The reed baskets and kannadi paaya showcase the bamboo-weaving skills of the Muthuvar, passed down from one generation to the next. Ochlandra travancorica is a riparian species of bamboo. The women harvest bamboo from forests close to their homes. The bamboo stumps are stripped into thin slivers and treated in warm salted water before being woven.

The elegant woven mats of this region of the Western Ghats are called kannadi paaya, ‘mirror mats’, because of the way their pattern shifts and shines in reflected light to reveal the beautiful square motifs. This unique art form will soon be in the GI tagged registry. Preorder for high quantity purchases.