|
Kashmir Handicrafts |
Kashmiri handicrafts are prized everywhere
for their exquisite craftsmanship. Kashmir carpets, in both
wool and silk with their Persian design, are a lifetime
investment and the shoppers’ selection ranges from the simple
to the most extraordinary intricate patterns handed down the
generations. The papier-mâché items ranges from jewellery
boxes to mirror frames, a range of intricately carved walnut
wood furniture and accessories, stone jewellery boxes,
beautiful woollen shawls, crewel embroidery on furnishing
material.
The main handicrafts of Kashmir are as
follows: |
|
Carpets
A carpet may well be the most expensive purchase from
your trip to Kashmir but it is a lifelong investment.
Kashmiri carpets are known the world over for two
things. One is that they are handmade and the other is
that they are always knotted, never tufted. It is
extremely instructive to watch a carpet being made.
Stretched tightly on a frame is the warp of a carpet.
The weft threads are passed through, the 'taleem' or
design and colour specification are then worked out on
this. A strand of yarn is looped through the warp and
weft, knotted and then cut. The yarn used normally is
silk, wool or both. Woolen carpets always have a cotton
base (warp & weft), while silk usually has a cotton
base. Occasionally, carpets are made on a cotton base,
mainly of woolen pile with silk yarn used as highlights
on certain motifs. When the dealer specifies the
percentage of each yarn used, he also takes into account
the yarn used for the base too. So, a carpet with a pure
silk pile may be |
|
|
referred as
"80 per cent silk carpet" and the warp and weft are not of
silk. A third type of yarn staple, also known as mercerized
cotton is a man-made fibre. Its shine is not like silk,
although in price it is much lower than silk, but more
expensive than wool. Staple carpets are made to fill a slot in
the market as the customers demand carpets, which are not
unlike silk in appearance so as to blend with the decor of
their houses. One important difference between silk and staple
is that pure silk is far lighter than staple per unit area.
Carpet weaving in Kashmir was not originally indigenous but is
thought to have come in by way of Persia. Till today, most
designs are distinctly Persian with local variations. One
example, however, of a typical Kashmir carpet is the "tree of
life". Any carpet woven in Kashmir is referred to as Kashmiri
carpet. The colour-way of a carpet and its details,
differentiate it from any other carpet. It should be kept in
mind that although the colours of Kashmiri carpets are more
subtle and muted than elsewhere in the country, only chemical
dyes are used. The knotting of carpet is the most important
aspect, determining its durability and value, in addition to
its design. Basically, the more knots per square inch, the
greater its value and durability. Count the number of knots on
the reverse of carpet in any one square inch, and it should be
roughly the same as the dealer tells you, give or take 10
knots. If you are told that a carpet contains 360 knots, and
your count indicates about 10 less, it simply means that the
weft has not been evenly combed down in parts, and several
random checks throughout the carpet will even go above the
figure of the dealer's estimate. Also, there are single and
double-knotted carpets. You can quite easily identify one from
the other on the reverse of the carpet. The effect that it has
on the pile too is important - a double-knotted carpet has a
pile that bends when you brush it one way with your hand, and
stands upright when it is brushed in another direction. A
single knotted carpet is fluffier and more resistant to the
touch, there is no 'right' and 'wrong' side to brush it. |
|
Namdas
Far less expensive are these colourful floor coverings made
from woolen and cotton fibre which have been manually pressed
into shape. Prices vary with the percentage of wool – a namda
containing 80 per cent wool being more expensive than the one
containing 20 per cent wool. Chain-stitch embroidery in woolen and cotton thread is done on these rugs. |
|
Papier-Mâché
At first glance, all papier-mâché objects look roughly
the same, but there is a price difference which depends
on the quality of the product. However, besides this
there are three different grades of Paper Mache, some
are actually cardboard or wood! The idea, however, is
not to hoodwink the unwary, but to provide a cheaper
product with the look of papier-mâché. To make
papier-mâché, first paper is soaked in water till it
disintegrates. It is then pounded, mixed with an
adhesive solution, shaped over moulds, and allowed to
dry and set before |
|
|
being printed
and varnished. Paper that has been pounded to pulp has the
smoothest finish in the final product. When the pounding has
not been so thorough, the finish is less smooth. The designs
painted on objects of papier-mâché are brightly coloured. They
vary in artistry and the choice of colours, and it is not
difficult to tell a mediocre piece from an excellent one. Gold
is used on most objects, either as the only colour, or as a
highlight for certain motifs. Besides the finish of the
product, it is the quality of gold used which determines the
price. Pure gold leaf, which has an unmistakable lustre, is
far more expensive than bronze dust or gold poster paint.
Varnish, which is applied to the finished product, imparts a
high gloss and smoothness, and increases with every coat
applied.
Shawls
There are three fibres from which Kashmiri shawls are made -
wool, pashmina and shahtoosh. The woolen shawls are within
the reach of most of the people, while shahtoosh is only a
one-in-a-lifetime purchase. Woolen shawls are popular because
of the embroidery work on them, which is unique in Kashmir.
Both embroidery and the type of wool used bring about
differences in the price. Wool woven in Kashmir is known as
raffel and is always 100 per cent pure. Sometimes blends from
other parts of the country are used and Kashmiri embroidery is
done on them. These blends
contain cashmilon, cotton, or a mixture of both. Pashmina is
unmistakable due to its softness. Pashmina yarn is spun from
the hair of the ibex found in the highlands of Ladakh, at
14,000 feet above sea level. Although pure pashmina is
expensive, the cost is sometimes brought down by blending it
with rabbit fur or wool. It is on pashmina shawls that
Kashmir's most exquisite embroidery is done, sometimes
covering the entire surface, earning it the name of 'jamawar’.
A second, less frequently seen weaving done only on pashmina,
covers the surface with tiny lozenge
shaped squares, which is known by the name of 'chashm-e-bulbul,'
or "eye of the bulbul". As this weaving is a masterpiece of
the weaver's art, it is normally not embroidered upon.
Shahtoosh, from which the legendary 'ring shawl' is made, is
incredibly light, soft and warm. The price it commands in the
market is due to the scarcity of the raw material. High in the
plateau of Tibet and the eastern part of Ladakh, graze the
Tibetan antelope. During grazing, a few strands of the downy
hair from the throat are shed which are painstakingly
collected by the nomads, to supply to the Kashmiri shawl
makers as shahtoosh. The yarn is spun either from shahtoosh
alone, or mixed with pashmina, bringing down the cost. In the
case of pure shahtoosh too, there are many qualities - the
yarn can be spun so skillfully as to resemble a strand of silk.
Not only are shawls, made from such fine yarn, extremely
expensive, but can only be loosely woven and are too flimsy
for embroidery to be done on them. Unlike woolen and pashmina
shawls, shahtoosh is seldom dyed. Its natural colour is mousy
brown, and it is sparsely embroidered. |
|
Embroidery
Many kinds of embroidery are worked on shawls. 'Sozni'
(needlework) is generally done in a panel along the
sides of the shawl. Motifs, usually abstract designs or
stylised paisleys and flowers are worked in one or two,
and occasionally three subdued colours. The stitch
employed is not unlike stem stitch, and only the outline
of the design is embroidered. The fineness of the
workmanship and the amount of embroidery determines the
value of the shawl. Sozni is often done so skillfully
that the motif |
|
|
appears on both sides
of the shawl, each side having a different colour scheme.
Another type of needle embroidery is popularly known as 'papier-mâché' work because of the design and the style in which it is
executed. This is done either in broad panels on either side
along the breadth of a shawl, or covering the entire surface
of the breadth of a shawl or that of a stole. Flowers and
leaves are worked in chain stitch in bright colours such as
those of papier-mâché and each motif is then outlined in
black. A third type of embroidery is Aari or hook embroidery.
Motifs here are the well-known flower design finely worked in
concentric rings of chain stitch.
Copper and Silverware
The old city abounds with shops where objects of copper line
the walls, the floor and even the ceiling, made generally for
the local market. Craftsmen can often be seen engraving
objects of household utility like samovars, bowls, plates and
trays. Floral, stylized, geometric, leaf and sometimes
calligraphic motifs are engraved or embossed on copper and
occasionally silver, to cover the entire surface with
intricate designs which are then oxidized, so as to stand out
better from the background. The work, known as 'naqashi',
determines the price of the object, as does the weight. |
|
Saffron
Pampore, near Srinagar, is the only place in the world
besides Spain where saffron is grown. The climate of
Kashmir is ideal for walnut and almond trees, which grow
here in abundance. Natural honey too, is a produce of
the apiaries, which abound in the state. The crocus
sativus plant, which blooms for a brief month in the
year, has six golden stamens and one crimson one. It is
the crimson stamen which when collected and dried that
forms saffron and is the most expensive spice in the
world. Sealed jars of |
|
|
this spice,
with the government laboratory's stamp of approval, are
available all over Srinagar. When buying loose saffron,
sampling one strand is enough, for the flavour and fragrance
of saffron are unmistakable.
Basketry
Willows that grow plentifully in marshes and lakes in Kashmir
are used to make charming objects, ranging from shopping
baskets and lampshades to tables and chairs, all generally
inexpensive. To increase their life span, unvarnished products
should be chosen and frequently sprayed with water,
particularly in hot, dry climate, to prevent them becoming
brittle. |
|
Wood
Carving
Kashmir is the only part of India where the walnut tree
grows. Its colour, grains and inherent sheen are unique
and unmistakable, and the carving and fret- work that is
done on this wood is of a very superior quality. Items
made from walnut wood come from three parts of the tree
- the branches, trunk and root. The branches have the
palest colour of wood, and the trunk the darkest. The
branches have no veins, while the trunks have the
strongest marked veins. Objects made out of the root
will be the costliest because of the wood used. As
walnut is a soft wood, it takes carving very well.
Chinar leaves, vine leaves and flowers can be either
carved along borders or can fill entire surfaces. The
artistry of the carving and its abundance dictates the
cost. Trinket boxes and the larger jewellery boxes
should have invisible seams. Other walnut wood objects
are salad bowls, nut bowls, photo frames, trays and
furniture, which range from simple telephone tables to
elaborate dining tables with six |
|
|
chairs. In
the case of furniture, the price is dictated by the thickness
of wood used. |
|