Traditional Saree Weaving

D’source 1
Digital Learning Environment for Design - www.dsource.in
Design Resource
Traditional Saree Weaving -
Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Prof. Bibhudutta Baral
NID Campus, Bengaluru
Source:
https://www.dsource.in/resource/traditional-saree-
weaving-agartala
1. Introduction
2. Tools and Raw Materials
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
D’source 2
Design Resource
Introduction
Agartala Handicrafts and handlooms of Tripura are unique and attractive. Tripuri has a skillful boon to create incompara-
ble handicrafts and handlooms. Their products are famous in and outside of Tripura. Due to modern practices,
Tripura Handicraft such traditional skill is being forgotten. Handlooms in Tripura are in every house since ancient times. In the olden
by days’ clothes required for the family members were almost woven by the women of the family. Thus buying any
Prof. Bibhudutta Baral clothes from the market was not so regular practice at that time. Though the family members have discarded
NID Campus, Bengaluru their traditional dress, the womenfolk continue to wear their traditional attire.
Tripuri women’s traditional wear consists of three parts. They are ‘risa’, ‘rikutu’ and ‘rignai’.
• Risa – t is a fabric used to cover the upper part of women. It covers the upper/chest part in two layers. It is
Source: around 1.5m long and 0.3-0.5m in width. Risa covers from the top and halfway to the navel. It is embellished with
numerous brilliant designs. Some such designs are kwchak pali, takhumtwi, khamjang, etc. Tripuri people cele-
weaving-agartala/introduction
brate the adolescent ceremony of a girl child known as ‘Risa Sormani’. On this particular occasion, 12-14 years old
girls are given Risa to wear for the first time, and all the relatives gather to worship Lampra god.
1. Introduction Both men and women use it as per the occasion. Men use it as their turban in festivals, marriages, etc. During
2. Tools and Raw Materials the winter season, it is used as a muffler by wrapping it around the neck. It is also tied to the waist over the dhoti
3. Making Process that gives strength and enables the status of the person. Young girls and boys of Tripura use it as a headscarf.
Risa is offered as a mark of honor to the guests, hung down over both the shoulders in front.
4. Products
5. Video • Rikutu – This fabric is used for covering the whole body of Tripuri women. This garment is worn in several ways.
6. Contact Details It can be draped around the whole body during the winter season. The other way to use it is to wear it like ‘Chun-
ri’ covering the chest part and hanging down from the shoulders towards the backside. The other way is to wear
it like the pallu of Indian saree, and it is wrapped around from waist through back to the front passing below
the armpit anti-clockwise by covering the chest region and is hung down over the left shoulder. Newly married
women especially wear it on their heads. In the olden days, Rikutu was available in only a few colours. But in the
present-day Rikutu is woven to match Rignai, so the apparel looks like the continuation of Rignai.
• Rignai – It is the garment used by women of Tripura. It is worn to cover the lower half part of the body. It is said
that the Indian saree has evolved through this Rignai. But Tripuri women wear it as their traditional saree. These
Rignais have varieties in designs. During the reign of Trilochana, nearly 240 designs were invented in Rignai.
The designs that are used today have a long history that dates back to 4000 years ago. Some of the designs are
chamthwibar, takhumtwi, mikhunchok, kuwaifang, khaklubar, etc. As women of the family wove these in their
houses in the olden days, looking at the designs of Rignai, women’s IQ was judged, and it also showcased her
intelligence.
D’source 3
Design Resource The standard size of Rignai is 1.6m in length and 1.2m in breadth. It is usually woven for about 3.2m long that is
Traditional Saree Weaving - further cut in two equal sizes, then the sides of the clothing are stitched to make it 1.2m in width. It is used as
Chandua on different occasions like weddings, betrothal, etc. Chandua is clothing that is spread in front of the
Agartala footstep of the main gate that is hanged down from the four poles above the head level. It is also used as a bed-
Tripura Handicraft sheet, carpet, and mat. These Rignais are also offered to the Tripuri people’s god.
by
Prof. Bibhudutta Baral Artisan Mr. Jharna Debarna of Tripura is well versed in weaving the traditional Tripura saree. His family is com-
NID Campus, Bengaluru pletely involved in the production of weaving products. These artisans use backstrap loom for weaving the
sarees. It is the traditional method followed by the artisan’s family to weave. It is an age-old loom that is simple
to assemble and very easy to operate. This loom is portable as it is not a permanent fixture and does not have a
heavy frame. Such loom is also called a ‘loin loom’. The artisans at this place spend 600rs-700rs for the materials
to weave an ordinary saree.
Source:
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
Traditional saree weavers, Mr. Jharna Debarna and his family.

D’source 4
Design Resource
Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Source:
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
Artisan showing traditional handmade saree. Artisan wears the red colour floral designed saree.
D’source 5
Design Resource
Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Source:
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
Artisan spinning the gold colour thread in the Manually aligned threads are in the weaving process.
fly-shuttle.
D’source 6
Design Resource
Tools and Raw Materials
Agartala The tools and raw materials used for weaving traditional Agartala sarees are as follows:
Tripura Handicraft • Backstrap Loom: This loom is a collection of various equipments like loom bar, tie, shed rod, heddle stick,
by backstrap, sword/beater, roll-up stick, and shuttle. This is used for weaving the sarees of Tripura in a traditional
Prof. Bibhudutta Baral method.
• Cotton Yarn: It is the basic material that is used for weaving the saree.
• Spindle: It is inserted in the fly shuttle to weave weft. The yarns are spun on it.
Source: • Spinning Wheel: Using this, the yarns are spun to the spindles/pirns.
weaving-agartala/tools-and-raw-materials
• Shuttles: These are used while weaving weft yarns.
• Warp Drum: Warp yarns are wound on the drum from the reel that eases the process of warping while weaving.
1. Introduction
2. Tools and Raw Materials • Dye: It is used for coloring the fabric that is being woven.
3. Making Process
• Hot Water: It is used for dyeing the yarns.
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
D’source 7
Design Resource
Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Source:
https://www.dsource.in/resource/traditional-saree- Backstraps is used in traditional saree weaving. Wooden spin wheel.
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
Weaving tools - Most of these tools are either made of Fly-shuttle loaded with thread.
Bamboo or Wood.
D’source 8
Design Resource
Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Source:
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products The red and green coloured threads are put to dry. Artisan is showing the traditional saree design’s graph
5. Video book.
6. Contact Details
Wooden bobbin loaded with thread.

D’source 9
Design Resource
Making Process
Agartala The art of weaving Tripura traditional saree gets initiated by the dyeing process. Water is boiled at a high tem-
perature, and the required colour is added to it. The water is stirred thoroughly to mix the colour well in water.
Tripura Handicraft Cotton yarns are soaked in cold water first and arranged on the rods. These yarns are held tight together and
by dipped thoroughly in coloured boiling water. Multiple times of dipping the yarns are done to spread the colour
Prof. Bibhudutta Baral uniformly. Once the yarns are dyed, they are taken out from the coloured boiling water and hung inside the room.
NID Campus, Bengaluru It is allowed to dry completely at room temperature.
Further, these yarns are used for weaving the traditional Tripura saree. The backstrap loom is used in Tripura for
weaving the saree. All the operations are done manually here. Warp yarns are cut as per the length of fabric and
fixed inappropriate tension. Two loops present in the ends of the back strap are attached to the notches of the
Source: front bar. In this sort of loom, all types of weaves can be woven. There are numerous possibilities to weave a vari-
ety of patterns. The backstrap is fixed to the weaver’s back, keeping their legs against the footrest. This footrest is
weaving-agartala/making-process
adjustable for maintaining the tension in the loom. Weaving in the backstrap loom consists of shedding motion,
picking motion, and beating motion.
1. Introduction The heddle stick is simultaneously lifted in the left hand; a circular bamboo bar is pressed down with the right
2. Tools and Raw Materials hand. Vertically the sword is placed in the shed, and the weft yarns passed from the right side using the right
3. Making Process hand through shuttle and picked up by the left hand. Through this sword, the weft is beaten, and the sword is
taken out. Thus the center shed is made, and the shuttle is passed from the left side to the right side. Again the
4. Products sword is placed to beat the weft yarn. This process is carried on repeatedly. When the weaving gets to begin, two
5. Video bamboo splits work. This process continues until the pattern is woven. Patterns like colourful stripes run in the
6. Contact Details direction of the warp, and the geometric motifs are woven in the direction of the weft. These patterns, designs,
and colouring all vary from tribe to tribe.
D’source 10
Design Resource Flow Chart:

Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Source:
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
D’source 11
Design Resource
Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Source:
https://www.dsource.in/resource/traditional-saree- Artisan cut the measured threads.
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
Artisan mix the red colour for the dyeing process. Dipping the thread reel in red colour.
D’source 12
Design Resource
Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Source:
https://www.dsource.in/resource/traditional-saree- The coloured threads are hanged to dry. The artisan attaches the dyed thread reel to the
weaving-agartala/making-process wooden spinning wheel.
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
Woman artisan spin the wheel and make the thread roll Artisan aliened the bamboo sticks and started knotting
with hand. the different colour threads for weaving.
D’source 13
Design Resource
Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Source:
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
The different colour threads are knotted in the loom. Traditional saree ready for weaving in the handloom.
D’source 14
Design Resource
Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Source:
https://www.dsource.in/resource/traditional-saree- Woman artisans engaged in the traditional design Artisan passing the bamboo fly-shuttle through the
weaving-agartala/making-process spinning process. middle of the wrapped threads.
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
Once the fly-shuttle is passed, the artisan starts to The final product of traditional saree.
beater to join the threads.
D’source 15
Design Resource
Products
Agartala The traditional sarees of Tripura are unique in their designs. They stand unique in its size and the way it is draped
among the Tripuri women compared to any other traditional Indian sarees. There are various designer sarees
Tripura Handicraft available. They are made of completely cotton yarns, and also sometimes, the zari is included in-between the
by cotton yarns. An ordinary saree costs around INR.800 - INR.1000, and a designer saree costs around INR.2000 –
Prof. Bibhudutta Baral INR.5000 in the market. A saree with the design named “phoolbodi” that spreads throughout the saree is the
NID Campus, Bengaluru costliest and also requires rigorous artistry to weave it. It takes nearly 17-20 days to weave this beautiful designer
saree.
Source:
weaving-agartala/products
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
Purple colour saree with the golden flower motif.

D’source 16
Design Resource
Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Source:
https://www.dsource.in/resource/traditional-saree- Half stripe and half plain designed traditional saree.
weaving-agartala/products
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
Blue colour saree with red and white colour stripes. Phoolbodi designed saree.
D’source 17
Design Resource
Video
Agartala
Tripura Handicraft
by
Source:
weaving-agartala/video
1. Introduction
3. Making Process
4. Products
5. Video
6. Contact Details
Traditional Saree Weaving - Agartala

D’source 18
Design Resource Contact Details

Agartala This documentation was done by Prof. Bibhudutta Baral at NID, Bengaluru.
Tripura Handicraft You can get in touch with him at bibhudutta[at]nid.edu

by
Prof. Bibhudutta Baral You can write to the following address regarding suggestions and clarifications:
Key Contacts:
Ms. Jharna Debarna
Dhariathal, Agartala,
Tripura, India
Source: Mobile: 8014694291
https://www.dsource.in/resource/traditional-saree- India
weaving-agartala/contact-details
Helpdesk Details:
Co-ordinator
1. Introduction Project e-kalpa
2. Tools and Raw Materials R & D Campus
National Institute of Design
3. Making Process #12 HMT Link Road, Off Tumkur Road
4. Products Bengaluru 560 022
5. Video India
6. Contact Details
Phone: +91 80 2357 9054
Fax: +91 80 23373086
Email: dsource.in[at]gmail.com

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D’source 1

Digital Learning Environment for Design - www.dsource.in

Traditional saree weavers, Mr. Jharna Debarna and his family.

Wooden bobbin loaded with thread.

Design Resource Flow Chart:

Purple colour saree with the golden flower motif.

Traditional Saree Weaving - Agartala

Design Resource Contact Details

Tripura Handicraft You can get in touch with him at bibhudutta[at]nid.edu

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