of Meghalaya.
Made from: Pure silk, blend of Eri & white mulberry silk
Length: 5.5m (approx.), Width: 46" (approx.)
Blouse Length: 1m (approx.)
Number of man-hours to weave the saree: Approximately 120 hrs. (12-15 days)
Note: The blouse seen on the model is only for representation. Saree is paired with an unstitched blouse piece.