• Made of special kind of long, thin and strong grass growing on river side.

• Size:12 inches x 18 inches

• Handmade by weavers of Patamadai in Tamil Nadu

• Use them for place mats for dining table

• Shipped in 24 hours from Gurgaon in India.

The mats made with kora grass are true collector items. Kora grass grows abundantly along the banks of the rivers in Tamil Nadu in South India. The process of creating a mat is quite complex. The green grass normally grows to a height of 3-4 feet and cut finely while it is still green. The inside white pith of the stem is removed with a sharp edged knife while the outer part is used for weaving. The count of the mat depend on how many strips the grass is cut into; the greater the number of strips, the higher the count. The strips are then dried in the sun. When the dried strips turn a yellowish green color, they are boiled in water and dried again. The dried grass is made up into bundles and then soaked in running water. These bundles are weighed down with stones at both ends they are then made to float in running streams of clean water. It is normally kept under water for three days, ensuring a very fine count. This wetting causes the grass to swell up to three times its original size. It is then dried in the sun again. The weaving is done on a floor loom. The process is slow and follows a basket weave pattern. The weft (or the grass) covers the warp entirely and the pattern formed has an interesting striped effect of its own. Once the weavings is complete, the mat is dried in the sun for a short while. It is then finished with a polishing stone. Customer who bought ShalinCraft Mat gave us this feedback (September 2 2006 They are beautiful. Each mat is a bit unique. Six arrived. I would definitely order from Shalin again). Read more on our feedback page.