Traditional woven textiles of India

Traditional woven textiles of India

1. Traditional Woven Textiles A.LAKSHIKA, ASSISTANT PROFFESSSOR, DEPARTMENT OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY AND COSTUME DESIGNING, BON SECOURS ARTS AND SCIENCE COLLEGE FOR WOMEN, MANNARGUDI.

2. Traditional Woven Textiles The textiles of each state in India speak volumes about their cultural heritage. Unfortunately, despite the versatility of the fabrics and their eco-friendly production process, many Indian threads and works of embroidery are fading and becoming dying arts.  India has a diverse and rich textile tradition. It has a wide range of textiles of varied designs, manufactured by different techniques as compared to other countries of the world. The specialty in the weave of the textiles in each region is developed based on location, climate and cultural influences.

3. DACCA MUSLIN Muslin is a loosely-woven cotton fabric which originated in then India (and now Bangladesh), which was introduced to Europe from the Middle East in the 17th century. It became very popular at the end of the 18th century in France. Muslin is most typically an unbleached or white cloth, produced from carded cotton yarn. It was as fine as 50 meters long muslin cloth could be filled in a match box It is often used to make sewing patterns, such as for clothing, curtains, or upholstery. Because air moves easily through muslin, muslin clothing is suitable for hot, dry climates.

4. HISTORY OF DHAKA MUSLIN Dhaka Muslin become famous and attracted foreign and transmarine buyer after the establishment of the Mughal capital at Dhaka. The Muslin industry of Dhaka received patronage from the Mughal emperors and the Mughal nobility. A huge quantity of the finest sort of muslin was produced for the use of the Mughal emperors, provincial governors and high officers and nobles. In the grate 1851 Exhibition of London, Dhaka Muslin occupied a prominent place, attracted a large number of visitors and the British press spoke very highly of the marvelous Muslin fabrics of Dhaka.

5. Weaving was prevalent in the Dhaka district in almost every village, but some places become famous for manufacturing superior quality of Muslins. These places were Dhaka, Sonargaon, Dhamrai , Teetbady , Junglebary and Bajitpur . These places manufactured fine quality cloth, because they were situated near the places where cotton suitable for manufacturing Muslins was produced. Everyone of a family would involve producing a cloth. Generally girls were considered as a spinner of muslin yarns. Men felt insulting to spin yarn. The man who was looser in war had to spin yarn as punishment.  They used bamboo looms for producing muslins.

6. DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSLIN FABRICS NAME • “ Malmal Khas” very fine used by emperors & nawabs of Delhi. • “ Jhuna ” was used by native dancers. • “Rang” was very transparent and net-like texture. • “ Khassa ” was special quality, fine or elegant. • “ Seerbund ” used for turbans. • “ Doorea ” was striped.

7. PROPERTIES OF MUSLIN CLOTH:   Very fine cloth. It is smooth and delicate. It is cool and comfortable. It wears well. It is medium to lightweight. Transparent.

8. USES OF MUSLIN:  Dress making and sewing Backing or lining for quilts. Used as a filter (decanting fine wine) Used to mask the background of theatre. Saree, Curtains or Upholstery etc.…

9. JAMDANI Jamdani or Jamdhani is a fine art weave attachment, intended to enhance the look and appeal of the saree on which it is hand woven. Intending to improve the aesthetic appeal, it takes the form of cotton and gold colored thread weaving to create motifs of geometric patterns and floral designs in colourful hues.   it is considered to be one of the most prized fabrics in the world. Jamdani weaving is time-consuming and labour-intensive because of the richness of its motifs. A genuine Jamdani saree will not cost less than Rs.2500.

10. ORIGIN AND HISTORY The name Jamdani is of Persian origin and is strongly suggestive of Mughal influence. It is a compound word wherein “jam” means flower and “ dani ” means vase. The name is suggestive of the beautiful floral motifs that adorn these gorgeous sarees. The Bengali version of the name, Dhakai, comes from the place of its origin Dhaka in Bangladesh. In the first half of the 19th century, James Taylor described the flowered Jamdani.TN Mukharji referred to this fabric as Jamdani muslin. Though Jamdani has enjoyed immense popularity right from the beginning, the art form bloomed during the Mughal period.

11. However, colonisation by the British saw a decline in the production of this fabric. Export of cheaper yarn from European countries in the 19th century was one of the primary reasons for the decline of Jamdani. Also, with the decline of Mughal rule in India, producers of Jamdani were deprived of their most influential patrons. Villages like Madhurapur and Jangalbadi , once famous for the intricate Jamdani industry, faded into oblivion. Post the partition, many weavers migrated to present day West Bengal, and that marked the beginning of the art form in India.

12. WEAVING PROCESS The base fabric for Jamdani is unbleached cotton yarn and the design is woven using bleached cotton yarns so that a light-and-dark effect is created. The process is extremely time consuming as it involves a tedious form of hand looming. The making of Jamdani involves the supplementary weft technique along with the standard weft technique. With the latter, the base sheer material is made on which thicker threads on used to create designs. Each of the supplementary weft motif is then added manually by interlacing the weft threads with fine bamboo sticks using individual spools.

13. This process results in the vibrant patterns that appear to float on a shimmering surface, which is a feature unique to Jamdani sarees. Today, however, price constraints have forced weavers to simplify their designs. The most remarkable part of this technique is that the pattern is not sketched or outlined on the fabric. Instead, it is drawn on a translucent graph paper and placed underneath the warp. The fabric is not just limited to sarees; scarves, handkerchiefs and dupattas made out of this fine muslin are also extremely popular.

14. COLOURS • The two current favourites in Jamdani saree are the self-coloured style where the work is in the same colour as the base fabric and the half and half style where the inner and outer halves of the saree are in complementary colours. • The base fabric is traditionally white, black and grey with gold borders

15. MOTIFS The common motifs used on jamdani sarees are geometric pattern, floral design, peacock, lotus, fish scale, lamp etc... Some of the popular motif includes, Panna Hajar (Thousand Emeralds), Butidar  (Small Flowers),  Fulwar  (Flowers Arranged In Straight Rows), Tersa  (Diagonal Patterns), Jalar  (Motifs Evenly Covering the Entire Saree),  Duria  (Polka Spots) Charkona  (Rectangular Motifs)

16. TYPES OF JAMDANI Jamdani sarees can be classified based on the type of motifs or the region where they are produced. Dhakai Jamdani  (Bangladesh) - These are the original and the finest of jamdani sarees with the most elaborate workmanship. One such saree could take from 9 months to a year to weave. Tangail Jamdani  (Bangladesh) – Woven in the Tangail district, these jamdani sarees have traditional broad borders featuring lotus, lamp and fish scale motifs. Shantipur Jamdani  (India) – Woven in Shantipur , West Bengal, these jamdani sarees are similar to Tangail jamdanis. They have a fine texture and often, elegant striped motifs decorate the saree. Dhaniakhali Jamdani  (India) – With its origin in Dhaniakhali , West Bengal, these jamdani sarees have tighter weave compared to the Tangail and Shantipur varieties. They are marked by bold colours and dark, contrasting borders  

17. CHANDERI Chanderi is a traditional ethnic fabric characterized by its lightweight, sheer texture and fine luxurious feel. Chanderi fabric is produced by weaving in silk and golden Zari in the traditional cotton yarn that results in the creation of the shimmering texture. Sometimes mixed threads of silk and cotton are used for weaving the fabrics known as garbhreshmi. The pallus of these are very artistically ornamented with gold threads while the ground of the saree is checked, with buttas in the centre of the each check-square.

18. The borders are woven with double threads which produce an effect of two colours, one on each side. The sarees are woven in 9 yard lengths and are very much valued by Maharashtrian ladies.This fabric can be classified into three types – Chanderi silk cotton, chanderi pure silk and Chanderi cotton Traditionally, Chanderi fabric was primarily used in weaving Sarees and Salwar Kameez material. The fabric borrowed its name from the small town Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh where Chanderi fabric was woven using handspun cotton warps and wefts. But the evolution of the fabric began in the 1890’s when weavers in the town of Chanderi replaced hand spun yarns with mill mad yarns. But if epics are to be believed, Chanderi fabric is known to have its origin way back in the Vedic Period and was founded by Lord Krishna’s cousin – Shishupal In the year 1910 the golden thread motif made its presence in the cotton muslin saree for the first time.

19. But during the Mughal reign, popularity of this fabric reached new heights and was the most favored choice of queens in India. In the 1930s, Chanderi weavers in Madhya Pradesh discovered Japanese silk. They began replacing the warps of cotton sarees with it and that’s how the Chanderi silk variety came into existence

20. MOTIFS OR BUTTIS The buttis or motifs on Chanderi fabric are primarily hand woven on handloom, with the use of needles. Separate needles are used to create different motifs. Weavers coat these motifs with gold, silver as well as copper. Motifs created using chanderi weaving are inspired from nature and include Swans, gold coins, fruits, and heavenly bodies. From traditional motifs of flowers, peacock, lotus to modern geometric patterns, today one can find strikingly beautiful motifs like ‘ Nalferma , ‘ Dandidar , ‘ Chatai ’, ‘ Jangla ’, Mehndi wale haath ’ etc. adorning the Chanderi fabrics.

21. BALUCHAR BUTTEDAR It is a type of silk brocade sari produced in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal in the 18th and 19th centuries, with supplementary weft motifs of diagonal rows of small flowers worked on the central field of the saree. The pallus were the most elaborately ornamented portion. The ornamentation shows a strong influence of Mughal art, which is famous for its portraits. The weavers chooses motifs of human figures and the popular ‘ toranj ’. The border design which is a simple and straight combination of a small toranj and flowering plant is continued for whole saree. The subjects for portraits were either a lady or a noble man dressed in Persian dress and holding a flower or riding a horse or smoking.

22. Though the subjects were always of Islamic origin, yet the baluchar buttedar were very popular among the Hindu ladies. Later on, probably due to the desire for the patronage of the English bosses of the east India company the woven in pictorial subjects came to indulge figures dressed in European clothes holding instead of the traditional flower, a wine glass. The wonderful art of weaving figured fabrics in baluchar is lost for ever and a few extinct scattered specimen in some museums are the sad mementos of the perfection it has achieved.

23. KASHMIR SHAWL Kashmir embroidery and shawls are well known for the beauty of colour, texture, design and technique all over the world. The wool embroidery is universally famous. The best known of indian embroidery is the kasida of Kashmir and it is revealed in the shawls. This embroidery is done in cottage industry by several family members in their homes mostly around Srinagar. Kashmir embroidery is practiced by men and it is essentially a commercial craft. The shawl industry in Kashmir was introduced by zain -ul- abedin , the ruler in the 15 th century. When he was a prince, he was taken in captivity at samarkhand . In samarkhand , various craftsmen worked for manufacturing different things.

24. When zain -ul- abedin returned to his country, he sent people in search of talented craftsmen, thus shawl weavers from Persia were brought to india to encourage this art. Emperor akbar was a keen admirer of shawls. He is responsible for introducing a new type of shawl, the doushala , meaning twin shawl. The demand for shawls increased during the Mughal period in india and abroad. By the 18 th century the shawls were exported to Europe where the women draped them over their dresses as a fashion. Merchants came from all over the world to purchase shawls according to their requirements. The demand for Kashmir shawls went down probably because of the complicated woven designs leading to high price Another reason may be that in Europe fashions changed and the shawls were no more in vogue. So the weavers were largely affected by the fall in demand and low wages. Some of them took to carpet weaving for which the demand was growing Others took to embroidering shawls for cheaper price.

25. TYPES OF KASHMIR SHAWLS Pashmina shawls: the majority of the woollen fabrics of Kashmir, especially the superior quality shawls are the pashmina or pashm . They were made from the wool of the capra hercus , a species of the wild Asian mountain goat.

26. Doushala: this double shawl was sold in paris . In this type two similar shawls were stitched together back to back so that the wrong side was not visible.

27. Do- rookha : double sided work in which there is no right and wrong side. Sometimes the same design is reproduced in two different colours, on the two sides creating double sided pattern. These had simple pattern with outlines and details woven in bright colours and being later on worked by hand.

28. Kasaba shawl: these are square shape and probably produced on account of European demand. They are generally of twill weave or damask patterns woven into them in a plain colour.

29. Jamewar shawl: woven wholly of wool or with some cotton mixed, but floral design and brocaded parts are generally in silk or pashmina wool.

30. Brocade Brocade  is a class of richly decorative  shuttle-woven   fabrics , often made in colored   silks  and with or without  gold  and  silver  threads. Brocade Fabrics are distinguished by a secondary, non-structural weft pattern which creates a raised appearance similar to embroidery. Brocades can be made from Silk, Cotton, Rayon, Polyester or metallic synthetic fibers. Brocades often have striking floral, geometric or animal patterns woven into colour intensive backgrounds, sometimes with metallic highlights

31. KAM KAWAB Kam khwab is the name given to red gold brocades. The kam khwab expresses the dream like beauty and richness of the fabric. It literally means only a little less ( kam ) than a dream ( khwab ). The real kam khwabs are woven with pure gold threads and the silk yarn is added to provide a body and as a means for colour illuminations. Silver or gold plated silver threads are also used for keeping down the price but gold is usual. These are heavy fabrics and are generally used for making women's blouses, palloos and for men's half-sleeve Indian jackets, long coats (angarkhas or achkans), ceremonial robes (chogas) and also later on came to be used for curtains and for upholstering the furniture of public rooms and durbar halls of princess.

32. PAITHANI & PITAMBER Paithani are the beautiful and rich sarees made at pattan in the State of Hyderabad. These are fine silk fabrics with gauze like texture ornamented with gold patterns woven in the texture of the colour. The borders and the palloos which are woven separately as gold brocades are sewed on the sarees. The colour of the sarees is usually dark orange red or yellow with gold lines arranged in checks or stripes. The Inter spaces are usually filled in with a figure design depicting a goose with an olive branches in its beak. The Borders and the palloos have very striking designs in bright and showy colours such as moss green, canary yellow and bright pink. The Common motif of the design is the peacock supporting a big vase with sprays of brilliantly coloured flowers so arranged as to form a Persian cone pattern.

33. The Paithani palloo does not have the favourite Peacock in the design, but it depicts the harmonious arrangement of the sprays and the surroundings floral design. The vase with sprays is placed between two pillars joined with the toran (arch). The design is worked in silk of blue, red and white colours on a field of pure translucent gold. The whole effect is gorgeous and is artistic in its perfect harmony. In olden days, Paithanis were usually woven to order for the royal family and the weaver took months to complete a single piece. The Value of genuine real Paithani ranged between Rs.2,000/- to Rs.3,000/-. In modern times however such highly valued and gorgeous Paithanis are not woven. Pitambers are bright coloured silks 5 yards in length with gold borders sewn on them. These are worn by Men specially when performing any of the religious rituals.

34. KANCHEEPURAM BROCADE Kanchipuram  brocade is traditionally woven silk from the village called Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, India. The shine and durability of the fabric have made these Sarees popular attire among women across the globe. The rich quality combined with an amazing finish make them last longer. Among the sarees of South India, these are the mark of culture for every south Indian wedding, ceremony or occasion. The colours were usually deep blue, red, green, purple, saffron-yellow rust brown and white traditionally, with elaborate gold borders and pallu ends, though nowadays they are made in lighter textures in many pastel colours with woven silk motifs and or without borders. Kanchipuram saris present a damask-like effect when decorated by stylised animals and birds, like the elephant, tiger, swan and peacock, as also scroll and geometric shapes and, flowers; in many forms.

35. Kanchipuram has only been weaving silk saris for the past 150 years, and specializes in the murukku pattu, a heavy silk sari woven with tightly twisted three-ply, high-denier threads, using thick zari threads for supplementary-warp and -weft patterning. Interlocked weft borders are common, as well as an end piece created in the time-consuming petni technique. This requires each individual warp thread in the field to be twisted around a new set of warp threads the same colour as the border for about 2 to 5 centimetres or 2 inches. Then the field warps are cut off. At the back of the sari the join is identified by two parallel warp fringes with the fringe facing the field the same colour as the end piece, and vice versa. Kanchipuram silk initially started with the 9-yard sarees that were woven to blend well with the culture of designing and patterning temple stories. Over a period of time, these sarees were converted to 6 yards with gold zari weaving. To make it available for every budget, these days there are Kanchipuram silk sarees woven in artificial gold zari, without losing upon the shining glory of this textile.

36. BANARAS BROCADE India’s ‘fabric of dreams’ is of course the banarasi brocade, known as khinkhaab . The Indian khinkhaab is literally a ‘cloth of gold’. Of the many fabrics available in India, Banarasi brocade is the most luxurious one of them all.  Brocade  work refers to heavy fabrics that are richly designed with raised patterns. A  Banarasi saree  is a  saree  made in  Varanasi , a city which is also called Benares or Banaras. The sarees are among the finest sarees in  India  and are known for their gold and silver  brocade  or  zari , fine silk and opulent embroidery. The sarees are made of finely woven  silk  and are decorated with intricate design, and, because of these engravings, are relatively heavy. The common motifs used in banaras are flowers, birds, swan and flame. It is said that when Buddha attained Nirvana, his body was wrapped in Banaras fabric, which emitted rays of dazzling blue, red and yellow. These banaras brocades are produced in Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal, Murshidabad, Tanjore, Trichy, madras and Surat.  

37.   Basically the four different types of  Banarasi saris  are there, they are as follows Katan (pure silk), Organza with silk and zari (kora) Georgette, Shattir . 1) Katan Katan is a plain fabric with woven pure silk threads which are twisted and woven into pure silk sarees. These pure silk sarees are now produced using powerlooms and rapid looms, while in ancient times Katan sarees were woven using handlooms with a beautiful creation of patterns and motifs. 2) Organza (Kora) with Zari and silk Brocades are most beautiful and richly woven fabric where the patterns are pattered with different designs made by warp and weft. Silver threads are coated with gold and are then woven closely around a silk yarn to create zari brocade. 3) Georgette It is a finely woven light fabric with a simple and plain weave. This fabric is made of crepe yarn where S twisted and Z twisted yarns are inter-woven with both warp and weft. This fabric is most popular in modern types are are used to produced designer sarees, Bollywood sarees and latest salwar kameez designs. 4. Shattir Shattir is another fabric which is used in creating exclusive and contemporary designs of Banaras sarees.

38. Katan Organza (Kora) with Zari and silk Georgette Shattir

39. HIMRUS AND AMRUS Himrus are the famous silk brocades of Hyderabad (Deccan). The state’s second largest town-Aurangabad is the chief centre of the art of Himru -weaving. Himru probably a derivative of the Sanskrit Him (snow) is a fabric used in winter. The ground is cotton, and silk is used for the brocade on the surface. The yarn used for weaving Himrus is spun so as to produce, when woven, the effects of a warm soft material like Himrus are used for men’s Achkans, Chogas, and for female wear also, e.g., for blouses and lehangas . For generations, the Nawabs of Surat used a special quality of Himru fabrics for their dresses which was called the “Nawab’s Himru ”.

40. These fabrics are also used for upholstery and curtains.wool . The peculiarity of the Himru is that the silk thread which is used to form a pattern on the surface of the cloth is carried to the reverse side of the cloth and is collected there in clumsy long loops. This forms a rather loose but soft warm layer. Further, the accumulation of the loose threads on the reverse of the cloth necessitates a lining to all garments made of Himru cloth. Thus Himru garments make very warm clothing suitable for the cold season. When silk thread is used exclusively for weaving Himru , the fabric is called “ Amru ”. Amrus are generally made in Ahmedabad, Surat & Banaras.