Korai Mats and Their Unique Features

The Korai Mat weaving craft is a customary skill of the people in southern part of Tamil Nadu, India. This is traditional craft which involves both men and women of the villages. All these mats are made from natural fiber obtained from korai grass which are aquatic perennials grown locally for the purpose of manufacturing mat. Researchers have been shown that the korai mats do have lot of benefits when compared to other type of sleeping mats. Based on texture, the Korai mats may be broadly divided into three categories.




Benefits of Korai Mat




Korai Mat Production Stages

Generally the mat weaving process is time consuming and requires effort.

Most fine mats take around a week to weave whereas it takes about nearly four weeks to weave a super-fine mat. The art and craft of weaving and blending intricate designs and the quality of mats are considered unique in this region and the price of mats reflects its unique features of the pattern drawn.

The method of mat making involves lengthy processes of drying, soaking, splitting, dyeing the grass and Weaving.

Stage 1: Drying Grass

The korai grass is cut and those strips are sun-dried. Care must be taken to ensure that they are not too exposed to humidity as they tend to turn black with the exposure. As the dried grass strips turn a yellowish green, they are boiled in a pot of water and then dried again and stored for usage in dry place.



Stage 2: Soaking

Here the bundles of dried grass are soaked in running water and kept below the surface of the water for three to seven days based on the quality of grass. This process makes the grass to bloat up to three times its original size so that the pith of the korai can be removed easily. More finely the mat preferred, the longer the korai needs to be soaked for obtaining thinner weft strands.

Stage 3: Spliting

While the korai is wet, the central pith is scraped off with the help of the knife and each stem split into fine strands.



Stage 4: Dyeing of Grass

To dye the korai, we need to first soak the natural grass in color solutions. This solution includes dye powders and binding agents. After dyeing they are dried and taken to a floor loom. Using these different types of colored korai’s are obtained.



Stage 5: Weaving

Here we use cotton warp. During warping, the reed is set and the spliced korai is inserted in between the warp and shaft is changed. To provide flexibility, the korai is wetted constantly. Once the mat is woven completely, the sides are cut and stitched using cloth. Finally a woven mat is polished using river stones for smoothing its surfaces.



Stage 6: Completion of Mat

After weaving, the Mat attains the whole look and it's ready for use.