The beautiful territory of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) situated in the Himalayan mountains is rightly known as ‘Heaven on Earth’. Srinagar is the summer capital of this state while Jammu is its winter capital. This state has Kashmiri and Urdu as its main languages. The state can be divided into three main parts: Jammu, the Kashmir Valley, and Ladakh. The state of Kashmir is not only famous for its wonderful climate and natural beauty, but also for its exquisite textile handicrafts. This article aims to study the main textile crafts that have prevailed in Kashmir for a long time, such as Kashmiri carpets, shawls, tweed, silk and embroidery.
The Kashmiri carpet industry is famous all over the world. Kashmir rugs are loved not only by the people of India but also by the people of other countries. The art of Kashmir rug weaving is believed to have originated in Persia. Silk or wool is usually used to make rugs. Sometimes a combination of silk and wool is used. Mercerized cotton is also sometimes used to make rugs. Mercerized cotton is a man-made fiber with a sheen similar to silk. It is more expensive than wool but it is cheaper compared to silk.
The base of these rugs is made of cotton or silk. The ‘tree of life’ is a very common design on Kashmiri rugs. Although Kashmir-made rugs are expensive due to their uniqueness and exquisite weaving, they are considered an investment.
cashmere shawls
Like Kashmiri rugs, shawls made in Kashmir are adored both in India and internationally. Shahtoosh and Pashmina shawls made in Kashmir are world famous.
Shahtoosh shawls are made from the wool of the Tibetan antelope. These shawls are very light and soft. These shawls are extremely expensive because the wool used to make these shawls is scarce. The soft hair from the antelope’s throat is used to make these shawls. Some of these hairs naturally fall out when antelope graze. These hairs are collected and then used to weave shawls. Shahtoosh shawls can be pure or mixed with pashmina to reduce cost. Shahtoosh shawls are woven so finely that the entire shawl can be passed through a ring. It is for this reason that these shawls are known as ‘Ring Shawls’. These shawls are not usually dyed and are used in their natural color, ie light brown.
Pashmina shawls are made from the wool of the Kel sheep found in the Himalayan mountains. Such shawls are extremely soft and do not harm the wearer’s skin. Pashmina scarves and stoles are also made. Pashmina shawls are less expensive compared to Shahtoosh shawls.
Pashmina shawls usually have beautiful heavy embroidery while Shahtoosh shawls do not.
cashmere tweed
The tweed material woven in Kashmir is well known throughout the world. It is considered one of the best materials in the world. The raw material used to produce tweed is sourced outside of Kashmir; however, Kashmir tweed is woven using imported techniques and is of very good quality. Tweed production is a job done by most of the Kashmiris.
Copyright © 2007