B.A Crafts

JAMAWAR

Jamawar, or grown piece, is a special type of shawl made in Kashmir. "Jama" means robe and "war/var" is chest and metaphorically body.The best quality of Jamawar is built with Pashmina. The brocaded parts are woven in similar threads of silk or polyester. Most of the designs seen today are floral, with the kairy as the predominant motif. Historically handmade items, some shawls took a couple of decades to complete; consequently, original Jamawar shawls are highly valued. Modern, machine-made Jamawar prints, produced in cities such as Kashmir and other parts of Pakistan, Punjab cost less to buy but handmade Jamawar are very expensive.

Traders introduced this Chinese silk cloth to India, mainly from Samarkand and Bukhara and it gained immense popularity among the royalty and the aristocracy. Kings and nobles bought the woven fabric by the yard, wearing it as a gown or using it as a wrap or shawl. Jamawar weaving centres in India developed in the holy cities and the trade centres. The most well known Jamawar weaving centre is Kashmir, Pakistan and Punjab.
Due to its rich and fine raw materials, the rich and powerful merchants used Jamawar and noblemen of the time, who could not only afford it but could even commission the weavers to make the fabric for them, as in the case of the Mughals. Emperor Akbar was one of its greatest patrons. He brought many weavers from East Turkestan to Kashmir.

HISTORY OF KASHMIRI SHAWLS(Continued)
7.Emperor Akbar was a great admirer of these shawls as described in Ain-i-akbari.
8.He introduced the fashion of weaving(in pairs) 'Dushala'.Stitched back to back so that it could b used both sides.
9.Mughal Emperors fancied the texture and regal look of these shawls.They helped to bring the weaving to perfection which made these shawls a symbol of prestige.
10.Such was the craze for these shawls that the French tried to imitate these shawls on machines to meet the demand.
11.Pashmina shawls are a collectors item like 'Nizam of Hyderabad '.
to be continued...😊

HISTORY OF KASHMIRI HANDICRAFTS
1.Kashmiri shawls need no introduction.
2.Kashmiri shawls have been renowed since centuries and were the pride of French Queen,Marie Antoinette.
3.With a long tradition of artistic excellence,the shawls is one of the most admired handmade fabric of Kashmir.
4.Superb in workmanship,the unmatched magnificence is brought out by hand embroidery be it ‘sozni’(needle work) or Aari(hook work).
5.The basic fabric is of three types---‘Shah Tush’ ,’Pashmina’ and Raffal.
6.Encouraged by Sufis and Saints like ‘Mir Syed Ali Hamdani’,patronized by Kings,liked by Emperors and Empressed and developed by Sultans like Zain-ul-abiden...
more in next post 😊

Pashmina shawls...

Kalam karie pashmina towel...