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While on a visit to Kashmir, Huen Tsang, the Chinese traveler, found a delicate and soft fabric made from fine wool being exported to Northern India.
The Shawl industry in Kashmir may be said to be as old as the hills. The word ‘Shawl’ is of ancient origin derived from a Persian word ‘Shal’. It is stated to have flourished in the days of the Kurus and Pandus. In Ashoka’s time, we find the Shawl mentioned in Buddhistic works as the Kashmiri Shawl. “It was a prosperous industry in the days of the Roman Empire when Kashmiri Shawls were worn by the proudest beauties at the court of the Caesars”.
While on a visit to Kashmir, Huen Tsang, the Chinese traveller, found a delicate and soft fabric made from fine wool being exported to Northern India. This undoubtedly was the Kaushiya and Salamali referred to in Sanskrit texts. Kalhana, the illustrious early historian of Kashmir also substantiates this when he refers to woolen garments which the Kashmiri elite used to wrap across their shoulders. From a Malfuz of Sheikh Moin-Ud-Din Chisti (ra), it is known that Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya (ra) had a Kashmiri Shawl.
“The Shawl industry was in its moribund condition when Syed Ali Hamdani came to Kashmir. It was due to the fervent support to this industry and the patronage of Sultan Qutbu’ Din that this industry received a new lease of life. Shawl Baaffi (shawl weaving) is known as “Kar-i-Ameeri” in Kashmir, perhaps for the same reason that the Sultan under the guidance of Shah-i-Hamdan gave it”.
A recently found document titled “Risaleh-Dar-Fann-i-Shawl Bafi” authored by a well known shawl merchant of 19th century, Haji Mukhtar Shah Ashai, relates the story of origin of Shawl, which perhaps is not found in any other work.
The author writes: “Mirza Haider Dughlat was the Central Asian adventurer who occupied Kashmir in A.D. 1541. A few rolls of Putto or coarse woolen cloth were brought to him as presents from the ruler of Tibet, which in those days included the area of Ladakh also. When compared with the Putto produced in Kashmir, he found that the former was a softer and warmer stuff than the latter. This was the key that helped in introducing better methods of cleaning the raw wool obtained from a special Tibetan goat and then weaving it fine. It was reported to him that the goat had two layers of fleece; the upper one was coarse, but the lower one was soft and warm.”
“Complying with the wishes of Mirza Haider, his faithful adherent and cook, Naghz Beg, produced a few mounds of wool (pashm) from the special Tibetan goat. He got it cleaned by removing the tufts of coarse hair and the cleaned product was given to the Kashmiri women to spin it fine. These women were masters in the art of spinning fine. Then Naghz Beg got two rolls made of this superior stuff. These were presented by him to Mirza Haider, who after examining the excellent fibre, asked in Kashghari language whether only Do Shal (two rolls) were prepared or more? Shal in Kashghari language means roll or sheet, just as Shal-i-Kaghaz (a roll of paper) or Shal-i-Ahan (a sheet of iron). This is how the fabric got the name SHAL (Shawl)”.
“Mirza Haidar Dughlat encouraged many of the industries, originally introduced by Zainul Abideen a hundred years earlier. Naghz Beg introduced a new feature of red and green spots in regular rows. Following his death, Shawl weavers continued developing the spike-shuttling method, using the double-colour scheme in various ways, generally white Putto for men and red for women. Later saffron, yellow and indigo blue were also added”.
“The industry continued to flourish, but as Mukhtar points out, it was not until the Mughal’s conquest of Kashmir in 1586 that the Kashmir shawl industry realized its full potential. The first real written records about Kashmiri shawls come from Ain-i-Akbari. Which was written by Abul Fazl Allemi, the court historian of Emperor Akbar. The Mughals patronaged the art dedicatedly and they brought many weavers from Central Asia (Andijan) to Kashmir. These weavers adopted the ‘jiugha’ design. The jiugha was a jeweled ornament in shape like an almond and was worn on the turban.
“Akbar’s ‘Toshikana’ or the imperial wardrobe with its commissioned pieces and textiles offered as tribute were labeled with their price, date of entry, price and weight.
Akbar took a personal interest in it and possessed a large wardrobe of shawls and through his patronage and interest encouraged skilled craftsmen to give out their best. He ordered improvements in the use of fibres and dyes, discovering that the wool was impervious to the colour red.
In the days of Mughal Emperors, the art of shawl weaving attained such excellence that one and a half square yards could be twisted and passed through an ordinary finger-ring. It is available today and is known as the ring-shawl of Kashmir.
“Bernier at his visit found the shawl promoting the trade of the country and filling it with wealth”.
Following the Mughals, the Afghans who came to rule in Kashmir improved shawl industry further. They showed much liking for shawls. In their days, shawls were in demand in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkistan and Russia. After the decline of the Afghan rule over Kashmir, Sikhs came to power, When Sikhs were replaced by Dogras as rulers of Kashmir, Gulab Singh was the first ruler of the Dogras who ruled Kashmir between 1846-57. Gulab Singh was succeeded by his son Ranbir Singh in 1858 AC. He too could not improve the lot of his people. According to Sir Francis Young Husband, the method of levying taxes was stated as “on the manufacture of shawls, parallel restrictions were placed and wool was taxed as it entered Kashmir; the manufacture was taxed for every workman he employed and also at various stages of the process according to the value of fabric. Lastly there was the enormous duty of 85 per cent ad valorem”. On April 29, 1865 the shawl weavers in Srinagar protesting against the cruel tax regime and demanding abolition of the monthly tax of Rs 2 and Rs 4 on each loom and weaver respectively, assembled near Zal Dagar. The shawl weavers were shouting slogans against Raj Kak Dhar, a tax official, who instigated Dewan Kripa Ram, then Governor of Kashmir against the weavers. The Governor promptly sent the cavalrymen to crush the weavers. The unarmed crowd faced the onslaught boldly but unable to face the indiscriminate firing, fled toward a foot bridge on a narrow canal called Haji Rather’s Sum. They were cornered on two sides by the cavalry and the bridge could not withstand the weight of the protesting weavers. It collapsed drowning 28 weavers in the waters. Some historians put the death toll much above the figure of 28. Abul Sheikh, Kudi Lala, Sona Shah, Rasool Sheikh and Akli Sheikh were among the leaders of the protesting shawl weavers.
(The writer is based in Srinagar and can be reached at islamicmushtaq@yahoo.co.in)
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