This Myanmar Village survives by selling Lotus Fabrics to tourists

The threads of the lotus flower, symbolic in Buddhism, have traditionally been used to weave only monks’ robes or cloth for draping Buddha images. This practice was started about 150 years ago in Kyaingkhan village. The lotus fibres are stripped to make the threads and its weaved into a robe. Formerly, the threads came from a sacred lotus - Nelumbium speciosum or Padonma Kyar in Burmese - this grows on Inle Lake.

Villagers say the lotus fabrics help keep the wearer warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It also brings good luck, absorbs negative energy and dissipates body odour. The entire process, from picking the lotus plants to stripping the fibre from the stems to the weaving is all done by hand. Moreover, its environment-friendly. Lotus fabrics are expensive because of their uniqueness and delicacy.

Ko Myint Thein Htun has been in this trade for more than two decades. His lotus and lotus-silk scarves have attracted a growing number of buyers among the tourists visiting Inle Lake since the 1990s. “They want something small, a souvenir that they can use or give as a gift.” Tourists are attracted to the many traditions of the Inle Lake such as the floating markets. Ko Myint Thein Htun says his great grandfather started weaving in 1910. “He was one of the two men who learned how to weave the ikat design in Thailand in the 1930s and taught it to his neighbours back home. The Inle ikat or Inle Zinmae, longyi has since become popular across Myanmar.”