Chettinad Kottan of Tamil Nadu

The Chettinad Kottans were originally palm-leaf baskets woven in the Chettinad region.  This hand-woven basket is woven from strips of palm leaf in the traditional, very distinctive weave pattern. Chettinad basketry has been noted for its unique style and colours. The raw material used is the locally available palm leaf. The process of making the basket involves harvesting of palm leafs, storage, dyeing and weaving. The traditional kottans were used mainly for packaging and as containers for gifts and other articles.