things of the past CHAENGICH

Khrav Te Pulhor

Khraav te Pulhor are the traditional footwear of Kashmir. Pulhor is a slipper made of straw woven into a slipper with the unique feature of a warming effect in winters. Khraav is a shoe with a wooden base with an appendage of cloth or rubber to give it the utility of a shoe. The Khraav on the basis of your financial status may be adorned with various beautiful designs and styles.

Chaengich is a mat made of straw for people to sit upon in Kashmiri households. This way of sitting was quite economical and simple. It is created by reed and rice straw by twisting and turing the straw and making knots out of it cascading into the formation of this accessory. The men of the house use to collect this grass locally known as“Peich” then the main work began at the hands of the women who would actually plaid the nonchalant grass into a usable accessory. Essentially, the ladies would perfectly dry the grass and bind the reed with little wooden poles parallel to one another. The vertical reeds are then tightly woven with dried rice straw. If you were rich you could skip the process and just buy it. It’s healthier for the environment as it is biodegradable and made out of the otherwise waste produced due to harvesting.The unique matting is known to have a cooling effect during summers and a warming effect in winters. This makes the chaengich a thing to marvel at and be proud of