Morpankhi -Details

Yarns made from the feathers of peacocks have been used in rare, richly brocaded fabrics called Gyasar, for ceremonial clothing and the decoration of monasteries in the Buddhist Himalayas. Such yarns are interspersed with patterns of flowering vines and meanders, to create highly ornamental textiles, which befit their offering, further, as objects of worship. With the Visvakarma commissions attempting interventions in various Schools of hand weaving in Varanasi — from the Tanchoi to the Jamdani — the Gyasar itself was seen for its potential to create heavy weight fabrics for luxury furnishings and couture. The natural iridescence of peacock feathers is both complemented in its rarity of material by the use of silver yarn here, as it is contrasted through colour.