Mamallapuram Summit Day 2: Modi gifts hand-woven silk portrait to Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping was gifted a hand-woven portrait of his by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the final day of the Mamallapuram Informal Summit.

The portrait was painstakingly created by the master weavers of Sri Ramalinga Sowdambigai Handloom Weavers Co-operative Society in Sirumugaipudur in Coimbatore District.

The President's face was intricately woven in gold on a red background with floral patterns on both sides of the portrait to enhance its beauty and elegance.

The personal thought put into the gift was reflected through the usage of the red colour which symbolises luck, joy and happiness in Chinese culture and is also the main colour of the Chinese state flag and the ruling party.

The portrait was made by using pure mulberry silk and 'zari' or gold threads.

A 240 Hooks Electronic Jacquard helped encode the portrait pattern into the design punch cards that created the thread patterns used by the weavers. The warp and weft used was 20/22 Denier Silk along with half fine zari.

The fine art of silk weaving is an ancient and treasured craft that has been perfected over generations by weavers guarding their distinctive patterns and designs. Tamil Nadu is home to many such silk traditions that are often named after the ancient towns around which they developed. Kancheepuram, Arani, Madurai, Coimbatore and Rasipuram are some examples of these timeless classical traditions.