Fabric Industry of Kashmir

The tapestry culture in Kashmir has an illustrious history and is well-known throughout the world. Even now, the hand-woven textile goods are a specialisation of the numerous expert weavers of Kashmir, whether it is the Kani shawls or the Amlikar needlework.

Background:

The first descriptions of tapestry designs in Kashmir date back to the seventh century. But Kashmiri shawls had a surge in popularity throughout the nation during the Mughal era in the sixteenth century. The uniquely talented work of many weavers at this time found its ways outside of South Asia, where it was mostly worn by Kings and royal courtiers.

The aristocracy of Europe, particularly the French, only started wearing Kashmiri shawls in the middle of the nineteenth century. The industrial age began to emerge in the latter half of the eighteenth century, which gave this ancient art form some degree of international recognition.

A fantastic shawl’s backing material

The shawls, which are famous for their unmistakable tapestry design, are made of a fibre called pashm or pashmina that is popular among the locals. The fibre is often extracted from the fleece of a wild Asian mountain goat known as a cashmere goat (Capra hircus).

Early in June, as summer approaches, the goat sheds its wool, which gets caught in the nearby bushes and shrubs. To create a quality Pashmina shawl, shawl makers typically harvest this wool, which is distinguished by its unique qualities. The fibre is ideal for “fine spinning” because it is only 15 microns thick and has an incredibly regular structural makeup.

Kanni Shawl:

Fabric Industry of Kashmir — Kanni Shawl

The most popular variant of the Kashmiri textile makes the lovely tapestry more obvious. Since it takes an average of a year or two to complete each shawl using the conventional method, the Kani shawls are produced with a unique “Kani needle”. In the post-independence India, known for its distinctively finely woven motifs, this technique was reintroduced.

The weft in these pashmina figure shawls is made up of irregularly spaced-out colours. These stunning shawls are entirely made of wool, though occasionally a little cotton is mixed in. The patterns are lovely imitations of nature that include colourful flowering flora.

Amlikar Shawl:

Another unique kind of Kashmiri art is the Amlikar or Amil needlework, which is known for its vibrantly coloured shawls with lovely floral designs. The needlework, which is created entirely of Pashmina wool, is the only one to have an embroidery stitch parallel to the darning stitch thanks to some of the most talented rafoogars (darners).

These are woven so finely that, throughout the entire process of creating a shawl, the needle never really penetrates the entire cloth.

Dourukha Shawl:

This is the kind of woven shawl that you ought to seek out. The dark coloured outlines show the multicoloured pattern’s contrast with the remainder of the shawl. But what makes it even more distinctive is that the artisan manages to produce the same appearance on both sides of the shawl.

Kashmiri Shawl Design:

Kashmiri shawls showcase an intriguing ancient craft, from the early plain patterns to the modern elaborate themes. The embroidery from Kashmir has a few distinctive fundamental features. A Kashmiri theme may feature flowers and foliage that are embellished with a variety of colours, including yellow, white, black, blue, green, purple, crimson, and scarlet. This is a formative replica of natural beauty.

Rich hues and expertly created needlework blend seamlessly with a shawl’s surface to form an inseparable component of the fabric. What draws our attention in is the contrast between the many components of a shawl, particularly the gallery and field.

The craftsmen:

The art of making shawls has been passed down through many generations with skill and proficiency. Every step of the shawl-making process used to be mostly carried out by women. from the initial cleaning of the raw fleece to the final needlework. Many of them were able to pass along tremendous talent to their offspring, and the artwork has endured the years mostly due to the new generation’s diligent preservation.

Early on, the incredible talent required to manufacture a shawl went mostly unpaid, leaving weavers to count their pennies while middlemen made huge profits on the international market.

Today’s art is more commercialised, and while this has increased recognition for the true skill, the quality of the work has suffered. Finding high-quality wool is still a must for many weavers, thus they still favour the hand-woven form of shawl production.

However, because of the persistent demand for Kashmiri shawls of a high calibre, consumers today are being more watchful.

Pashmina weaving has been a significant source of income in the Kashmir valley for ages among other crafts.

It not only employs both literate and illiterate people in rural and urban regions, but it also serves as a secondary source of income for farmers who are idle during the off-season. But regrettably, the art of producing pure and genuine pashmina is now becoming extinct.

Agrita Chhibber is from Jammu

Images from different sources

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