Unit 1: Woven textiles
Traditional Indian Textiles and Embroideries notes · PTU syllabus (BSTD 202-20)
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Unit summary
India's handloom traditions produced some of the world's finest woven textiles. This unit covers shawls, brocades — Banaras, South Indian, Baluchar and Paithani — Tangail and Jamdani, and the woven sarees of India.
After this unit you can
- Describe Indian shawl traditions
- Compare the major brocade traditions
- Describe Jamdani and Tangail weaving
- Identify regional woven sarees
PTU syllabus topics
- Shawls
- brocades (Banaras, South Indian, Baluchar, Paithani)
- Tangail-Jamdani
- the woven sarees of India
Banarasi
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Gold and silver zari brocade
Kanjeevaram
Tamil Nadu
Heavy silk, contrast border
Baluchari
West Bengal
Mythological scenes on the pallu
Paithani
Maharashtra
Peacock motifs, tapestry-woven border
Jamdani
Bengal, Bangladesh
Fine muslin with supplementary weft motifs
Topic 1
Shawls of India
Kashmir (kani) shawl
Twill tapestry weave using small wooden bobbins (kanis); paisley (buta) motifs; pashmina or shahtoosh wool
Kashmir — kani shawls have GI status
Amli (embroidered Kashmir shawl)
Patterns embroidered on plain pashmina
Kashmir
Kullu shawl
Geometric bands woven on borders; bright colours
Himachal Pradesh (GI)
Naga and North East shawls
Warp-faced bands; tribal motifs and symbols of status
Nagaland, Manipur
Wadi and Kutch shawls
Extra-weft motifs
Gujarat
- Pashmina comes from the undercoat of the Changthangi goat of Ladakh; shahtoosh (Tibetan antelope) is banned under wildlife law.
Topic 2
Brocades
- Brocade: fabric with raised patterns created by extra weft threads, often of gold and silver zari, woven on pit looms with jala or jacquard attachments.
Banarasi (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh)
Silk with zari; kadhua (each motif woven separately) and fekua techniques; types — kinkhab, tanchoi, jangla, cutwork, tissue
Mughal florals, buta and buti, jaal, kalga (paisley), bel (creepers)
South Indian (Kanjeevaram, Tamil Nadu)
Heavy mulberry silk; korvai technique joins contrast border and body; temple borders
Temple (gopuram), checks, mango, peacock, rudraksha
Baluchar (Murshidabad, West Bengal)
Silk with extra-weft silk (not zari); pallu with narrative panels
Scenes from epics, nawabi court life, Europeans in carriages
Paithani (Maharashtra)
Tapestry-woven silk with zari; pallu and border with interlocking colours; reversible
Peacock, parrot (munia), lotus, Asavali vine
Topic 3
Tangail and Jamdani
- Jamdani: fine cotton muslin with motifs woven by hand-inserted supplementary weft (discontinuous) — a tapestry-like technique, so motifs appear to float on a sheer ground. Originally from Dhaka (Bangladesh; UNESCO intangible heritage); made in India in West Bengal (Shantipur, Phulia) and Andhra (Uppada Jamdani).
- Tangail: originally from Tangail district (now Bangladesh); weavers settled in Phulia and Shantipur (West Bengal) after Partition; fine cotton sarees with extra-weft jamdani-style motifs in borders.
Topic 4
Woven sarees of India
Chanderi
Madhya Pradesh
Sheer silk–cotton with small gold buttis; light and translucent
Maheshwari
Madhya Pradesh
Silk–cotton; reversible border (bugdi)
Kota doria
Rajasthan
Square check pattern (khats); very light
Pochampally and Gadwal
Telangana
Ikat (Pochampally); cotton body with silk border and pallu joined (Gadwal)
Venkatagiri and Uppada
Andhra Pradesh
Fine cotton; jamdani motifs in Uppada
Bomkai and Sambalpuri
Odisha
Extra-weft motifs; ikat (Sambalpuri)
Muga and Mekhela chador
Assam
Golden Muga silk; two-piece garment
Tant
West Bengal
Crisp cotton; thick borders
Ilkal
Karnataka
Cotton body with silk pallu joined by tope teni technique
Kasavu
Kerala
Off-white cotton with gold zari border
- Geographical Indication (GI) tags protect many of these (Banarasi, Kanjeevaram, Pochampally, Chanderi, Paithani and others).
Key terms
- Brocade
- Fabric with raised extra-weft patterns
- Zari
- Gold or silver metallic thread
- Kani
- Small bobbin used in Kashmir shawl weaving
- Jamdani
- Fine muslin with hand-inserted supplementary weft motifs
- Korvai
- Technique joining contrasting border and body in Kanjeevaram
Quick revision
- Kashmir kani and amli shawls; Kullu and North East shawls; pashmina.
- Banarasi (kadhua, kinkhab, tanchoi), Kanjeevaram (korvai), Baluchar (narrative pallu), Paithani (tapestry, peacock).
- Jamdani and Tangail.
- Regional sarees: Chanderi, Maheshwari, Kota, Pochampally, Gadwal, Sambalpuri, Muga, Kasavu, Ilkal; GI tags.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.What is a kani shawl?
- Q2.What is zari?
- Q3.What is the korvai technique?
- Q4.What scenes appear on Baluchar sarees?
- Q5.Why are Paithani sarees reversible?
- Q6.What is Jamdani?
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Describe the shawls of India.
- Q2.Compare the Banarasi, Kanjeevaram, Baluchar and Paithani brocades.
- Q3.Describe the woven sarees of India.
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