kashmiri shawls history

kashmiri shawls history

A shawl from Sanskrit is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and

arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth.Kashmiri

shawl also spelled Cashmere, type of woolen shawl woven in Kashmir.Today, shawls are worn for added

warmth (and fashion) at outdoor or indoor evening affairs.The Kashmir shawl is characterized by the

elaboration of its design, in which the “cone” pattern is a prominent feature, and by the glowing

brilliance, depth, and enduring qualities of its colours.According to tradition, the founder of the

industry was Zayn-ul-Ābidīn, a 15th-century ruler of Kashmir who introduced weavers from Turkistan.

Definitive knowledge of the production of Kashmiri shawls belongs to the sixteenth-century Mughal

period.Though the history of shawl weaving, with which the history of woolen textiles is closely

associated, is rather obscure, references to shawls are first found in the Ramayana and Mahabharata

and the Atharvaveda. The shawl is also mentioned in ancient Buddhist literature among the recorded

inventories of woolen garments.As early as 1803, Kashmiri needlework production was established to

increase and hasten output of these shawls.Kashmiri shawls were high-fashion garments in Western

Europe in the early- to mid-1800s.In response to foreign tastes, the traditional designs were replaced

by or adapted to patterns supplied by foreign dealers. From the second quarter of the nineteenth

century, Persia competed with Kashmir in the shawl trade. Persian shawls continued to differ from

those of Kashmir in quality and in design, particularly in the use of border floral treatments and

greater architectural emphasis.In the nineteenth century, shawl design in Kashmir received a powerful

external stimulus and change of course when European attention impinged upon local tastes.Nowdays

the kashmiri shawl has a great demand in national and international markets.