Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dr. Sarvani V.
Submitted by:
Aakanksha Thakur
Catherine Jha
Kishor Kumar
Nisha Grewal
Ritika sachan
Surbhi Modi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our gratitude to our faculty
of Appreciation of Textiles, Dr. Sarvani V., for
helping us & guiding us to accomplish this project
report on the Kashmir Shawls.
Thanking You
Aakanksha Thakur
C a t h er i n e J h a
Kishor Kumar
Nisha Grewal
Ritika sachan
Surbhi Modi
The Kani shawl has been historically produced using fine hand
spun Pashmina & Shahtoosh (5) fibres which have further
added to its richness and earned it the name of 'ring shawls'
meaning that it can pass through a ring.
Sozni Shawls
The needle wrought design of the shawl
called Sozen Kari was introduced during
Afgan rule by an accomplished Kashmiri
craftsman Hamid Ali Baba. The
embroidery however, is exquisite and is
done in a variety of designs, mainly
floral. Badam or Almond with subtle
stylization often forms the dominant
motif which sprang of local flowers and
the Chinar leaf etc., also recur in
embroidery patterns. Other types of the Kashmiri Shawl are
hook embroidered and generally cater to a relatively lower
purse.
Doshala Shawls
As the name suggests, they are always sold in pairs, there
being many variesties of them. In the Khali-matan the center
field is quite plain & without any ornamentation. The Char-
Bhagan is made up of 4 pieces in different colours neatly joined
together. In the Chand, the central field of the shawl is
embellished with a medillion of flowers. However, when the
field is ornamented with flowers in the 4 corners we have the
Kunj.
Dorukha Shawls
In the Dorukha the
pattern is so woven
that it appears that it
appears the same on
both sides of the shawl.
Perhaps the one most
demand is the Shah-
pasand in which the
decorated borders at
the ends of the shawl
are broader than those
on the sides.
Kasaba Shawls
They are sqarish in shape. They were probably produced on
account of the European demand, as were also the half shawls,
which are so woven & embroidered that the design shows on
both of the visible surfaceswhen the shawls is folded in half
across the middle. They are generally in a twill weave or may
have damsk patterns in a plain colour woven into them; they
may even be elaborately woven.
COLORS
Pashmina fleece colours
range from winter white,
grey, red, brown and
black. However, the
fabric adapts itself
beautifully to colouring.
It is now available in
approximately four
hundred colours and the
"graduated" colour scheme is definitely 'in'.
STITCHES
The stitches used are
simple, the chief being
the satin stitch, the
stem stitch & the chain
stitch. Occasionally the
darning stitch &
herringbone stitch are
also used. Crewel
embroidery is done
with the use of hook.
Kashida is a general
term for Kashmir
embroidery which which include other stitches such as
Zalakdozi (chain stitch), vala-chikan (button hole), doria
(open work), talaibar (gold work).
Rafoogari which means darning derives its name from the
stitch. It is worked with the same type of material as that
if the base so that the interweaving produces a fine
texture in the fabric.
Namdas
The art of felting wool into namdas
has come from Yarkand. Namdas are a
kind of mattress, originally from the
state of Jammu and Kashmir. These
are made by felting the wool rather
than weaving it. Low quality wool
mixed with a small quantity of cotton
is used to manufacture namdas. They
are usually of two types, plain and
embroidered. Formerly, woolen yarn was used for embroidery,
but now acrylic yarn
(cashmelon) is in use.
Namdas and gabbas are
embroidered with thread,
which gives colour,
beauty and strength to
them. This cottage
industry is concentrated
in Anantnag, Rainawari
and Baramula.
Prices of namdas
depend upon their
quality of wool,
pattern (plain or
embroidery), size of
the product and the
neatness in designs.
Far less expensive
are these colorful
floor coverings
made from woolen
and cotton fiber
which has been
manually pressed
into shape. Prices
vary with the percentage of wool- a Namda containing 80%
wool being more expensive than one containing 20% wool.
Chain stitch embroidery in woolen and cotton thread is worked
on these rugs.
SHAWL INDUSTRY SCENERIO TODAY
Kashmir and
Punjab in India
are the primary
producers of
luxurious
cashmere
shawls. These
shawls are hand
woven by
traditional
weavers in
Kashmir whose
families have
been in the
occupation since
ages. Woven
and embroidered pashmina shawls are exported from Kashmir
to many parts of the world and have gained immense
reputation in the international market.
It is to these copyists that experts must look for the restoration
of the old patterns which cannot at present be repeated. It is
by them, too, that the material will be produced which must
eventually be brought together to form a national museum. At
present there are no records kept of these marvellous
decorative schemes, and no collections save those made by
dealers in the interest of their trade. Even then, however, there
is abundant opportunity for studying the progress of the art,
and no chance of escaping its spell.
Shawl-making, then, is to-day a living industry in this Central
Asian valley of its birth, but we cannot deny that the modern
craftsman works under corrupting influences unknown to his
forefathers. The last twenty years have opened up the
beautiful vale to European intercourse, and the disastrous
effects of fashion and semi-education are as apparent here as
in the ancient arts of woodcarving and papier-maché. If the
Kashmir weaver is to be saved at all from denationalised
vulgarity, it can only be by a close and sympathetic study of
the old masterpieces, and by the careful enlightenment of
Western taste.
Closely linked with the climatic conditions of the region, the
warmth and popularity of the shawl decreases as we travel
from Kashmir to southern part of India; in fact, south of the
Deccan plateau, there is hardly any shawl weaving industry.
There are shawls to suit every budget. The warm and
absolutely soft pashmina shawls of Kashmir, made from the
soft wool from the underbelly of the Tibetan mountain oat, sell
for above Rs. 5000/-per piece. The expensive kani and amli
shawls again from Kashmir, beautifully reflect the chinar
leaves, and other natural beauties of the state.
Of the shawls themselves, relatively few remain. Collectors
treasure the complete pieces and beautiful fragments that are
still available in the international marketplace and a number of
museums, including several in Australia, maintain good
collections.
The finest shawls are those of Pashmina and though banned by
the Central Govt. for the reasons of Wild Life Protection,
Kashmir Shawl which had once taken the entire Europe by a
storm is now mostly sold in domestic market. There is however,
a trend that speaks of the shawl exports having come up again.
The figure has crossed Rs 240 crores during 2005-06.
Subsequently, the antelope was hunted down specifically for its
fur and this led to it now being listed as an endangered species
and given the highest possible level of legal protection,
whereby no commercial trade in Shahtoosh is permitted.
This also led to the demise of the skill of the Kashmir weavers,
who were the only ones in the world who could handle the
fibre.
The selling or owning of Shahtoosh was made illegal in all
countries that signed the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species. Many countries including the USA, China
and India are cracking down on those involved in the
Shahtoosh trade. Although Shahtoosh is banned under the
agreement, illegal hunting and selling of Shahtoosh is still a
serious problem in Tibet.