''Khes'' () () is a thick cotton blanket cloth in the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

; it is a

damask Damask (; ) is a woven, Reversible garment, reversible patterned Textile, fabric. Damasks are woven by periodically reversing the action of the warp and weft threads. The pattern is most commonly created with a warp-faced satin weave and the gro ...

cloth used for blankets and winter wraps. Khes is generally

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...

woven Woven fabric is any textile formed by weaving. Woven fabrics, often created on a loom, are made of many threads woven in a warp and weft. Technically, a woven fabric is any fabric made by interlacing two or more threads at right angles to one anot ...

with coarse

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

yarn Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. '' Thread'' is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern ...

s. Khes as a garment is a simple

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

item to wear loosely to cover the upper body by men in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and northwest

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Khes is an important cloth in the

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

and

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, regions which are famous for its production and historically has been known for not only the production of Khes but also many other coarse cotton textiles, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. Khes is a

comfort object A comfort object, more formally a transitional object or attachment object, is an item used to provide psychology, psychological comfort, especially in unusual or unique situations, or at bedtime for children. Among toddlers, a comfort object of ...

used in

bedding Bedding, also called bedclothes or bed linen, is the materials laid above the mattress of a bed for hygiene, warmth, protection of the mattress, and decorative effect. Bedding is the removable and washable portion of a human sleeping environment ...

, and is also usable as a cover.

Khes weaving

Weave

''Khes'' is a thick woven cloth made on a

handloom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of ...

. Khes

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

was a traditional

textile art Textile arts are arts and crafts that use plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects. Textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the beginning of civilization. The methods and materials use ...

associated with

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

Punjab. The craft of khes-weaving had cultural significance in rural areas. Women in villages used to weave khes. Women in the villages of Punjab have been weaving khes as part of their wedding trousseau for years. Spans of khes were traditionally woven in pairs and then stitched together. Khes pieces from the town of Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, were larger and available in sizes of up to 6 by 9 feet (2.75 by 1.8 m). ''Khesi'' is a wider variant of khes, for use in making sheets.

Patterns

Most khes were made of cotton, but there were also some varieties of cotton and silk. Khes varieties were distinguished by different weave patterns and origins. Primarily, Khes were plain or with geometrical designs, including check pattern (''charkhana'', chequered) and diamond patterns. The frequency of the checkered style has led to khes sometimes being referred to as a type of

tartan Tartan or plaid ( ) is a patterned cloth consisting of crossing horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, forming repeating symmetrical patterns known as ''setts''. Originating in woven wool, tartan is most strongly associated wi ...

cloth (a term more often reserved for Scottish textiles). ''Dabba khes'' is a pattern with squares formed using dyed yarns. Khes from

Rampur State Rampur State was a 15 gun-salute princely state of British India. It came into existence on 7 October 1774 as a result of a treaty with Oudh. Following independence in 1947, Rampur State and other princely states of the area, such as ...

was famous for its superior-quality cotton and unique, interwoven patterns, often with gold thread and borders in various coloured yarns. ''Khes patpatti'' had white and red check patterns, while ''khes tukridaar'' was the name for white and blue checks. ''Khesbaf'' weaving was the term for forming diagonal patterns.

Production

India

Production in India takes place in the

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

, a region in southern Indian Punjab. Other places in India include Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.

Pakistan

Production in

takes place in districts of

Bahawalpur Bahawalpur (Urdu: ; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 13th largest city of Pakistan and List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, 8th most populous city of Punjab. Bahawalpur is the capital of Bahawalpur Division. Founded in ...

Faisalabad Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

, Okara,

Sargodha Sargodha (Punjabi language, Punjabi/; ; ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Central Punjab, central Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 11th most populous city and ...

and in the villages of the

Cholistan The Cholistan Desert (; ; Saraiki: ), also locally known as Rohi (), is a desert in the southern part of Punjab, Pakistan, Pakistani Punjab that forms part of the Greater Thar Desert, which extends to Sindh province and the Indian state of Rajast ...

) and

(in the city of Naserpur,

Sehwan Sharif Sehwan (; ; also commonly referred to as Sehwan Sharif or ''Noble Sehwan'') is a historic city located in Jamshoro District of Sindh province in Pakistan situated on the west bank of the Indus River north-west of Hyderabad. The city is renowned ...

, and Thatta)

References

External links

* https://ehmerapunjab.tumblr.com/post/15564980167/clothes-of-culture {{Bedding Blankets Bedding Punjabi clothing Rugs and carpets Shawls and wraps Textile arts of India Textile arts of Pakistan Punjabi words and phrases