Handcrafted in the Midnapore district of West Bengal, Madhurkathi mats with different textures established permanent mat markets in Raghunathbari, Kasijora, and Narajol. The otherwise economically subdued area boasts this extraordinary skill, offering a valuable lesson in cultural inheritance and wealth of craftsmanship.

With their origins in the Mughal era, Medinipur, or Midnapore, became renowned for exquisite handwoven silk mats. Over time, mat weavers ventured into exploring various materials, such as madur reeds harvested from the rhizome plant.

Practised by mostly women weavers from the Mahishya community, Madurkathi mats come in three varieties. Masland, ek-rokha (one-sided) and do-rokha (two-sided). The ultra-fine Masland features a textured surface and geometric patterns. The lightweight ek-rokha and heavier do-rakha mats offer superior comfort. The Masland has a unique weaving technique, much like sari-weaving, interlaced by two weavers working in tandem. They alternate threads from left to right and right to left, turning at the mat’s edge to continue weaving. The sun dried sticks for the mats are dyed using the fruit and bark of the babla tree and the seeds of the achiote (annatto tree), known as rang gach in Bengali. This tree was brought to India from Latin America in the 16th century.

In recent times, Madhurkathi has gained popularity in the global market. They're used as lamp shades, wall hangings, furnishings, and table mats.

Despite its subtle appearance, the Madhurkathi mat derives its name the fine quality of Masland, which finds its origin in the Persian word "masnad", meaning throne. They were so exceptional that they were collected as revenue under the Jagirdari system in 18th century Bengal.

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