Jamdani

Jamdani sarees and stoles – crowning jewel of Bengal handloom

Jamdani weaves earned their stature as the finest muslin textiles in the world for good reason. Characterised by their rich motifs, the handweaving technique used in these textiles is considered to be the most complex. A detailed, intricate piece of a jamdani saree can sometimes take up to one year to complete. Historically, these handloom textiles enjoyed patronage of royal and noble families from different corners of the world. Although its roots lay in Dhaka, Bangladesh, jamdani weaving clusters in West Bengal have thrived through the years with skilled weavers creating beautiful sarees, stoles, dupattas, scarves and more. 

Royal lineage – The history and evolution of jamdani sarees 

What silk is to China, cotton is to (undivided) Bengal. Historical accounts, folklore and epics from as early as the 1st century AD suggest very fine fabrics were available in the region. Relatively recent historical records from around the 16th century foreground the global prominence gained by Dhaka muslin, which was distinguished by its ultralight weight and high thread counts, unmatched even today. This muslin was woven using a unique cotton plant cultivated along the banks of Meghna River near Dhaka. The elaborate process involved 16 steps which included arduously hand spinning the cotton into yarns. Superior quality Dhaka muslin was used as the base for hand-weaving jamdani sarees and other textiles. Dhaka muslin was arguably the most expensive fabric globally till the early 20th century. Unfortunately, the industrial revolution and policies of the British Raj forced it into oblivion along with the variety of cotton plant it was made from. What managed to survive though, are the rich jamdani weaving traditions. 

Jamdani weaving reached its pinnacle under Mughal Patronage. Originally woven in grey and white tones, jamdani textiles gradually began to be characterised by their bold colours and vibrant geometric and floral motifs. The finest jamdani muslins were woven exclusively for the royal family. The process behind the ‘flowered muslins’ is sometimes referred to as embroidery on the loom. Thicker threads are used to interlace the pronounced motifs in the fabric by hand, through a supplementary weft technique. Jamdani designs range from the “butidar”, where the entire saree is scattered with floral sprays, to diagonally-striped floral sprays or the “tercha” and a network of floral motifs called “jhalar”. Some popular jamdani motifs also include kalaka - paisley, duria - polka dots, charkona - motifs in a rectangular shape and panna hajar – thousand emeralds, among others. Jamdani reflects the shared culture and history of Bangladesh and West Bengal, as the weavers continue to practice their art on both sides of the border. They have also started using silk and other materials for weaving. In India, jamdani weaving has expanded to eminent weaving clusters of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and a few other states as well. 

The Process – Traditional jamdani weaving technique and changes 

Jamdani is like meticulous tapestry work which requires excruciating attention to detail, foresight and fine skills. It is time-consuming and labour-intensive because of the depth of its elaborate motifs and patterns, which are created directly on the loom using the discontinuous weft technique. While the standard interlacing of warp and weft prepares the fine, sheer fabric, it is this supplementary (discontinuous) weft technique that gives the pattern work its character. Thick colourful, gold and silver threads are manually passed through the warp via shuttles or needles to interlace each motif in the weave. The introduction of jacquard looms made it easier to execute the intricate designs as the lifting order of the warp threads is defined by the jacquard cards. Under the conventional way, the most remarkable part is that the pattern is not sketched or outlined on the fabric. Most of the times it is done by memory and sometimes it is drawn on a translucent graph paper and placed underneath the warp.  

Traditionally, the cotton yarns used to weave the base fabric were starched to make them more suitable for the weaving process. With the use of contemporary yarns and as per prevailing customer preferences, the starch content has substantially reduced or completely been done away with. Due to constraints of time and effort required, while earlier jamdanis involved mostly elaborate designs, ones with simpler patterns also came into the fold. Not just sarees, but Jamdani stoles, dupattas, headgear, handkerchiefs and wedding couture have become extremely popular over the years. 

Current state and challenges of jamdani weaving 

Competition from power looms and textile mills has wreaked havoc for jamdani weaving like other handloom weaves. Lack of awareness among the customers about the uniqueness of handloom jamdani textiles as well as their stark difference from machine made products, led to the erosion of the weave’s value as well as remuneration earned by the weavers for their skills. Many from the next generation are turning to other avenues to earn their livelihood precisely for this reason. In the age of information with changing sensibilities of the customers, the tide seems to be turning, albeit slowly. Efforts by various designers to contribute to bring the craft back in to mainstream has certainly helped. While an increased focus of slow fashion, sustainable practices and encouraging skill preservation, crafts and employment at the grassroot level is helping jamdani gain further traction. 

Today one may find many a customer asking how to identify an authentic handloom jamdani saree? Well, the answer lies simply at the back side of the fabric. You can easily spot the turns of weft thread used to create a particular motif through the supplementary weft technique. In machine made Jamdani saree, the turns won’t be there as the weft thread used for the motif is not used in continuation.