The Kaleidoscope Of Indian Textile

As vivid and colorful is the culture and history of this sub-continent India so is its rich textile heritage. Nowhere else does one find such blend of mastery and natural fibers intertwined in the warp and weft of the most intricate and vibrant weaves. Most of the records of ancient and medieval Indian textiles are depicted in the ancient literatures and sculptures. However, there is archaeological evidence of a cotton textile industry that thrived at Mohenjo-Daro in the Indus Valley around 3000 B.C.India has a rich natural resources that have been used from centuries to make decorative textiles that are unrivalled. A country with varied geographical regions and climate provide with a wide range of plant fibers and natural dyes that have been used to weave magnificent pieces of textiles. Apart from these different regions also developed specialties based on the available natural resources such as the golden muga silks of Assam, the fine cottons of Bengal, the kosa silks of Chhattisgarh and many more. Every state of India has something unique to offer when it comes to textiles.

Bengal has always been known for its rich culture whether, arts or literature, and the textile of Bengal was immensely diverse with over 150 different qualities and varieties of textile that included fine muslins, calicoes and silk.
The Mulmul Khas or king's muslin was one of the finest qualities. The Dhaka muslin was so fine that fabric could be passed through the hole of a finger ring. The muslin produced by the weavers of Bengals were far superior to the finest European fabrics.Dhakai Jamdani woven in brocading method was truly one of the most delicate of muslin weaves. Unfortunately the British systematically destroyed the muslin production by levying very high taxes on domestic muslin fabrics. As a result of the British policies the production of muslin suffered to such an extent that it could never recover and the skilled muslin weavers were plunged into abject poverty and a very important and unique industry was destroyed.
Baluchari is yet another intricate masterpiece of the Bengal weavers. It is a jacquard loom weave with very intricate designs on the border and pallu. Depending on the design a baluchari saree at times requires 40,000 cards to be punched to complete the design. This art too was faced the same fate as muslin during the British rule however, thanks to a famous artist Subho Thakur who took the initiate to revive this dying art. There are many other special weaves that Bengal is famous for like the Garad Sarees, the Tangail and the Santipuri sarees.
Think of exclusive weaves intricate designs and natural fabrics, there is no better place than India.

By: Madhuchanda Saxena
Content: http://mhds.in/textile.php