Chindi Dhurries of Maharashtra

The chindi dhurries are so named as the weft strips are created by shredding of cotton fabric or leather strips termed as chindi. A striking feature of the dhurrie is its warp is spun cotton yarn while weft is unspun cotton (chindi) that gives dhurrie a striped look. The Chindi dhurries are identifiable by their characteristic stripes in bold solid colours of red, blue, green and purple etc. The chindi dhurries are now mostly produced in Maharashtra and also in Uttar Pradesh. The raw cotton yarn is procured from Delhi and Agra. The dhurrie making process is flexible and the horizontal loom can be adjusted to make large or small dhurries. The adaptability of the dhurrie weaving process has led to many inventions. Now dhurries are also woven in interesting geometric patterns with bright colours.

The art of chindi dhurrie is similar to Panja dhurrie weaving as it uses the same tool (panja) to keep the yarns tight while weaving. The warp is stretched between the two horizontal beams, which can be adjusted according to the size of dhurrie required. The chindi is inserted in the warp yarns with fingers according to pattern on graph. Dhurrie can easily be reproduced in many sizes and colours.

Dhurrie weaving in Maharashtra has come out as an important economic activity. These dhurries most commonly adorn the living rooms and bed rooms and find very important use in the prayer rooms.