Organizers - Chettinad Kottan - Box In Box , Orange-Blue-Brown - Geographical Indexed

This craft is practiced in the Chettinad area of Tamil Nadu. Chettinad is a region in the Sivaganga district of southern Tamil Nadu, India. Chettinad is comprised of its capital Karaikudi and 74 other villages. Presently kottans are made in the village of Keeliarpatty (training centre), in neighbouring village households and coastal regions of Tamil Nadu.

The Kottans were handwoven in the Chettinad region by the women of the Chettiar community as a hobby craft. Chettinad Kottan has been noted for its unique style and colours. These Colourful kottans containing betel nut leaves and areca nuts were given to friends and people in general, as a form of invitation or agreement. Also in those days, kottans were decorated with beads and crochet. However, this art is almost extinct.

The raw material used, is locally available palmyra leaf from the palmyra tree locally called ‘Panamaram’ which is found growing wild in and around farms and uncultivated lands.  The traditional Chettinad Kottans are always a square or a rectangle in shape. The rim of the basket is either round or oval, depending on the shape of the base.

Kottan products were awarded the UNESCO Seal of Excellence in 2004. Due to its unique style and colour, Chettinadu kottan was also given the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in the year 2012.