Salu (variously transcribed in English as ''sālū'', ''saloo'', and archaically, ''shallee'', ''shalloo'', ''shella'', and ''sallo'') is a type of
twill
Twill is a type of textile
Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and d ...
cloth, woven from
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 ...
and dyed red, originally made in India. Prior to the introduction of modern industrial techniques, it was produced exclusively hand spun (''
khaddar
Khadi (, ), derived from khaddar, is a hand-spun and woven natural fibre cloth promoted by Gandhi as ''swadeshi (of homeland)'' for the freedom struggle of India and the term is used throughout the Indian subcontinent. Salu is one of seven cotton cloths explicitly mentioned in the 16th century
Mughal
Mughal or Moghul may refer to:
Related to the Mughal Empire
* Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries
* Mughal dynasty
* Mughal emperors
* Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia
* Mughal architecture
* Mug ...
record ''
Ain-i-Akbari
The ''Ain-i-Akbari'' (), or the "Administration of Akbar", is a 16th-century detailed document regarding the administration of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abu'l Fazl, in the Persian language. It forms ...
'', together with '' khasa'', '' tansukh'', ''doriya'', ''
bafta
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
Salu appears to be an ancient fabric; trade references to the Persian market from
Hindustan
''Hindūstān'' ( English: /ˈhɪndustæn/ or /ˈhɪndustɑn/, ; ) was a historical region, polity, and a name for India, historically used simultaneously for northern Indian subcontinent and the entire subcontinent, used in the modern day ...
in the 14th century are documented in the '' Divan-i-Albisa'' by
Mawlānā
''Mawlana'' (; from Persian language, Persian, ), also spelled as ''Molana'' or ''Maulana'', is a title, mostly in South Asia, preceding the name of respected Muslim religious leaders, in particular graduates of religious institutions, e.g. a m ...
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
record (Ain-i -Akbari), Salu cost two
mohur
The Mohur is a gold coin that was formerly minted by several governments, including British India and some of the princely states which existed alongside it, the Mughal Empire, Maratha Empire, Kingdom of Nepal, and Persia (chiefly Afghanistan) ...
per piece at that time.
The original ''salu'' was made in India from materials sourced entirely in India, but a
dyeing
Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
-made cloth called ''mārkīn'' ("American") later became common India. Accordingly, ''salu'' has also been described as a red-colored ''mārkīn'' cloth by certain sources.
Salu is distinguished by its red color, which is achieved through the use of Indian madder (''rubia cordiofolia'') in a red shade.
Turkey red
Turkey red is a dyeing method that was widely used to give cotton a distinctive bright red colour in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was made using the root of the rubia (madder) plant, through a long and laborious process which originated in t ...
is one of the
alizarin
Alizarin (also known as 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone, Mordant Red 11, C.I. 58000, and Turkey Red) is an organic compound with formula that has been used throughout history as a red dye, principally for dyeing textile fabrics. Historically it wa ...
colours that can be extracted from Indian madder.
Baden Henry Powell
Baden Henry Powell, latterly (by the 1891 census if not before) known as Baden Henry Baden-Powell, CIE FRSE (born 23 August 1841 - died 2 January 1901), was an English civil servant in Bengal who served as a conservator of forests in Punjab an ...
mentioned ''salu'' as a
madder
''Rubia'' is the type genus of the Rubiaceae family of flowering plants, which also contains ''Coffea'' (coffee). It contains around 80 species of perennial scrambling or climbing herbs and subshrubs native to the Old World.
The genus and it ...
-
dyed
Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ch ...
cloth in his book ''Hand-book of the economic products of the Punjab, with a combined index and glossary of technical vernacular words.''
Variations
* ''Kharua'' was another red cloth that was coarser in texture than salu.
* ''Mahyu-salu'' was a type from
Mau, Uttar Pradesh
Mau, also now known as Maunath Bhanjan, is an industrial town and the headquarter of the Mau district. It is located in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, India. The town is known for its saree industry which is a traditional business and centur ...
.
Use
''Salu'' is used as a foundation cloth for
embroidery
Embroidery is the art of decorating Textile, fabric or other materials using a Sewing needle, needle to stitch Yarn, thread or yarn. It is one of the oldest forms of Textile arts, textile art, with origins dating back thousands of years across ...
alongside variants such as ''markin'', which is slightly coarser than ''salu''. ''Salu'' is also used in ''
kantha
Kantha (Bengali: কাঁথা; Hindi: कान्था), also spelled kanta or qanta, is a type of embroidery craft in Bangladesh and eastern regions of India, particularly in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Odisha.
In Odi ...
'', which is an embroidery craft in
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 ...
. Embroidered with silk threads, it is a popular type in Punjabi weddings. The famous red ''salu'' was used for ladies' dresses, borders of ladies coats, turbans, and curtains. It is also known as Saloo in
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 ...
and is also used as a
veil
A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the human head, head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has be ...
* Nupe ladies were also noted for their use of ''salu'', a red cloth.
* ''Salu'' was given to Dogra ladies in dowry.
See also
*
Phulkari
Phulkari (; ) refers to the folk embroidery of the Punjab region and Gulkari of Sindh in South Asia.
Although ''phulkari'' means 'floral work', the designs include not only flowers but also cover motifs and geometrical shapes. The main charac ...
*
Turkey red
Turkey red is a dyeing method that was widely used to give cotton a distinctive bright red colour in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was made using the root of the rubia (madder) plant, through a long and laborious process which originated in t ...