Asian Geographic - April 2018

Strands of red and yellow thread sway in the

wind as they dry on clotheslines along the

roadside. Qur’anic verses blare over speakers.

Muslim artisans are hard at work, knee-deep

in buckets of dyeing chemicals – sans

protective gear.

For generations, the families of

Khanjahanpur and Alhaadganj – two villages

near the town of Lalgopalganj in the Indian

state of Uttar Pradesh – have been making

kalava, an object intimately familiar with

the wrists of thousands of Hindus across

India and Nepal. Also called raksha or mauli,

this nondescript thread bracelet is tied for

devotees during religious ceremonies, and

From artisans in two rural Indian villages come a

huge share of the Hindu world’s sacred bracelets

A Dyeing Art

HANDMADE HOLINESS

below An artisan in

Khanjahanpur village,

Allahabad, dyeing

kalava threads

This nondescript

thread bracelet is tied

for devotees during

religious ceremonies,

and counted among the

holiest of talismans

Text Sirsendu Gayen

counted among the holiest of talismans. First

mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharata,

the bracelet is thought to give its wearer pure

thoughts, long life and protection against

their enemies.

PHOTO © SIRSENDU GAYEN

arts