Magic Carpets: Khursheed Dinshaw visits a carpet-weaving home in Kashmir
A man named Abdul, dressed in a grey and black phiran, a garment traditional to Jammu and Kashmir, is sitting cross-legged in front of a loom in his home. With nimble fingers he hand-knots a carpet before offering up Kahwa, a typical local tea. Abdul is one of many weavers in Srinagar who carries forward the carpet weaving legacy handed down by his forefathers. A craft originally brought to Jammu and Kashmir by Persians who also taught Kashmiris the craft of papier mâché, these carpets are always hand-knotted.‘In Kashmir there are more than 600 families who hand-knot these carpets,’ explains Aftab, a fourth generation weaver and carpet seller. ‘They are woven in homes, side by side with other daily responsibilities, like farming.’
The design and colour combination of each carpet is decided by a script held in place by the warp threads.This is a long, coded piece of paper, containing a different code for each colour of the carpet. Even if weavers are not already aware of the design, they simply follow the code and the carpet emerges on the loom. Every family will have two to three designs passed down to them through the generations, and the head of the family always writes the script. Many believe that the reason why it is so hard to find two similar Kashmiri carpets is because once one is woven, its corresponding script is destroyed.
Traditionally red, blue and green are used. Red is symbolic of joy, blue represents seclusion while green is the religious colour of Muslims. Now more than 38 colours are used in the scripts. The first code indicates the colour, so the weaver brings that coloured thread down to make the first loop around one thread from the front and one from the back of the warp. Once the thread is in place, it is brought down and cut using a curved knife, kept in hand during making.Typically, a big carpet is hand-knotted by two people, taking almost seven months to finish. Once a row of loops is done an iron comb is used to compact them tightly together. After each row, a warp thread is used to secure the pile and the weaver pulls a gear which changes the shed.
Most of the designs used in Kashmiri carpets are originally from Persia. The most famous is known as Kashian; a floral design that comes from Iran and contains the tree of life, Khumb. When birds are added to a Kashian design then it becomes a Kashmiri design called Sari Kashian. Weaving the peacock
(the national bird of India) denotes royalty. Parrots and sparrows also feature, parrots symbolising life and sparrows fertility. Among trees, palms denote blessings. For happiness, a camel is woven and for allegiance, a lion.
Many carpets depict animals in fighting positions, often symbolising the battle between dark and good forces. ‘Once the carpet is knotted, it’s time to cut the knots. The carpet is removed from the loom, placed on the floor and using the iron scissor is trimmed to uniformity,’ explains Aftab of Khazir Sons – a company that has been weaving and selling carpets in Srinagar since 1880. Mulberry cocoon silk is used in making Kashmiri carpets, and the dyes nowadays are chemical (instead of vegetable dyes, which were primarily used in the past). The signature style of Kashmiri carpets comes to light once you place the carpets on the floor and walk around them. Under observation, their colours change at different angles, and because of this the carpets are nicknamed the ‘magical carpets’.
The price of a carpet like this is based on its number of knots (and some of the finer carpets with exquisite intricacy and durability have almost 600 knots per square inch). The carpet weaving industry of Jammu and Kashmir has had its ups and downs, affected of course by partition.Yet, optimistic and dedicated to their passion, these artisans continue to weave magic. During The Great Exhibition at London’s Crystal Palace in the 19th century, Kashmiri carpets were displayed and as a result their popularity soared. Europeans began to order them and today Kashmiri carpets are in demand throughout the year, not just within India but around the world. Carpets are exported to USA, UK, France and countries in the Gulf. During the summer months, silk carpets are preferred while in the winter months, woollen carpets help keep homes warm and cosy.Apart from being used as carpets, this Kashmiri weaving legacy is also kept alive on the walls of homes and offices, as wall hangings. Many carpets have also caught the eye of collectors, and are now considered as important investment pieces.
For families who have these carpets today, they are kept as heirlooms passed down through the generations complete with intricate, magical designs, eye-catching craftsmanship and indelible memories.
Text by Khursheed Dinshaw
First published in Selvedge issue 77: Chakra.
The design and colour combination of each carpet is decided by a script held in place by the warp threads.This is a long, coded piece of paper, containing a different code for each colour of the carpet. Even if weavers are not already aware of the design, they simply follow the code and the carpet emerges on the loom. Every family will have two to three designs passed down to them through the generations, and the head of the family always writes the script. Many believe that the reason why it is so hard to find two similar Kashmiri carpets is because once one is woven, its corresponding script is destroyed.
Traditionally red, blue and green are used. Red is symbolic of joy, blue represents seclusion while green is the religious colour of Muslims. Now more than 38 colours are used in the scripts. The first code indicates the colour, so the weaver brings that coloured thread down to make the first loop around one thread from the front and one from the back of the warp. Once the thread is in place, it is brought down and cut using a curved knife, kept in hand during making.Typically, a big carpet is hand-knotted by two people, taking almost seven months to finish. Once a row of loops is done an iron comb is used to compact them tightly together. After each row, a warp thread is used to secure the pile and the weaver pulls a gear which changes the shed.
Most of the designs used in Kashmiri carpets are originally from Persia. The most famous is known as Kashian; a floral design that comes from Iran and contains the tree of life, Khumb. When birds are added to a Kashian design then it becomes a Kashmiri design called Sari Kashian. Weaving the peacock
(the national bird of India) denotes royalty. Parrots and sparrows also feature, parrots symbolising life and sparrows fertility. Among trees, palms denote blessings. For happiness, a camel is woven and for allegiance, a lion.
Many carpets depict animals in fighting positions, often symbolising the battle between dark and good forces. ‘Once the carpet is knotted, it’s time to cut the knots. The carpet is removed from the loom, placed on the floor and using the iron scissor is trimmed to uniformity,’ explains Aftab of Khazir Sons – a company that has been weaving and selling carpets in Srinagar since 1880. Mulberry cocoon silk is used in making Kashmiri carpets, and the dyes nowadays are chemical (instead of vegetable dyes, which were primarily used in the past). The signature style of Kashmiri carpets comes to light once you place the carpets on the floor and walk around them. Under observation, their colours change at different angles, and because of this the carpets are nicknamed the ‘magical carpets’.
The price of a carpet like this is based on its number of knots (and some of the finer carpets with exquisite intricacy and durability have almost 600 knots per square inch). The carpet weaving industry of Jammu and Kashmir has had its ups and downs, affected of course by partition.Yet, optimistic and dedicated to their passion, these artisans continue to weave magic. During The Great Exhibition at London’s Crystal Palace in the 19th century, Kashmiri carpets were displayed and as a result their popularity soared. Europeans began to order them and today Kashmiri carpets are in demand throughout the year, not just within India but around the world. Carpets are exported to USA, UK, France and countries in the Gulf. During the summer months, silk carpets are preferred while in the winter months, woollen carpets help keep homes warm and cosy.Apart from being used as carpets, this Kashmiri weaving legacy is also kept alive on the walls of homes and offices, as wall hangings. Many carpets have also caught the eye of collectors, and are now considered as important investment pieces.
For families who have these carpets today, they are kept as heirlooms passed down through the generations complete with intricate, magical designs, eye-catching craftsmanship and indelible memories.
Text by Khursheed Dinshaw
First published in Selvedge issue 77: Chakra.