What is the Assamese Mekhla Chadar?

I bought a Mekhla Chadar yesterday. A friend has opened an Ethnic Wear store (Ankh Creations) and I stopped by to wish them luck. While Pallavi showed me all the various types of sarees she had (Sambampur Silk, Bhagalpur Silk, Muga Silk and more), a red piece kept catching my eye. To satisfy my curiosity I asked to see it. It turned out to be a very pretty mekhla. All I knew about a mehkla is that its a traditional Assamese dress.

So what is a Mekhla Chadar?

Mekhla Chadar is the traditional attire of Assamese women and is made up of three pieces (like the South-Indian half saree) - a skirt like a sarong, a blouse and an additional piece of cloth draped over the shoulder. The mekhla skirt is a thicker garment whereas the chadar is lighter to make management easier.

The skirt is a wide cylinder of cloth that is folded into pleats to fit the waist. In the usual 6 yard saree the pleats are folded to the left but in a mekhla the pleats fold to the right. One end of the chaddar is tucked at the pleats, the rest is taken around the waist and thrown over the left shoulder.

The mekhla (or the skirt) is known for its shine that comes from the muga silk unique to Assam. In the good old days these were woven at home by the women. Girls were taught how to weave on a loom and handlooms were found in every household. It was a part of their training along with growing rice and vegetables. When you think about it, it makes sense - if you can grow your own food and make your own cloth, you are independent, you can take on the world :)

The mekhla has beautiful wide borders, the designs inspired by nature and is made in all colours. Red is a particular favourite for weddings. Traditionally it was made of cotton, muga silk or pat silk but today you also get it in synthetic mixes. In the old days each house wove its own unique designs on the mekla and gamcha (a towel-like garment), quite like the Scottish tweed.

The famous silks of Assam are grown at Sualkuchi 32km. from Guwahati. The entire village is engaged in weaving silks and it is often called the Manchester of the East. Apart from the Muga, other silks like Eri and Pat are also grown here.