Brilliant hues, dragons, a garuda on a flowering tree and swastikas for luck are traditional patterns found on carpets from Himachal Pradesh. Sometimes, the weaver may capture the delicacy and colour of spring flowers on his carptes. Traditional symbols like the flute, castanets, fish a ornate knots are also woven into carpet patterns. All these symbols carry a meaning behind them - flutes signify happiness, the lotus signifies purity. Most highlanders use capets for furnishing. Even their sturdy ponies have colourful carpet saddles. 'Chuktu', a blanket, is actually a modified version of a carpet. Some of the earliest carpets were made by weaving four strips about nine inches wide and sewing them together afterwards.