Kochi Marriott Hotel
Experience Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy
Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy is a program that offers meaningful travel, allowing you the opportunity to create a positive impact as you explore and build deeper connections in local communities when you stay in our hotels.
With over 100 curated experiences, the program focuses on three pillars – Environmental Protection, Community Engagement, and Marine Conservation.
Discover how you can contribute meaningfully to Community Engagement with us at Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway.
Support to Chendamangalam Handloom Society
Unique Handloom Art is Slowly Diminishing
The tiny handloom village of Chendamangalam was left reeling from the deluge that devastated Kerala and this unique handloom art is slowly diminishing. This cooperative society supports the loom.
Chendamangalam is a small town near Ernakulam that stands at the crossroad of three rivers and centuries of history and culture. Dotted with Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Hindu places of worship, the town was part of the ancient port complex of Muziris and is known for its fine cotton spun by the Devanga Chettiars, a community of weavers originally from Karnataka.
When the rivers ran riot during the Kerala floods of 2018, they not only threw sludge and mildew on the looms, yarns and finished goods of the Chendamanagalam cluster of weavers, they also took with them the dreams and future of a community already struggling to stay afloat. After that devastation the handloom industry in this area has been struggling to revive itself. In this fast-paced commercialized world the quiet, unassuming loom is fighting to keep its story alive .
Regain the Loom: The Experience
Join a Traditional Handloom Weaving Experience
In partnership with Chendamangalam Handloom Society, guests are invited to a tour of the society and an experience of working the timeless looms.
Guests can join our experiential visit to Chendamangalam Handloom Society and participate in a 1.5-hour interactive hands-on try on the looms . Under the careful guidance and watch of the artisans, guests will learn the delicate art of threading the looms, working the threads and moving in sync to a perfected technique that churns out these beautiful weaves. Guests can also purchase items created by the weavers at the retail outlet within the campus of the society
- Guided Handloom Society Tour - A guided tour of the Chndamangalam Society wherein a detailed explanation of the materials used, the process, the weaving and the final product will be showcased.
- Weave Master for a Day - a learning experience which allows guests to try out the loom weaving process under the guidance of an artisan
- Regain Loom Conversation - An engaging session that explains the Regain the Loom
Regain the Loom: The Impact
Supporting the Weaver Community of Chendamangalam
The handloom trail offers guests a hands-on experience of a beautiful, timeless weaving tradition, while building awareness and support for the weavers society of Chendamangalam.
Guests will reminiscence in this newfound experience, while appreciating an age-old tradition that is trying to regain its place in this modern, mechanized era. They will see dedicated skill and precision, perfected though years of practice as the looms move to a beat of their own. A beautiful blend of culture and tradition that comes to represent every weave.
Every visit will build awareness and help support the fragile livelihood of these unsung artisans. Sharing their skill and opening their world to guests who visit will help revive this beautiful art form, encourage business and have this rich legacy pass on the next generation to come . There are over 600 local inhabitants working in this community, supporting their families through this unique art form.
