Gamosa
Woven rectangular textile of Assam, India
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A 1,455.3 meter long gamusa displayed in Delhi created world record as it became the world's longest hand woven piece of cloth.
Origin of the name
Literally translated, it means 'something to wipe the body with' (ga=body, musa=to wipe) however, interpreting the word gamosa as the towel is misleading. The gamusa originates from the Deori people.
There is an old saying in Assamese which links the gamusa to Sadiya.
"Gat loi furaley batahe falibo.
Muthit loi furahe bhal.
Eage bachilo seuti maloti
Eage bachilo phul.
Eage bachilo baghe bhaloke.
Bate manuh dhori khai.
Eage bachilo sorai halodhiyaUri Sadiyaloi jai."
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Usage
Though it is used as a turban or scarf, the use is not restricted to this.
- It is used to cover the altar at the prayer hall or cover the scriptures. An object of reverence is never placed on the bare ground, but always on a gamusa.
- It is used by the farmer, fishermen or hunter as a waistcloth (tongali) or a loincloth (suriya).
- A Bihu dancer wraps it around the head with a fluffy knot (see picture).
- It is hung around the neck at the prayer hall (naamghar) and was thrown over the shoulder in the past to signify social status.
- Guests are welcomed with the offering of a gamusa and tamul (betel nut) and elders are offered gamusas (referred to as bihuwaan in this case) during Bihu.
- It may be used as a towel to wipe the body after a bath (an act of purification).
One can therefore, very well say, that the gamusa symbolizes the indigenous life and culture of Assam.
Cultural significance
While the gamusa itself is worn irrespective of religious and ethnic backgrounds, symbolic clothing items similar to it are worn by specific ethno-cultural groups. Historically, these symbolic elements and designs are now only found in literature, art, sculpture, architecture, etc. or used only within religious contexts.
Special ritual forms associated with Assamese Vaishnavite institutions include the Goxain Kapur (or Gosain Gamusa), used to cover the Sinhasana or Guru Asana in a Namghar, and the Thapona Kapur, which is placed beneath or used to wrap sacred scriptures. These ritual textiles traditionally employ religious motifs such as the lotus, tulsi, elephant, swan, xorai and lamp, while some forms of the Gosain Gamusa also bear woven devotional inscriptions such as Ramkrishna, Hare Krishna, Sitaram and passages from Vaishnavite texts.
Chakraborty further associates these ritual forms with the earlier Assamese Vaishnavite textile tradition, stating that the tradition of the Vrindavani Vastra has survived in the cotton Gosain Gamusa, which may formerly have been made of silk and more elaborately decorated. She also notes that, whereas textiles of the Vrindavani Vastra type may have been used for wrapping sacred manuscripts, the Thapana Kapur is presently used for wrapping holy books in Namghars and Satras.
On December 13 of 2022, the gamosa of Assam received a geographical indication tag.