Enchanting Kerala

KERALA TOURISM NEWSLETTER

Chendamangalam – The Handloom Village of Kerala

Reflecting the long legacy of Kerala’s handloom industry, Chendamangalam is a beautiful village gifted with master craftspersons adept at handloom production. The ancient handloom village with GI tagging in the Ernakulam district is regarded as a region that produces the best quality fabric in Kerala. The Chendamangalam weavers are experts in producing authentic Kerala attires such as the ‘set-mundu’, a two-piece outfit, as well as the kasavu saree for weddings, and the common bath towel named ‘thorthu’.  

Renowned for its Puliyilakkara borders, these Chendamangalam sarees are now woven with a combination of contemporary motifs in order to be in sync with the current age. The region has prospered as the handloom center of the Devang Chettiar community since the 17th century. The story of Chendamangalam handlooms officially began at the Paliam Palace when a trader from the Chaliyan lineage presented the finest fabric to the king.  It "grew into a brand" over time, and hundreds of people began to work in this industry.

Making this product requires a lot of skill and time. It involves the spinning of thread from unprocessed cotton or silk fibres, which is subsequently used to weave cloth on a handloom. After that, they are pounded with a wooden rod to arrange the layers of thread. Clothes are woven using conventional weaving machinery with the thread brought to the loom.

Contact
DTPC Ernakulam
Ph: +91 484 236 7334

Getting There
Nearest Airport: Cochin International Airport, about 21.4 km
Nearest Railway Station: Ernakulam Town Railway Station, about 30 km