Jamdani

Jamdani

Jamdani is the finest cotton called ‘muslin’ based textile which is a precious possession for centuries. It is originated in undivided Bengal and has the GI status of Bangladesh now. The technique of weaving a Jamdani is intricate, labour intensive and time consuming and require deft artisan weaver. Exotic motifs are individually woven with ‘extra weft’ technique interlacing separate or extra weft threads into the warp. Originally the shades of jamdani were grey and white as it is woven on the unbleached muslin with a bleached yarn as extra weft; thus giving it a darker and lighter shade. .

Jamdani is popular because of its transparency, bright color combination and bold geometric organic motifs. It requires a trained craftsman to create this motifs. But the local artisans’ taste of motifs happens to be very old-fashion that does not commensurate with the modern high-paced and social life. We can hope for new experiments by the contemporary artisans that deliver to the present need. Jamdani means a flower of vase. Along with tapestry like design of village life we come across variety of floral motifs in a saree. Each family of artisans has their own designs. Some popular designs are Phulwar and Hazaar Panna, which means thousands emerald. These designs are preferably done in bluish black, black, grey and off-white background hues and are highly favoured. These designs and colours were even in vogue during Mughal Emperor.

The warrants of Mughal emperors patronized the Jamdani weaving. Under the colonial rule, due to the tax agreement of British empire the Jamdani weaving industry came under the axe, as the import policies favoured the industrially woven textiles. In recent year there is a revival in observed on the production of Jamdani textile as the UN has declared the weaving technique of Jamdani as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of Bangladesh in 2013. Nevertheless, the exotic appeal of the fabric is rooted within its 2000-year-old tradition of Bengal, which had been infused with enriched techniques of Middle Ages. That is why, even being highly priced a Jamdani saree is quintessentially a Bengali wardrobe glory.

Jamdani is commonly woven into a saree but new creative usage is observed in jamdani – like scarves, handkerchief as accessories. The priceless Jamdani is often referred as woven with threads of winds.

Legend says – Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb gone mad one day looking at her daughter, finding that she wore nothing. Looking at her dad’s fury, the girl replied that she wore not only one but seven dresses. She clothed herself with Muslin Jamdani that day. That was the magic of this fabric – lightweight, finest textile for centuries.

Recently Bangladeshi Actress Ajmeri Haque Badhon walked the red carpet of Cannes Film Festival of 2021 with an exotic beige-olive Jamdani-silk saree. The magnificent saree that stole the spotlight, was a 100 thread count fabric, woven with golden ‘jori’ that took a deft artisan to finish after 90 days. What a precious possession a Jamdani is!