Kathmandu to Varanasi – The Rug Making Capital of India
From Kathmandu onto Varanasi on the banks of the River Ganges.
According to legend, the city was founded by Lord Shiva, several thousand years ago. It is believed to be the oldest city in the world and the most important pilgrimage site for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. Bathing in the Ganges cleanses you of sin and liberate you the cycle of life and death. Pilgrims immerse the ashes of their relatives in the Ganges water, allowing them to pass onto heaven.
Varanasi is also the rug making capital of India and this is another place where our vibrant contemporary rugs are being made. Here are some of the steps in solved in the Indian hand tufted After Matisse rugs:
The Nepalese rug making process
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Wool /silk quality is selected and then dyed by our skilled dye master. The dyed wool is dried in the sun and made into balls ready for weaving. Weaving is done at the loom – the average amount woven per day is 10cm (at 100 knots) – 60 knots is quicker.
Finishing:
Once the rug is woven it is washed over and over again in mountain stream and rainwater to clean it and soften the fibres. The rug is then stretched and dried in the sun (not so easy during July & August – the rainy season). Final finishing – carving and stitching the edges and removing imperfections is a skilled and lengthy process.
Kathmandu City & the Kathmandu Valley in the foothills of the Himalyas Nepal
