BY DR.ABDUL AHAD
Besides, the continuous development of the shawl industry resulted in the introduction of a new design, called twill tapestry. In order to cater to the cultural requirements of the elite, Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin invited Central Asian artists to introduce this technique in the Valley. He encouraged craftsmen to study the beauty of nature to recreate it in shawls. Thus the patterns and designs woven looked like sketches of tree forms and human figures, However, Kani-shawls attained great perfection during the Mughal period when production-relations underwent a definite and a qualitative change, manifesting, as we have seen, specifically in the simple capitalist mode of production..
The Mughals took keen interest in the improvement of shawl designs and provided the industry with a technological base which had made the Indian textiles superior to those of Western Europe. Special arrangements were made to teach people an improved manufacturing method. The art of weaving and spinning was brought to perfection. The introduction of a new loom enabled the Kashmiri craftsmen to produce the fabric in different sizes.Writing about the improvements which Akbar introduced in the industry, Abul Fadl states:
The improvement is visible first in colour of tus shawls which are unrivalled for their lightness, warmth and softness. People generally wear them without altering their natural colour; his Majesty has had them dyed. Secondly, tarhdars (corded) were formerly dyed in three ways. His Majesty has ordered to dye them in various ways. Thirdly, in various other stuffs to which his Majesty pays much attention. Fourthly, an improvement was made in the width of all stufis; his Majesty had the pieces made large enough to yield the making of a full dress.
Thus shawls came to be woven in different colours and sizes. The most notable shawls marked by richness of art, colour and design have been mentioned by Abul Fadl in the following manner:
Zardozi, kalabatun, kashida, qalgha, bandhnun, chint, alcha purzdar and parmanarm.
In his Tuzk, emperor Jahangir states that “the shawls of Kashmir to which my father gave the name of purm-narm are very famous. There is no need to praise them. Another kind is taharma which is thicker and soft than the ordinary shawl. Another is called darma.Mayan and dushala were also noted for their patterns. In Badshah-Nama, we come across different varieties of shawls which were popular during Shah Jahan’s times.
As a result of the Mughal occupation of Kashmir, the shawl industry received so great an impetus that it induced the local craftsmen to evolve new patterns and designs to meet the growing cultural and court requirements new customers. The shawl trade got additional fillip by various improvements in colour and design during this period. Various colours and chemicals imported in Kashmir, enabled craftsmen to give as many as 300 shades to the fabric. The Mughal innovations expressed themselves in technical improvement which subsequently resulted in the manufacture of dushala, or the shawl so finely woven to have similar designs on both sides that it would appear wonderful. The Mughal shawls were so fine that they could easily pass through a ring. The borders of the Mughal Kani-shawls were generally ornamented with kalabatan or gold and silk threads.Their usual size was about 5’2. In the time of Aurangzeb decoration was limited so that the shawl appeared a little modest. Kashmir Kanishawls represented floral ornament in the time of the great Mughals. One of the most famous was shah-pasand. The fabric had curves filled with colourful lines and flowers.It became popular in the time of Afghans In the 18th century the floral design manifested itself in a new shape with a vase of flowers called butha Meaning flower, butha design was generally applied to a large Kani-shawl. It was named as dokad and schkad when used in two and three lines. After five lines it was named as tukadar Several kinds of floral motifs were common in Kashmir in 1822, when Moorcroft visited the Valley. The most prominent among them were
i) khirkha-buth (ii) reza-buth (iii) kunjbutha. (iv) kuni-buthadar (v) kaddar (vi) dhourdar, (vii) mathandar (viii) dogul (ix) schgul, (x) chahargul and jhal
The first quarter of the 19th century saw the Kani-shawl losing its floral origin. It had got transformed into a “Scroll-like unit as part of a complicated over all pattern.” This technique was more formal and could be easily distinguished from the earlier cypress and almond tree design. Some of the other notable designs that made the shawl admirable throughout the world were zanjir,mehramat, marpech and chan-dar, which are still preserved in Srinagar Museum, and which slightly differ from the present day Kani–patterns. Among the modern designs, chahar-badam and shamdasi are well-known. They are of both pashmina and raffal wool Kani-art style reached its zenith till 1803, becoming vital source of income to the Valley. After that, its popularity started declining owing to increased cost of production,101 leading to excessive prices and change in fashion, and subsequently giving way to Amli-shawls.
…to be continued
Dr. Ahad has authored: Kashmir to Frankfurt; Kashmir Rediscovered; Kashmir: Triumphs & Tragedies; Legends of Unsung Heroes (forthcoming); Kashmir: Unrevelling the Unknown ( forthcoming)
