Gamcha, the Assamese Scarf
A Madrasi’s Musings on Assam - 7

S Balakrishnan *

Gamcha at altar

When I landed at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport of Guwahati in Assam some two months ago, there was no one to receive me with a ‘Gamcha’, the traditional scarf of Assam. How sad! Gulping down the disappointment, I vowed to earn as many Gamchas as possible during my short stay in Assam.

And when I did return after a ‘mandala’ (48 days), I had indeed earned three Gamchas with my charm! Gamcha can be compared to the Tibetan/Nepali ‘khada’ /scarf or the South Indian ‘angavastram’, an equivalent of garland.

Offering a gamcha indicates respect, honour and welcome; the same goes with khada and angavastram also. Gamcha, therefore, plays an important role in both the social and religious life of the Assamese and is a sacrosanct symbol of their culture as well, similar to Horai and Jappi (the hat).

Gamcha, the rectangular cotton cloth, is also spelt gamchha, gamucha, gamosa or gamusa. In Assam, it is mostly in white cotton cloth with border and designs in red thread. It is also woven in ‘pat’ silk for special occasions. It all depends on the price – the material and the designs. More the cost more is the intricacy and elaborateness of the design.

Though the standard colour is white, clothes of yellow, red and green colour are also used when it comes to religious functions/ceremonies, etc. Borders run along the length of gamcha while motifs decorate the two ends. The motifs are inspired by traditional designs associated with the culture of Assam like flowers, musical instruments, auspicious symbols like ‘kalash/kumbh’, etc.

Chiselled on the stone walls of the Sibsagar Temple, I found the flower motif that is widely used in gamchas and saris. In the shops that line the path to Kamakya Temple, I found an elaborate gamcha woven with the temple replica.

Besides its usage while receiving guests or honouring persons, it is also used in altars (namghar = prayer house) as a spread sheet and to place / cover holy scriptures. Workers wear it around their waist or as turban and use it as a towel also; during Bihu, the gamosa is worn in a typical style and is called Bihuwaan.

Kamakya Mandir design

The name Gamcha, it is said, evolved out of two words – ‘ga’ meaning body and ‘mucha’ meaning wipe. Another version is that it is a derivative of Kamrupi word ‘gamsaw’, the sacred cloth cover for Bhagavad Purana at namghar.

Besides the literal meaning, Gamcha has attained an elevated status in Assamese culture because of its role in all socio-religious events. So, during my earlier trip in 2016, when I was not honoured by a gamcha by anyone, I decided to buy a gamuchha for myself costing 145 rupees. So much so that the Gamosa, an exclusive handloom product of Assam, received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag on December 13, 2022.

During the present trip in 2024, after a gap of eight years, I had charmed my way to receiving three Gamochas – The first one was offered by the Borgohain family in a remote village near Duliajan Town in Dibrugarh District in the upper North-Eastern part of Assam. They had stayed in our house in Chennai for a few days during a medical visit.

I welcomed them with an ‘angavastram’ (bombastically called ‘pon’ – golden ‘aadai’ – cloth) and they, before departing, offered a gamcha to me, which I have added to my precious collection of curios & antiques.

So, on landing at their house I expected one more gamosa but was highly disappointed; I even felt like crying ‘Where is my Gamcha?!”, without knowing the hidden surprise. In the evening, as they took me to the Namphakey Buddhist Monastery (established in 1850), the surprise was revealed; the much-expected gamuchha was offered to me near the altar.

It was the Triple Blessed Buddha Poornima Day and also my birthday (as per Gregorian calendar), so it turned out to be a very memorable spot and moment, and the Gamosa a very special one, indeed! When the Borgohains took me to their relative’s house during the next evening’s walk, I was received with a Gamusa and the customary tambol (betel leaf & betel nut).

I felt embarrassed as I had gone there empty-handed. The third Gamcha was a token of friendship by Shri Kiran Chandra Deka (93 years) where my daughter is a tenant and I was a short-stay visitor. Mr. Deka presented me a brass ‘bota’ (the tambol holder / the bottom portion of Horai) and a beautifully-designed Gamcha. They occupy a pride of place in my showcase.

I strongly believe that the hat-trick honour of Gamuchas is entirely due to my charisma! Having earned three (1/4 dozen) varied & beautiful Gamusas, I proudly boarded the plane back to Chennai, setting a higher task of earning at least half a dozen Gamchas during my next trip to Assam.