Hari Krishnan.g

weaver history

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The sourashtra weaving community is the pride of Tamilnadu's art and handloom industry. Various famous settlements including Madurai and Kanchipuram have flourished because of their arrival and continue to be the among the best weaving clusters even today.
There are various theories in history as to how they arrived in Tamilnadu. Some historians believe that they are originally from Lata country (lAta dEsha) in southern Gujarat who migrated southwards. However the date of migration has been under constant debate. Some scholars opine that they started their migration journey as early as 9th century when they settled in Devgiri of Maharashtra. During the invasion of sultanate kings at Devgiri (Khilji) they are said to have moved to Karnataka. Later, when the Vijayanagara kings rose to power, it is said that they patronised these Weavers for their regal needs. It is in this period that a portion of their population also travelled to Kanchi and settled there. After the fall of the Vijayanagaras and the emergence of local Nayaka chieftains, it is said that they migrated further south to Tanjore and Madurai to Cater to the needs of these knew kingdoms. They were also patronised by the Marathas.
These cultural confluences and the vast time period of mixing with various cultures and languages have made their community a mixture of various cultures and languages. The saurashtran language, the food dishes, the music (of musicians like Natana Gopala nayaki etc.) Make a great study and add unique colours to the cultural fabric of india.