A fine muslin textile produced for centuries in South Rupshi of Narayanganj district in Bangladesh on the bank of the Shitalakhwa river, Jamdani Sarees are an exotic concoction of Mughal patronage with ancient Hindu traditions. These sarees are woven with intricately designed motifs that seem to float on the surface of an almost transparent, ultra-fine fabric that is as light as a feather, giving it a mystical charm that is hard to find elsewhere.
What is the History of Jamdani Sarees?
The word Jamdani came to be in popularity under the Mughal dynasty. It is taken from the Persian language as that was the court language of the Mughals, Jam means flower, Dani means vase.
There is some mention of this term in the literature from the 3rd century BC (in Kautilya’s ‘Arthasharshtra’) as well as during the Gupta period (4th – 6th century AD). But it was during the Mughal rule, in the 16th – 18th centuries, extensive patronage was received by the weavers of Dhaka (in present-day Bangladesh) who had been weaving this fabric for centuries.
Dhaka: The Perfect place for the Birth of this Craft.
Various factors played a role in the development and manufacturing of Dhakai Jamdani sarees in Dhaka and many reasons that lead to the birth of this precious handloom saree in this region.
- The area around the rivers of Dhaka was fertile and suitable for cultivating the fine, soft, long fibres of cotton known as Kapas, as these rivers were rich in minerals. The soil of the river banks had enough moisture and heat for the cultivation of this cotton.
- Due to the high mineral content in the water of these rivers, when used for dyeing and cleaning the cotton fibres, it added a glaze to the cotton fabric.
- The network of rivers was very useful when it came to transporting the raw materials and the finished products to the local market and overseas.
- Lastly, many jamdani motifs and designs were inspired by the flowers, plants, and animals of this region which were woven on these saris.
All these factors together had resulted in the flourishing textile industry of Jamdani weaving.
The Rise and The Fall of the Jamdani Sarees
It was the golden age when the finest varieties of Jamdani muslin fabric were produced with fabulous floral and figured motifs and the rise of the skill of weaving to the pinnacle of excellence under the Mughal patronage.
But as the Mughal dynasty declined, it deprived the producers of Jamdani of their most influential patrons. Once famous for the Jamdani industry, villages like Madhurapur and Jangalbari (both in the Kishoreganj district) went into gradual oblivion.
When the British conquested India, the trade continued to flourish for a while as enormous quantities of Jamdani muslin were being exported to Europe. However, by the 19th century, cheaper industrial manufactured yarn from Britain was being imported into India, leading to the collapse of the Jamdani weaving industry in Bengal.
The Survival of the Craft
Yet, the jamdani weaving tradition has survived adapting to the changing tastes and trends of modern times. Many Hindu weavers from Bangladesh migrated to India and were rehabilitated in West Bengal after the partition of Bengal in 1947. Thus, the beginning of Jamdani weaving in present-day India.
Over the last few decades, due to support from both the governments and various NGOs in India and Bangladesh, the art of Jamdani weaving has witnessed a revival.
What is the process of Jamdani Sarees?
Base Material
The original Jamdani sarees in Dhaka were woven in pure cotton. However, modern versions of the Jamdani are woven in cotton, blends of cotton and silk, and sometimes, even in pure silk. More vibrant colours, which include gold and silver coloured yarns, are used to make contemporary designs. These sarees have a glossier finish.
Weaving
Jamdani sarees weaving is done by a unique and fascinating method known as the supplemental weft technique or the discontinuous weft technique of weaving. In this technique, the motifs are woven into the fabric by adding a denser thread to fine warp threads by hand, making the motifs and designs appear to float on the surface of a fine, transparent fabric. This process is known to be one of the most time-intensive and advanced hand-weaving techniques in the world.
Jamdani weaving is like tapestry work where small shuttles of coloured, gold or silver threads pass through the weft.
The woven fabric is then polished with starch to create the crispness and the fantastic look for which the Jamdani sarees are famous and demanded. But, the starch in these sarees and the weaving that is done cause roughness on the backside. So when worn, it causes irritation and itchiness at the waist. Keeping this in mind, the weavers have now started making jamdani sarees that are completely starch free and are called soft Dhakai Jamdani sarees. They are woven in the same technique without any starch, making the saree soft to touch and comfortable to drape.
What are the Designs and Motifs of Jamdani Sarees?
As this craft of weaving originated in Dhaka due to the raw materials that grew on the fertile lands near the rivers, many jamdani motifs and designs were inspired by the flowers, plants, and animals of the area which we can see woven in the sarees but are geometric in shape. The weavers created these motifs by counting threads without using any machinery giving the floral motifs a geometric nature.
Designs range from the “butidar” (where the entire sari is filled with florals), the “tercha” (diagonally striped florals), or “jhallar” (a network of floral motifs).
Most Jamdani sarees have motifs that are associated with the Bengali culture due to their roots in Bengal. Often the pallu tells a popular story or is a pictorial display of simple village life.
What are the types of Jamdani Sarees?
They are categorised based on the variations that each region has to offer:
- Dhakai Jamdani- These are from Bangladesh, the original and the finest sarees with the most elaborate craftsmanship, very fine-textured just resembling muslin. The method employed in these sarees is very elaborate, where the single warp is wrapped with two extra wefts followed by the ground weft. They have multicoloured linear or floral motifs all over the body, border and have an exquisitely elaborate pallu. The mango motif signifying fertility, growth, and marital bliss is a demanded design in Dhakai Jamdani sarees. These sarees are woven painstakingly by hand on the old-fashioned Jala loom. They are supple to the touch and gently drapes to reveal the contours of the wearer. One saree might take between nine months and a year to weave.
- Tangail Jamdani- Another artistic variation of the Jamdani saree for the fashion world woven in the Tangail district of Bangladesh. Traditionally, these sarees have broad borders with lotus, lamp and fish scale motifs. These sarees feature highly stylized Jamdani motifs on fine-textured Tangail fabrics. The traditional Tangail jamdani saree always have the Padma or a lotus paar/ border or a Pradeep or lamp paar/ border, not like the “aansh paar” commonly found in other jamdani sarees. Usually, a single colour is used to design the saree, but these days up to three colours are used in the saree border to get the “Meenakari” effect.
- Shantipur Jamdani- These are woven in Shantipur, West Bengal and are similar to Tangail Jamdanis. They have a fine texture, often decorated with elegant, colourful and striped motifs.
- Dhaniakhali Jamdani- Origined in Dhaniakhali, West Bengal, this version of Jamdani has a tighter weave, unlike the Tangail and Shantipur Jamdani sarees, often marked by bold colours and dark contrasting borders.
What is the Difference between Dhakais and Tangails?
Jamdani was originally known as Dhakai named after Dhaka (present-day Bangladesh), where this craft was born and one of many ancient textile weaving centres in the Bengal region. Under the Mughal Empire, the Persian term Jamdani gained popularity, since it was the court language of the Mughals. So, Jamdanis are popularly known as Dhakai Jamdani or simply Dhakai.
- There is a key difference in the weaving technique of extra weft designing between Dhakais and Tangails. The embroidery thread in Dhakais is inserted after every ground pick, whereas in Tangails, the embroidery thread is inserted after two ground picks.
- The main characteristics of Dhakais are that traditionally they are woven in white with designs in bleached white and that of Tangails is the extra weft butis, tiny motifs repeated all over the ground.
Traditional Dhakai sarees with geometrical designs and cotton Tangail sarees are very popular and continue to be woven by weavers originally from Bangladesh. Being light they are excellent for everyday wear in a tropical country like India.
How to identify Handloom Jamdani Sarees?
- On reversing any handwoven Jamdani Saree, the turn of the supplementary weft is visible.
- Sometimes Jamdani weavers continue the supplementary weft along the entire length to create a pattern, cutting off the excess thread with hand in the end and is called cutwork jamdani. But even in cutwork jamdani, the reverse turn of the thread along the edge of the motif or design will be visible. It is the sign of a handwoven saree.
Jamdani and Banarasi
One cannot miss the Jamdani and brocades of Banaras as they go a long way together. The silk Jamdani is a technical variety of the traditional Banarasi brocade. It may be considered to be one of the finest products to come out of the Banarasi loom where the silk fabric is brocaded with cotton and rarely with zari threads.
The speciality of the Banarasi saree is its use of zari or rich gold and silver-coloured thread work on motifs and brocades. Added to this, to improve the aesthetic appeal, modern-day Jamdani is woven in cotton and gold thread to create colourful motifs of geometric patterns and floral designs. The hand-weaving technique of Jamdani has become a necessary accompaniment of Banarasi Silks today.
Banarasi artisans use the weft technique of weaving. Here, the artistic motifs are produced by a non-structural weft, in addition to the standard weft that holds the warp threads together.
What is the price of Handloom Jamdani Saree?
The price of simple cotton Jamdani sarees can start from Rs. 1000 approx. The prices may vary depending on the thread used (silk, cotton, zari etc.) and the intricacy of the work. A bridal Jamdani can cost anywhere between Rs. 8,000 and Rs. 10,000 and above approx depending on the work done and the materials used.
What is the Current Scenario of Jamdani Sarees?
According to a national daily, a senior taanti or ostad earns about Tk 2,500 to Tk 3,000 per month, whereas the junior weavers get around Tk 1,600. As a result, many weavers preferring the more lucrative garments industry and do not want their children to come to this profession.
The government and other organisations are trying to revive the old glory of Dhakai Jamdani. In a bid to avoid the middlemen, they are trying to establish direct contact with the weavers by establishing a Jamdani Palli near Dhaka. Jamdani, one of the oldest forms of cottage industry in Bangladesh, was once a dying trade. Radiant Institute of Design, Shanto Mariam University of Creative Technology, National Institute of Design, and other organisations are helping designers create new Jamdani designs.
Jamdani is a symbol of aristocracy and the demand for quality Jamdani Sarees has increased exponentially over the years.
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