India is a country that is known for its handicraft. The artisans here are born with the art and have been spreading the beauty of the art for ages. If we talk about the textile industry it also occupies an important place as India has been a hub of the textile industry. The Indian weavers outstand others in the field of textiles and have been there for thousands of years. The talents and skills that they inherit from their ancestors are incomparable. India is known for its diversity and that can be clearly seen in the work of the weavers as you can witness varied designs, colors, and patterns. When it comes to shawls there is a large variety that comes from different regions and is popular among people and tourists. The woolen shawl is a popular part of clothing that forms a major part of the exports and is worn and loved by both men and women. Here are some of the variety of shawls that are worn in India and must be on your bucket list next winter.
Pashmina shawls
You take the name and everyone knows about it as it is the most popular shawl among the bunch of shawls that comes from the northern state of Kashmir. Its specialty is that it is made from the fleece of the local Cashmere goat. It is extremely warm, soft and comes in varied designs, patterns, motifs, and colors. It is the most popular among the tourists and you need to shell out a good amount of money to add it to your prized possessions.
It is produced in the traditional manner and the expertise of each weaver can be seen in its beautiful pattern and motifs that come in the form of delicately woven floral patterns that integrate with the shawl. The fabric of the pashmina shawls is handspun, machine-spun, and hand weaved as well as machine spun and woven. Pashminas have made a name for themselves internationally and are exported in large quantities globally.
You can distinguish a pure pashmina shawl from a fake one by passing it through a ring as it is a popular fact about the variety.
Kullu shawls
The Kullu shawls hail from the state of Himachal Pradesh and are best known for their unique patterned structure. These shawls are worn by people in Nagaland and look exotic The technique that is used to create the Kullu shawls are dovetail or slit tapestry technique that is known for their coarser design.
These shawls are made from the fleece of the local population of goats that are found in Himachal Pradesh like Deshkar, Australian Merino Tops, Bihang, Angora, etc. the wool used in the shawls are of different colors like red, black, and blue and are distinguished by weft pattern. It is made by stitching 2-3 segments together as it is made by the use of backstrap looms.
These shawls catch the attention of the people due to their motifs that unsurpassed others and are based on a variety of themes like religion, traditions, traditional rituals or depicting folk stories from the region, and the life of the people and their philosophy. You can also identify them with the geometric patterns and shapes that can be seen on the plain ground that is weaved together.
Kalamkari shawls
The kalamkari shawls come from the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. These shawls are characterized by hand-printed or block printed designs and they are cotton-based shawls. The design style is either Srikalahasti or Machilipatnam. These are both hand-made by pen and have the common theme of their designs. These look mesmerizing and beautiful because of the intricately crafted designs that have religious themes and look ethereal with the use of rich natural colors.
Dhabla shawls
The Dhabla shawl belongs to the semi-desert region of Kutch. The Dhabla shawls are not actually shawls but represent a woolen blanket. This shawl for men and women is worn by people from the Rabari and Bharwad communities. These are made up of sheep wool and what makes them unique is their simplicity as they are white or black, and are decorated with extra weft motifs. Sometimes varied colors are used to decorate them along the borders while keeping the middle part of the cloth completely plain.
Rabari shawls
Rabari shawls are popular in Gujarat and as Gujarat is known for embroidery we will find unique embroidery art on these shawls as well. It is commonly found in the Mutwa or the Jat community. These shawls are made up of fine handspun cotton that looks amazingly beautiful with the use of beautiful colored embroidery work done with silk. What makes them distinct from other types of shawls is the liberal use of mirrors that is sewn along with the embroidery and chain stitching. The different colors that add to its beauty are red, white, golden yellow, blue, and black.
Shawl weaving
The traditional method of weaving shawl that was done by the household looms, such as the pit loom, muffler loom or border looms is taken over by the non-household producers make use of throw-shuttle and the fly-shuttle frame looms that takes 2-3 days to get the whole shawl completed. In the traditional method handspun yarn was used, to create a denser fabric that is tough and warm and would take many weeks or even years. But now the scenario has changed completely with new methods applied.
The shawl for women is worn on many occasions and looks beautiful. Some of them are weddings in winter, parties, social gatherings, dinners, birthdays, bridal showers, or baby showers as well.