Hingula Tussar, is named after the Goddess and worshipped by the Weaver community from Gopalpur in Odisha. It is specially reeled and spun by women. Women engage themselves in spinning the Charkha in motion and reeling the Tussar carefully on their thighs, from the cocoon. The reeled tussar is further twisted and spun by hand and the entire process of creating thread to fabric is a decentralised local tradition on the basis of which weavers sustain themselves.
These Gopalpur Tussars are unusually thick and textured and hence have a great fall and drape. Fish motifs woven all over, adorn the Pallu, the Body and the Borders. Eastern India, as you all know, is obssessed with Fish. Anything auspicious always has to include the Fish motif, as it is symbolic of : Fertility, Eternity, Creativity, Femininity, Good luck, Happiness, Knowledge, Transformation
Vegetable dyes and Mineral colours are used for Dyeing. White colour is made from the conch-shells by powdering, boiling and filtering ... it is a very hazardous process. It requires a lot of patience. But this process gives brilliance and permanence to the hue. 'Hingula', a mineral colour, is used for red. 'Haritala', for yellow, 'Ramaraja' a sort of indigo for blue is being used. Pure lamp-black for black, prepared from the burning of coconut shells are used.
