India · Textile Arts / Flat-Weave Floor Coverings
पंजा दरी (panja dari, punja durrie); panja = claw-like beater
Handwoven flat floor coverings (dhurries) in which a claw-like iron fork, the panja, beats each weft into the cotton warp by hand, producing a dense, durable, weft-faced fabric. Panja dhurries are woven on floor or pit looms in cotton or wool with bold stripes and geometric patterns. The tradition is linked to Punjab dowry weaving and to Panipat in Haryana; Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh is described as India's largest hand-woven dari hub. A related vertical-loom jamkhana tradition in Navalgund, Karnataka, also uses the panja.
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