From the exquisite papier mache work on Khanqah-e-Moula, the magnificent dome of Hazratbal, the irises gracing the landscape to the ever-graceful chinars that dot every inch of the valley, Kashmir is a muse for every discerning artist. Its legacy of literature, architecture, handicrafts, and design at large has inspired craft traditions that are eternal and timeless, a reflection of the valley’s natural abundance and the persevering grit of its artisans. And at Kashmir Galore, we find ourselves turning to the natural as well as man-made cultural wonders gracing Kashmir for informing our design language.
Carpet Weaving and its history in Kashmir
Believed to have been introduced to Kashmiris in 14th century by a revered Persian saint Shah-e-Hamadan, hand-knotting intricate carpets in floral, Oriental designs is something that has defined and underlined the craft history of Kashmir. Some of the famous Kashmiri designs even get their names from famous carpet weaving cities in Persian modern day Iran like hamdaan, kashaan, Isfahan, etc.
The Muse
Like embroiderers adorning Pashmina shawls with meticulous thread work, papier mache artists pouring minute details into every object, or woodworkers carving logs of walnut wood into pieces of art, rug weavers also found their inspiration from the biotic riches of the valley. With motifs like the chinar leaf and lotus handcrafted in colours borrowed from the resplendently decorated shrines of Kashmir, Kashmiri carpets are distinct by every means and beyond comparison when it comes to build and design.
Kashmir Galore prides itself in being a torchbearer of a generational legacy that has guided the craft practice and its practitioners by celebrating every inch of these painstakingly hand-knotted silk rugs.
Behind the scenes
The waan (loom) is an artistic pilgrimage for the tsats (weavers), accompanied by copious amounts of nun chai (local Kashmiri tea) and tamokh jajeer (hookah), with the wasta (master weaver) filling the air with the narration of the taleem (a transcription of the coloured graph into a script), either from the depths of his memory or a piece of paper to guide the tsats through the design of a carpet. This meditative practice is also a community art which brings these now-endangered artists under the assuring shelter of the etherealness of handcrafted art forms. Their canvas is the rug, and their muse Kashmir.
The Rug weaving process
Every hand-knotted Kashmiri carpet is a (long) labour of love; it’s a meditative practice that requires undivided attention and keen eye for detail. It takes anywhere between a couple of months to a year to bring a carpet to completion, depending on its size and intricacies of the design. A 2/3 feet silk on cotton Kashmiri carpet can take a weaver anywhere between 30 to 40 days, whereas a 10/14 feet in the same quality can take 4 weavers working simultaneously somewhere around a year.
However, there are two varieties of Kashmiri carpet when it comes to the material- silk on silk and silk on cotton. The time taken to make a silk on silk carpet is more as compared to a silk on cotton carpet as the KPSI (Knots Per Square Inch) is much higher in a silk on silk carpet as compared to a silk on cotton carpet.
After the carpet is woven on a loom, the long uneven strands of silk are clipped to make it look even, followed by washing the carpet which brings in vibrancy in the colors, then again clipping is done. The final finishing steps involve binding the edges and alignment of the carpet. The whole process of carpet making involves a lot of steps from procuring the silk until the finishing process and a single mistake at any of the given processes can leave the carpet with no value.
And while finishing processes as elaborate as this are to achieve perfection in a carpet, the beauty of handcrafted things will always be enshrined in its imperfections. The touch of the human hand, an artisans lends to every carpet its unique imperfections and details that are one-of-a-kind, making each a treasured heirloom, a piece of art that is a testament of Kashmir’s proud cultural lineage.