Southeast Asia Tour 2015
Inle Lake | Myanmar
04 Dec 2015 | Fri
Day 16 of 46
Lotus Silk Weaving at Inpawkhon Village Inle Lake
Inpawkhon Village in Inle Lake, Myanmar is renowned for its unique lotus silk weaving. The village of Inpawkhon is situated on a small island between the lake and nearby Shan State, providing a perfect blend of traditional Burmese culture and natural beauty.
The process of creating lotus silk fabrics involves delicate hand-weaving techniques that have been passed down through generations. This technique begins with harvesting fibers from lotus plants grown in ponds around the lake. After carefully removing the husks, the threads are spun by hand until they become long yarns fit to be woven into fabric. The weavers then spend hours intricately combining the yarns together before dying them with vibrant colors derived from local plants and minerals. Finally, the fabric is dried under direct sunlight to produce beautiful pieces of art that will last for years to come.
Silk and Lotus weaving at Inle Lake is an old tradition that goes back 100 years. It is thought that this type of weaving came about a century ago when a young girl discovered that the long, thin fibers from a cut lotus plant could be spun into a thread that could be used to weave cloth (from her loom). She was able to collect enough fibers to create a special robe to give to a local Monk as an offering. Over time, this type of weaving caught on and continues in current-day Inle Lake (the only place in the world that creates this type of silk).
