This blog contains information about the making of a charpoy. This is a kind of bed or cot often seen in the rural villages of India and in Pakistan. The bed is also called a charpai, a manja, a manjaa, a manji or a khartiya. There are other names for the beds. The bed frame traditionally was made of wood and it has four legs. The part of the bed you sleep on is made of rope that is woven. Modern day Charpoy are made of many different types natural and synthetic materials.
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Angareb and the Swahili bed
I have been looking on the internet recently and I have found that there are beds that are similar to the charpoy found in other coutries. I found a bed called the angareb and it is very popular in the Sudan. In Kenya and in Tanzania there is a bed called the Swahili bed and it is very similar to the charpoy. Here is a link to a picture of the angareb and here is a link to a tutorial on making the Swahili bed.
hi,,nice blog...i am writing an artical about th most suitable beds fr hot places,thats how i arrived here..i v slept all my life on charpois and i know how gd and cool it is..sad that it s disapearing from urban areas
ReplyDeleteHi, even I wanto to make my own charpoy but there are few questions which i hv in my mind....if you will be kind to ans that i will b very grateful.
ReplyDeleteHow much weight can a single charpoy take ?
As it's a hand woven structure, won't it sink & sag from the center after some time period of regular usage?
How long will it take to repair ?
What do you think of the new plastic materials like polypropylene strings, won't it have any adverse effects on the skin if I sleep on it directly? The original Indians charpoys were made using cotton & jute strings & I am not sure about this new material.
Which is more softer to feel jute or cotton or plastic, and will be more durable?
Is it good for sleeping regularly, because of our bone & body structure & posture? I don't want to end up with back pain later on.
Regards
I have few very imp questions regarding the charpoy structure & strength, since I have never used it myself.
ReplyDeleteHow much weight can a single charpoy take ?
As it's a hand woven structure, won't it sink & sag from the center after some time period of regular usage?
If it does how long will it take to repair ?
Is it good for sleeping regularly, because of our bone & body structure & our posture? I don't want to end up with back pain later on.
have any idea why were the cotton & jute strings were replaced by plastic now?
the plastic strings are made of polypropylene, won't it have any adverse effects on the skin if I sleep on it directly? The original Indians charpoys were made using cotton & jute strings & I am not sure about this new material.
which is more durable out of plastic, cotton & jute strings?
Which is more softer to feel jute or cotton?
Thanks :)
Hello, the charpoy is very strong when made properly. The charpoy can be made to support the weight of more than one person. If you look on the internet you can find pictures of charpoys in the town square with many people on them. I have seen pictures of charpoys that were used by married couples. There is even a picture of a horse dancing on a charpoy during a wedding celebration. The traditional charpoys were made from specific kinds of wood and rope that are very strong.
ReplyDeleteYou asked if the charpoy will sag after using it for awhile. The answer is yes but that is the beauty of the charpoy. The charpoy is made with a rope that runs back and forth between the woven surface and the upper rail that is used to tighten the charpoy. It is not difficult to do. At first I had to tighten my charpoy every 2 to 3 months but now it seems to need to be tightened less often. Please look at some of the pictures the charpoys on this blog to see the tightening rope.
As far as comfort goes at first I tried sleeping directly on the ropes. I found that to be a little rough. Now I cover the ropes with one sheet and a double folded blanket and it feels great. The ropes seem to kind of massage the back a little. If you like you could put a lite mattress on the charpoy. With the charpoy you have many choices.
As far as the kind of weaving materials that are used, it is up to you. If you want natural fibers use natural fibers. I have seen videos with people raving about the benifits of natural fibers. However I have seen pictures of some beautiful charpoys made from synthetic ropes and straps. There are beautiful charpoys of good quality made with many different types of materials. As for skin irritation goes that is not a problem for me because my skin does not directly touch the ropes when I sleep.
Your question were great I hope you find or make a charpoy you can enjoy. Let us know how things work out.
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ReplyDeleteHi, I want to make my own charpoy. How much tope do i need? Any idea? And where can i find instructions for how to make one? I have some idea but would be good to have som hrlp..
ReplyDeleteHello In search for the light
ReplyDeleteI would suggest that you look at some of the information on this blog and some of the links and try to figure out how to make a charpoy. There is a picture of a charpoy below that links to instructions on making a frame that will work for a charpoy. Also there is a link below for a man who is making a charpoy. He has pictures of each stage of the making of his charpoy. He posts his progress every couple of weeks.
As far as weaving the charpoy I would suggest that you look at the video of the woman who is weaving a macrame chair (link below). While she is not weaving charpoy the same technique can be used to make a charpoy. If you need more instructions ther is a link below to a video that you can buy for 15 to 17$ that will show you how to use macrame weaving techniques to weave a frame.
I do not know how much rope it will take to make a charpoy. That will depend on many factors like the size of the charpoy and how it is woven.
I would suggest that you make a small frame that you can fit in your lap and pracitce your weaving. You can make it out of wood or pvc.
Good luck. Please let us about your progress in making a charpoy.