Dying Bangladeshi Pride "Jamdani Saree"

Jamdani (Bengali: জামদানি)  - one of the most beautiful and practical textiles of Bengal. History, legend and tradition are woven into the fabric along with the unique patterns that make jamdani so sought after. Jamdani is a hand loom woven fabric made of cotton, which historically was referred to as muslin. The Jamdani weaving tradition is of Bengali origin. It is one of the most time and labor intensive forms of weaving hand loom weaving.Wearing Saree is an age old tradition among Bangladeshi women. Its an integral part of Bangladeshi culture and heritage. It’s a tradition of Bangladeshi women to wear gorgeous Saree in weeding ceremony It is also a habit of a woman to wear Saree in their daily life.

Jamdani Saree

Jamdani Saree is very favorite to a woman among the large varieties of Saree produced in Bangladesh. The word Jamdani is derived from Persia, where ‘Jam’ means flower and ‘Dani’ means a vase or a container. Jamdani is world famous for it’s eye catching artistic and expensive ornamental fabric. It’s made of high quality cotton muslin of Bengali origin, with colored stripes and patterns.

History

The earliest mention of Jamdani and its development as an industry is to be found in Kautilya's Arthashashtra (book of economics) wherein it is stated that this fine cloth used to be made in Bengal and Pundra (parts of modern Bangladesh). Jamdani is also mentioned in the book of Periplus of the Eritrean Sea and in the accounts of Arab, Chinese and Italian travelers and traders.

The base fabric for Jamdani is unbleached cotton yarn and the design is woven using bleached cotton yarns so that a light-and-dark effect is created. Alexander the Great in 327 B.C mentions "beautiful printed cottons" in India. It is believed that the erstwhile Roman emperors paid fabulous sums for the prized Indian cotton.

 Jamdani, because of its intricate patterns, has always been a highly expensive product. According to historical accounts, Jamdanis custom made for the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the 17th century cost over thirty pounds; evidently the jamdani fabric was essentially meant only for the affluent nobility, in those days.

The region in and around Dhaka (now in Bangladesh) became synonymous with this wonder fabric. For the Mughals it was fashioned into elaborate angarkhas (upper garment/shirt) worn by both men and women; it also travelled from Dhaka through Agra, to Bukhara, Samarkand and other parts of West Asia. In the centuries that followed Jamdani was procured European export companies which retailed it in cites like Hamburg, London, Madrid, Copenhagen and so forth.

Design

The method of weaving resembles tapestry work in which small shuttles of coloured, gold or silver threads, are passed through the weft. The jamdani dexterously combines intricate surface designs with delicate floral sprays. When the surface is covered with superb diagonally striped floral sprays, the sari is called terchha. The anchal (the portion that goes over and beyond the shoulder) is often decorated with dangling, tassel like corner motifs, known as jhalar

The most coveted design is known as the panna hazaar (literally: a thousand emeralds) in which the floral pattern is highlighted with flowers interlaced like jewels by means of gold and silver thread. The kalka (paisley), whose origin may be traced to the painted manuscripts of the Mughal period, has emerged as a highly popular pattern. Yet another popular pattern in jamdani is the phulwar, usually worked on pure black, blue black, grey or off-white background colours.

Colors

The traditional nilambari, dyed with indigo, or designs such as toradar (literally: a bunch or bouquet) preserved in weaving families over generations are now being reproduced. Other jamdani patterns are known as phulwar, usually worked on pure black, blue black, grey or off-white background colours.

Weave

For traditional jamdani weaving, a very elementary pit loom is used and the work is carried on by the weaver and his apprentice. The latter works under instruction for each pick, weaving his needle made from, buffalo horn or tamarind wood to embroider the floral sequence. With a remarkable deftness, the weft yarn is woven into the warp in the background colour from one weaver to the other

The butis (motifs) across the warp, the paar (border) and anchal (the portion that goes over and beyond the shoulder) are woven by using separate bobbins of yarn for each colour. The fine bobbins are made from tamarind wood or bamboo. After completion the cloth is washed and starched.

Varieties of Jamdani Work

Mainly Jamdani work used for sarees, scarves and handkerchiefs. The types of Jamdani sarees are Daccai Jamdani, Tangail Jamdani, Shantipur Jamdani, Dhaniakhali Jamdani.