Masland Weavers
Weavers of Medinipur2018
Banglanatak
Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Masland weavers are scattered in different blocks of Purba & Paschim Medinipur. Sabang has the largest concentration of these weavers and is known for their intrinsic weaving skills of Mataranchi / Masland. In Purba Medinipur, villages of Moyna, Bhagawanpur-I, Patashpur –I, Egra-I, Egra-II, Contai-I, Ramnagar-I, Ramnagar-II, and in Paschim Medinipur, villages of Pingla, Narayangarh and Sabang are known for this Madur craft. The marketing of the craft is generally done by the male members of the community but the weaving process is dominated by the women of the household. Masland weaving involves an intricate art of calculation and geometric understanding of patterns.
- Title: Masland Weavers
- Creator: Weavers of Medinipur
- Date Created: 2018
- Location: Purba & Paschim Medinipur
- Subject Keywords: Crafts, Madur, Madurkathi, Masland, Craftspersons, Natural-fibre, Mat-weaving, Artists, Bengal
- Rights: Banglanatak.com
- About the craft: Masland or Mataranchi is an exclusive and expensive handmade variety of Madur made with intricate weaving skills by weavers of Sabang in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. The origin of the craft in West Bengal dates back to the Muslim period, when ‘Masland’ mats of superfine variety with fine cotton as weft were produced under royal patronage. Mats were collected as revenue of the Jaigirdari system. In 1744, Nawab Alibardi Khan issued a charter to the Jaigirdars in this regard and as a result, it was obligatory to supply ‘Masland’ mats for use in the collectorate. The traditional mat making families still retain the knowledge of weaving this fine variety of exclusive mats locally known as Masland or Mataranchi.
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