BY DR.ABDUL AHAD
Being intimately involved with the very social fabric of Kashmir, the development of shawl industry is itself an interestingly realistic story of the socio-economic evolution of the Valley and of the craftsmen responsible for weaving such a fine cloth as pashmina. In the beginning the art of shawl weaving was but a subsidiary occupation pursued by agriculturists in their own houses mainly for meeting their domestic requirements. The shawl was woven on a rough loom with the help of a primitive technical know-how that was distinctly marked by the absence of any qualitative division of labour.
With the emergence of new social relations and economic organisation through a complex social division of labour, private property and the establishment of towns and markets in the 3rd century A.D.’ the art of shawl weaving was separated from land-based activities.
The new phenomenon, besides setting the boundaries of production and distribution, removed the weaving activity from the households out in the factories as the techniques and tools had improved. Kalhana’s reference to Pattan as a separate weaving centre and the Harwan remains go to substantiate this.
lt appears that during ancient period the shawl was manufactured in the manner in which textiles were produced in northern India. Hiuen Tsiang refers to it and writes:
“The clothing materials of the people of Kashmir and northern India were textiled in similar manner. They were named as Kiao-she-ye (Kausheya) and muslin (Tieh) and calico (Pu). Kausheya being silk from a wild silk worm, chra (or Chu-mo) kohaunma a kind of linen; ham (or Kan)-po-lo (Kambala), a texture of fine wool (sheep’s wool or goat’s hair) and ho-la-li (Ral?), a texture made from the wool of wild animal. This wool being soft and fine was easily spun and woven into a prized material for clothing.
The figure stamped tiles of Harwan show a remarkable feature of Kashmir’s technical likeness and resemblance to that of Central Asia. The art weaving in Kashmir, in fact, was influenced much by India and Central Asia through commercial and cultural relations. Merchants from India and Central Asia came regularly to Kashmir to trade in its products and in the process inspired its weavers to design the fabric satisfying the tastes of foreign customers. Likewise, the scholars, who came to Kashmir in pursuit of knowledge and scholarship, seem to have profoundly influenced the designs of various fabrics by letting the Kashmiri weavers know the preferences of their people.
The end of the 10th century A.D. saw the socio-political equilibrium of the Valley so intensely disturbed that life became extremely difficult and trade and industry suffered enormously directly hitting the shawl weaving” Dulacha, a Mongol invader, devastated whatever was left in the Valley. A large number of craftsmen perished” and Kashmir became almost a region before creation, a vast field with few men without food and full of grass.
The establishment of a stable government in 1320, created conditions conducive to peace and prosperity, giving rise to a new socio-economic order. Amidst peace, the capital Srinagar once again became the hub of social, political and commercial activities, luring a large number of the Central Asian Muslims to settle down in Kashmir.
The Central Asian Muslims took keen interest in the affairs of Kashmir and inspired Sultans to introduce modes of life befitting the Muslim court and society. The Sultans, therefore, earnestly strove to remodel the socio-economic system of Kashmir on the pattern prevailing in Central Asia which had brought ample material prosperity to that region.
As a result, the whole economy was renovated and old industries revived. Sultan Qutb-ud-Dins reign (1374-1389) witnessed the art of shawl weaving revived due to active cooperation of Syed Ali Hamadani, a well known missionary.” It developed considerably in the reign of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin who made elaborate arrangements to make it an industry of great economic consequences. He provided the weavers the facilities necessary for the advancement of the craft. In his Tarikh-i-Rashidi, Mirza Haidar has praised the Sultan for the enthusiasm with which he popularised the Kashmir handicrafts.
The local chroniclers, especially Srivara, Haidar Malik and the author of Baharistan-i-Shahi, too speak eloquently of the systematic measures adopted by the Sultan to improve the art of shawl weaving. Besides improvising upon the traditional loom,” the Sultan endeavoured to organise the weaving after Central Asian model and technique. For this he invited experts from Turkistan and provided them several facilities and concessions so as to make the job more
appealing to them. He also persuaded other Central Asian craftsmen to teach the Kashmiri weavers the designs prevailing in Persia, not allowing them to leave the Valley until they had done so.
Thus the Kashmir craftsmen wove the exquisite floral, faunal and geometrical designs exciting wonder and evoking immense praise among the rulers of foreign countries to whom the handicrafts were sent as presents.
Dr. Ahad is a historian and author
