Moonj Basketry - Allahabad
Naini is a small village situated near the banks of Jamuna River in Allahabad situated in Uttar Pradesh state. The village Naini is the major producer of Moonj-wild grass products. Moonj and Kaasa are the types of wild grass that richly grows near the banks of the river in and around the vast areas of Allahabad. Moonj is basically an outer layer of 'Sarpat' grass. This layer is peeled and knotted as it is easy to store and dry. These knots are locally called as 'Balla'. Hence the local name of Moonj craft in Naini is 'Balla'.
The origin of Moonj craft has nearly 60 to 70 years of traditional history in Allahabad. Nearly 90% of womenfolk are involved in moonj basket making. The artisans belong to Muslim community locally. Initially, the Kaasa grass is dried and it is wrapped with the moonj grass by rolling around Kaasa. The motifs of basketry are created by adding colored grass in between. Allahabad, Gorakhpur, and Behraich in Uttar Pradesh are the major centers for moonj crafts. The products are mainly exported to major cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Banaras, and Kanpur for the marketing purpose.
