Crafts of Kashmir

kashida embroidery

Like every region and state in India, Kashmir too has a plethora of traditional crafts. The traditional crafts extend from woodwork to jewellery making, from paper-mâché embellishments to embroidery, from shawl weaving and knitting to carpet making. There are also more recently developed crafts such as enamelware painting, cricket bat making, etc. During my recent solo travel in Kashmir, I gathered a few insights about Kashmiri embroidery and paper-mâché that I would like to share here.

Crafts of Kashmir – Embroidery

Apart from Tilla and Kashida which I will cover in more detail below, Kashmir boasts of several embroidery techniques. Aari and Paper mache embroidery are two of them.

Tilla embroidery

Tilla embroidery or tilla work is a type of needlepoint embroidery done using metallic yarn in gold, silver and copper. Motifs such as paisleys, florals and foliate motifs are common. Pherans and shawls with tilla work are an important part of the bridal trousseau for a Kashmiri woman. I also found several machine embroidered patches for sale near the Hazratbal mosque that one could applique onto their existing clothes. However, these patches pale in comparison to the hand made tilla work.

The wool Pheran (tunic) I am wearing has a machine embroidered in the Tilla style. Such a pheran costs between Rs.2000-Rs.3000 depending on the quality of wool. However, a similar pheran with Tilla hand embroidery will cost you between Rs.18,000 – Rs.20,000 depending on the intricacy of the embroidery. I was so fortunate to walk into a store opposite Khanqah-e-moula where an artisan was doing Tilla embroidery. He showed me a couple of stitches and told me that it takes 15-20 days to complete one tunic.

kashida embroidery Crafts of Kashmir
kashida embroidery by Machine

Kashida

Stitches such as satin stitch (short and long), chain stitch, Darning Stitch, Herringbone stitch and stem stitch are used in Kashida embroidery. A special kind of chain stitch called “Zalakdozi” is also used. “Vatachikn” is a buttonhole variation while “Talaibar” is work done with a metallic thread. Both KAshida and Sozni embroidery are sometimes generically referred to as Kashmiri embroidery. As with other embroidery craft, machine-made versions are plenty and can be seen above.

Gabha and Namda are other surface embellishments done on carpets. In namda, a crewel hook is used to form chain stitches. You can find various upholstery fabrics, bags and other accessories with crewel work in Kashmir.

shawl
Yak wool shawl

Shawl making

Jamvar or Shawl making using Pashmina wool and yak wool is popular in Kashmir esp. for the tourist circuit. The Yak wool shawl is thicker than a typical shawl while pashmina is soft, thin and light. A Pashmina shawl will start at Rs.7000 (if not on sale) and go upto lakhs of rupees.

paper machie Crafts of Kashmir
Paintings from the Bloomingdale hotel and gallery

Crafts of Kashmir – Paper-mâché

There are several stories of how the craft paper-mâché came to be introduced in India. The chief among them is how Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (Shah-e-Hamdaan) brought the craft from Persia to India. Apart from objects such as boxes, stands, bowls and room dividers, paper-mâché work is also done on doorways and as paintings. One of the finest examples of the craft in interior decoration can be seen at Khanqah-e-moula. Painting is done both on a flat surface as well as on a raised i.e. relief surface.  Here is a younger Firdouz bhai (of the Bloomingdale hotel) explaining the process.

Typical motif categories in paper-mâché crafts are

  • Gul-I-Wilayat – has bird motifs along with flowers
  • Gul-I-lala – use of poppies and tulips
  • Gul-I-Hazara – A composition of a minimum of a hundred flowers
  • Gul-andar-gul – Flower inside a flower

Here the word “Gul” refers to a flower. Flowers such rose, iris, carnations, apple blossoms, poppy, daffodils, narcissus (nargis) and leaves of the chinar tree are commonly used across categories.

paper mache and enamelware
Crafts of Kashmir

Crafts of Kashmir – Enamelware

In the past, enamelwork referred to vitreous enamel on silver utensils and jewellery. However, at the present, it refers to painted stainless steel and copper utensils. Either enamel paint (such as Duco) or a mix of acrylic paints and varnish meant for protecting enamel paint surfaces is used to create the surface designs. At Baba Arts and Crafts, I found a huge array of painted metal products. I picked up a tiffin carrier and two snack bowls for myself there. I keep the tiffin box at work to keep the ingredients to make tea.

At Baba Arts and crafts both paper-mâché and enamelware products are created under the watchful eyes of master craftsman Mr. Mohammad Shafi Baba. His son, the ingenious Mr. Hussain Baba runs the business. Apart from a physical store cum workshop in Srinagar, they are on Amazon and on etsy through which international customers can shop. I cannot recommend the store and Hussain enough. If you are looking for colourful gifts for other or yourself and/or Christmas decorations, this is one store that you must check out.

kashmiri jewelry

Jewellery crafts

Kashmir is known for its gold, silver and molten pot metal jewellery. Techniques such as metal casting, embossing, and stone setting are commonplace. Read my post on Traditional Kashmiri jewellery to know more.

Other crafts of Kashmir

  • Kaleen and Kashan – Carpet making
  • Kashani work – glazed tiles
  • Metal work – Naquashi or repousse work in zinc (jasta), copper (tamba), and pewter (ranga)
  • Wood carving (walnut)
  • Shikara (houseboat) making

I hope you find it interesting
Cheers

4 responses to “Crafts of Kashmir”

  1. Maya Kuzman avatar

    My goodness! My head is spinning with all these beauties! I LOVE the embroidery and the enamelware!

    1. Divya avatar

      Yes, they are a treat to both look at and use.

  2. Rozantia Petkova avatar

    The embroidery is fascinating! I didn’t know about the paper mache crafts and would probably think these items were wooden 🙂 I am not a shawl lover but it doesn’t stop me from admiring the craft!

    1. Divya avatar

      This style of painting is also done on a wood base covered with a thin layer of paper mache. It is also increasingly done directly on wood to save time and cost. While it is a cost-effective substitute for gifting, it cannot compare with the original craft.

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