The kannadippaya or bamboo mats are a nostalgia for the 90s-born and the ones before. It is a mat made out of bamboo, which is so popular and was an essential item in every household. But as innovations take over them now a variety of mats are now available, which are cheap and better alternatives, the importance and preference of kannadippaya has reduced to some extent. Still, it has reemerged now as a topic of discussion among people as it has been GI-tagged in 2025. It is the first tribal product from Kerala to get the GI tag.. Let’s see how the mat holds significance and the taste of tradition.
ORIGIN
Kannadippaya is a tribal handicraft product from Kerala. It is very popular among people for creating an image of a ‘mirror’, an optical illusion. This has mainly occurred due to the geographical square-shaped weaving on it and hence, named as ‘kannadippaya’.Kannadi means mirror, and paya means mat in Malayalam. It is crafted by tribal communities across Idukki, Thrissur, Ernakulam, and Palakkad districts in Kerala. The mat is also appraised for its soft texture and cooling in summer. In earlier times, it was produced by indigenous tribes like Oorali, Mannan, Muthuva, Malayan, Kadar, and Ulladan. The legacy of Kannadipaya making also traces back centuries, and the handmade craft has a history of being given as a gift to Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, during her visit to the Idukki dam in 1976. This tradition can trace back to ancient times, as they were gifted to chieftains and local princes.
HOW IT FLOURISHED
Though once in the limelight, it declined later on with the new arrivals of alternative materials like rubber as well as cotton cots. There are many cooperatives existing in the tribal regions, for collecting bamboo products to bring to the markets, which have run fruitfully for some time. Then, it started declining. But with constant efforts, the government of Kerala, the Kerala Forest Research Institute(KFRI) is trying to revive the craft work with various supportive measures that have led to the marking of the tribal handicraft paya with a GI tag. This step will help this craft to gain global recognition and further improve its production. One of the main issues of tribals is the lack of knowledge or awareness of marketing the product, and the GI tag will help them to reach diverse markets. The paya did not confine to just a mat, it has wide varieties like floor mats, door mats, yoga mats, and bamboo baskets. Moreover, as an eco-friendly product, it is an apt choice for sustainable living.
MAKING OF PAYA
The mats can be made of copper, silver, as well as gold. Here, the Kannadippaya is woven with specific layers of silver from bamboo, maybe four or five layers, which can make it ultra-thin and shiny. The collection of bamboo is done on a full moon day. First, they split off from a reed bamboo species endemic to the region, which is an endangered species, confined to deep forest, better known as Teinostachyum wightii (Munro) Bedd. After getting bamboo, they will reed it and sun dry it then again refine it. They are woven with customary specificities, the mat has a unique sheen, and is very thin and flexible. There are different types of weaves, that can be continuous or concentric squares, and based on their arrangement, the designs are named as Pettikannadi, Moolikannadi, Ottakkannan, and Randu Vari. After making the paya can be rolled in a circular shape with a diameter of 10cm. They mostly use the motifs of animals and nature in the mat. In nature, one of their important motif is the ‘waves’. They also employ tree designs as well as cultural symbols. A standard kannadipaya is 6 ft long and 3 ft wide. There is no official training for this craft, people learn it from already skilled people through generations.
CURRENT STATUS
The kannadippaya is a unique mat that is currently under threat. The weaving of mats is very much confined within the communities of tribals in Western Ghats, which has led to a decline in its popularity as well as weaving. Hence, the government of Kerala has now launched a project to train the youngsters to weave kannadippaya. As a part of this project, the Kerala Forest Research Institute has planted 2000 saplings of Njoonjileeta / Bamboo to make it a sustainable source of raw material for the upcoming years. In addition to it, five veteran weavers have begun training the young men and women between the ages of 20-40 to make kannadippaya a viable craft again.
CONCLUSION
The kannadipaya is an important symbol of the tradition and culture of Kerala. And it can be easily spotted in films that portray the culture of Kerala. This tribal handicraft is also a prominent way of earning for the tribals in the Western Ghats. The making of a kannadipaya is a tiring and long process. It takes 4-5 weeks to make a single paya; this makes the paya a symbol of survival also for the tribals in Kerala. Hence, a significant amount of support is necessary to revive Handicrafts. Above this, the recent Initiatives like marketing through government channels as well as websites like forestpost.in have increased the demand for bamboo products, including the upcoming needs for a variety of Home decor.
SOURCES
https://courtyardkoota.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Kannadippaya-Book-.pdf