Jamdani - the weave of the emperor

Jamdani - the weave of the emperor

Priyanka Chopra in Jamdani Saree  receiving award from then President Pranab Mukherjee 

The Jamdani sarees are made from high quality cotton muslin that are very thin and soft. The art of weaving gives it a coarse glaze, but when you touch by hand you would feel the softness. This form of weaving is practiced in Bengal for thousand of years but became particularly popular during the Mughal era.

 

Mughal Emperor Jahangir wearing Jamdani Sash

The name Jamdani comes from the Mughal influence on this particular form of weaving arts. It’s combination of two words “Jam” – Flower and “Dani” – the vase. This Sarees are famous for their flowery motifs. Floral motifs are almost always present along with other ornamental eye-catching motifs.

The curious case of Jamdani in Phulia started with the partition. The art of Jamdani in Sarees are historical made around the Dhaka region in Bangladesh. That’s why they are also known as Dhakai. The weavers move to Shantipur and Phulia in Nadia district of West Bengal during the partitions around 1947 and again during the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971. This started the journey of Jamdani weaving art in Shantipur and Phulia in Nadia district in West Bengal. The “Basak Para” locality is now famous for this and being visited from people around the world. In 2013, UNESCO declared Jamdani weaving art as world cultural heritage.

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