Punjab - Khes Weave
- Nidhi Shegokar
- Aug 28, 2023
- 2 min read
Throughout generations, women in Punjab, India, have woven the khes as a vital part of their trousseau, to be taken to their future homes. With vibrant, harmonious, and creative colour patterns, the khes serves as a coverlet for sleeping.
The khes is a traditional floor spread and bed covering, primarily crafted from cotton. Thinner khes are used as bed covers in winter, while thicker ones serve as shawls. It's a household craft predominantly woven by women for their daughters' dowries.
Historically, weaving is believed to have originated from mat-making, displaying simple geometric designs. Khes, developed during the Mughal era, fulfilled the need for cotton blankets. Before the influx of machine-made goods from Europe, cotton industries in Pakistan towns like Gambat, Hala, Nasarpur, Thatta, and Karachi excelled in handloom production.
Cotton's abundant growth in the Punjab and Sindh plains led to its use in various textiles, including clothing and furnishings. Khes retains its traditional geometric patterns, woven using twill or plain weave on a pit loom. The main field features repeating diamond, triangle, or polyhedron patterns within squares. End borders are typically white, combining narrow and broad stripes.
Khes sets consist of four pairs woven end-to-end and stitched together for the desired width. Popular colours include deep yellow, red, black, blue, and green. Khes weaving is a cherished household craft, often passed down from elder women to younger generations to preserve the tradition. Due to sentimental attachment, women rarely sell their woven khes, keeping it largely unknown outside their communities.
Khes, a resilient tradition, symbolises deep family bonds. Woven with care, the khes becomes a lifelong possession passed on as part of a bride's dowry. This textile signifies both the daughter and the mother's love, symbolically infused with life.