Khes

Khes is a thick woven cloth made on a handloom. Khes weaving was a traditional textile art associated with rural Punjab. The craft of khes-weaving had cultural significance in rural areas.[12][13] Women in villages used to weave khes.[14] Women in the villages of Punjab have been weaving khes as part of their wedding trousseau for years.[15][16]

Spans of khes were traditionally woven in pairs and then stitched together.[17] Khes pieces from the town of Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, were larger and available in sizes of up to 6 by 9 feet (2.75 by 1.8 m).[18]

Khesi [19] is a wider variant of khes, for use in making sheets.[1]

Most khes were made of cotton, but there were also some varieties of cotton and silk.[20][21] Khes varieties were distinguished by different weave patterns and origins. Primarily, Khes were plain or with geometrical designs, including check pattern (charkhana, chequered) and diamond patterns.[7] The frequency of the checkered style has led to khes sometimes being referred to as a type of tartan cloth[3] (a term more often reserved for Scottish textiles). Dabba khes is a pattern with squares formed using dyed yarns.[22][23] Khes from Rampur State was famous for its superior-quality cotton and unique, interwoven patterns, often with gold thread and borders in various coloured yarns.[24][25] Khes patpatti had white and red check patterns, while khes tukridaar was the name for white and blue checks.[26] Khesbaf weaving was the term for forming diagonal patterns.[26]

Production in India takes place in the Malwa region and the southern Indian Punjab.[27] Other places in India include Rampur, Uttar Pradesh.[18][24][25]

Production in Pakistan takes place in South Pakistani Punjab (in the city of Bahawalpur, Multan, and in the villages of the Cholistan Desert)[28] and Sindh (in the city of Naserpur, Sehwan Sharif, and Thatta)[29][30][31][32]