Where to buy fabric / textiles in Kerala

Little My

Hello there

Please forgive me for asking a question in my first post!
My daughter is a print designer and when we’ve been to Goa she has bought both plain silk and patterned cotton fabric by the metre (i.e. not sari fabric) from the shops around Mapusa market. We’re visiting Kerala for the first time in December, staying near Kovalam – can anyone advise us on the best place to buy fabric there please?
Thanks

pundabee

Go to Parthas (5 minute walk from the train station, so central location) in Thiruvananthapuram (you can jump on a bus from Kovalam junction or get a rickshaw; the difference in price will be the cost of a sari). I advise against buying anything in the Kovalam area; prices will be two or three times higher than they should be.

kalbarri

i have been to lots of states in india and i found kerala to be the least interesting for fabrics. i did find some very nice and very cheap khadi (handloom) cottons on mg rd. sorry but i don't know the adress, but there will be government stores that should also sell khadi.

mazha

Karalkada

parthas

You can also get good cotton if you go to Balaramapuram, which is a town outside Trivandrum.

kalbarri

wow, that is really interesting, about balaramapuram. i will check it out next visit.

Little My

Thank you all for your very helpful advice!!!
I agree Balaramapuram looks well worth a visit, Mazha I'd never have found it on my own - we'll definitely check out Parthas and the Karalkada shop too.
Are there any other authentic local crafts worth looking out for?

mazha

Probably not, most of Kerala's crafts died out long back, it is a consumerist culture now, running mostly on money from expats. Most farming is also gone, Kerala imports even its vegetables from Tamilnadu. The scenery, the food and the festivals are the only things remaining. There is also a rather weird kind of politics, if you are interested in that sort of thing!

snonymous

Beautiful brass Kerala lamps and urns [urali] - or do these come from TN? Also nice polished wooden elephants - perhaps these too come from elsewhere? Ive also seen nice snakeboat replicas.

Speciality cookware
Kathakali masks - these tend to be tacky, you have to look till you find something really good.

federica

In Kerala the main fruits are coconuts and different kind of bananas, so it's nice to get other fruits from other states, too.

mazha

They are based on traditional Kerala patterns, not sure whether they are locally made, as in handcrafted in some village. Probably made in a foundry or factory, could be from outside Kerala, as labour would be cheaper.

These would be from within the state, though I wouldn't call them local craft, say, similar to Rajasthani mirror work. These boats are made for tourists.

The big bananas, used for making Kerala chips, also come from Tamilnadu. As for coconuts, a lot of them are falling down these days, as there is a shortage of people who can pluck them.

If anyone here can build an industrial version of this cheap, there is a fortune to be made in Kerala!

As for other fruits, Kerala used to have many local varieties of mangoes, but most trees are gone now, replaced by rubber trees or concrete buildings. There were also local vegetable farms, but now most people depend on imports. Even the lotus flowers used in temples come from Tamilnadu.

People who have travelled in Kerala during the 70/80s would notice the change, particularly the rice fields on the side of railway tracks, now turning into swamps or coconut groves.

Kerala people (my bretheren!) are now busy either watching TV, yakking about petty politics, getting drunk, having existential problems, or doing this!

Read more here

federica

Quite polemic article, mazha...

"6. He may die of hunger, but will not leave Kerala."

Sorry, stuff like this seems crap to me. To quote a former colleague: "You'll find Malayalees everywhere in this world, you should even have a look on the moon "

but that was just

mazha

Yes, I guess the writer was talking about the ones who do not leave, and prefer to stay drunk! Malayalees have a good work ethic outside the state, but somehow people seem to just cop out at home. The weird politics has a lot to do with it.

I couldn't find the Outlook article, I found its descriptions quite accurate.

2cents

The website kerala.indiavideo.org showcases video clips of local craft forms; including Aranmula Kannadi(Mirror), Wooden handicrafts from Cherpu, Aravukode pottery etc.

Little My

Sorry for late reply - thanks to everyone for your replies, 2cents thats a very interesting website.

Will report back on what we manage to find on our return from Kerala... counting down the months now!

tomato soup

I can also recommend Parthas, I bought some lengths of raw silk from their Cochin shop last year.
The shop had fixed prices, featured real old style service and it was a delight to do business with them.