Masuria

Masuria (Polish:  Mazury , German: Masuren) is a region in northern Poland famous for its 2,000 lakes. It has been the part of East Prussia inhabited by Polish-speaking, Lutheran Masurians. Masuria occupies much of the Masurian Lake District (Polish: Pojezierze Mazurskie). Administratively, it belongs to Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (Polish: województwo warmińsko-mazurskie). Its biggest city is Ełk, often regarded as its capital. It has territory of about 10,000 km² and population of 500,000.

History

Old Prussians

Before 13th century, the territory was inhabited by the Old Prussians also called Baltic Prussians, a Baltic ethnic group that lived in Prussia (the lands of the southeastern coastal region of the Baltic Sea around the Vistula Lagoon and the Curonian Lagoon). The territory of later Masuria used to be called that time Galindia and was probably peripheral, very much forested and little populated area. Its inhabitants spoke a language now known as Old Prussian and followed pagan Prussian mythology. Although a 19th-century German political entity bore their name, they were not Germans. They were converted to Roman Catholicism in the 13th century, after conquest by the Knights of the Teutonic Order.

Kota Doria

Kota doria or 120i is one of many types of sari garments made at Kota, Rajasthan and Muhammadabad Gohna, Mau in Uttar Pradesh and its nearby area. Sarees are made of pure cotton and silk and have square like patterns known as khats on them. The chequered weave of a Kota sari is very popular. They are very fine weaves and weigh very less.

History

Originally, such sarees were called Masuria because they were woven in Mysore. The weavers were subsequently brought to Shada, a small town in Kota by Rao Kishore Singh, a general in the Mughal army. The weavers were brought to Kota in the late 17th and early 18th century and the sarees came to be known as 'Kota-Masuria'.

Weave

Kota Doria is woven on a traditional pit loom in such a fashion that it produces square checks pattern on the fabric. The delicately wrought checks are locally known as khats. They smear onion juice and rice paste with a lot of care into the yarn making the yarn so strong that no additional finishing is needed.

Industry