The cloth weaved in India is a different kind. Indian textiles are well known worldwide, and have been traded across borders. The origin dates back to 5th century B.C as early as the Indus Valley civilization. Back then, people used to wear clothes made from the homespun cotton and dyed them with Indigo. Today, India is the world’s second largest exporter of textiles and clothing only after China (USD 44 billion in 2022). It is one of the largest textile industries of the globe.

The Indian textiles are diverse, handspun and handwoven. Let’s see some of the most traditional textiles of India-

Pashmina

Pashmina is a costliest fabric made from the fine Kashmiri Cashmere wool of the heaven state. In Kashmir, the word Pashm means the raw unspun wool from the Changthangi goats which is often referred as golden wool. Cashmere and Pashmina come from the same goat. Pashmina is a blend of Cashmere and silk. Pashmina dates back to the Indus Valley civilization. Today, it is well known to be used in the Kashmiri shawl. The center of fabric production is the old district of Srinagar. The designs are hand block printed and embroidered. A single pashmina stole takes approx. 180 hours for production.  

Khadi

The natural cloth fiber that is handspun and handwoven. It is that Swadeshi fabric which played an integral role during the Indian Independence struggle. During the British rule, it was also known as Khaddar. Khadi is made with cotton, silk and wool which makes it an all season wear; warm in winters and cool in summers.

Firstly, the cotton fibers are separated from the seeds. The fibers are then spun into yarn on a ‘Charkha’ which is the spinning wheel. The yarn is threaded and affixed to the loom’s beam. After this, the fabric is woven and dyed. It is the most sustainable fabric with zero carbon footprint and its biodegradable nature. Khadi can be blended with other materials to form a new fabric.

Phulkari

The literal meaning of Phulkari is floral work, where the term phool means flower and akari means shape. It is the folk embroidery from Gulkari (Sindh) and the Punjab regions. Phulkari is not about flowers alone, it includes geometrical shapes and various other motifs. Traditionally, it included chope, tilpatr, nilak and bagh. The silk and mulmul (soft muslin) are used for purity and longevity of the fabric. The designs are made with a needle and a silk thread alone.

Banarasi silk

The Banarasi silk comes from the ancient city of the Bhojpur Purvanchal region, Varanasi. It is being made as early as the 19th century. The sarees made of fine Banarasi silk are widely famous for their gold and silver brocade (zari), detailed embroidery, intricate figures, mina work and different kinds of motifs like kalga and bel, floral and foliate, jhallar, etc. The authentic woven fabric with detailed patterns is very heavy to carry. You will find at least one banarasi silk saree in Indian women’s wardrobe.

Chikankari

The Chikankari is a detailed art hand embroidery style traditionally developed in Lucknow, India. Notably, it has been known that Chikankari embroidery was taught by the Persians during the Mughal period. It began as a white work embroidery (white on white). The Chikankari can be carved on a variety of fabrics. The process includes design followed by engraving, block printing, embroidery and concludes with washing and finishing. The backstitch, chain stitch and hemstitch leads to the creation of various patterns and designs. Chikankari got its GI status in 2008.

Chanderi

As the name, the fabric belongs to the town of Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh. The town is known for the fabric as well as its weavers. The traditional textile that is handwoven blend of silk, cotton and golden zari. It is sheer, light weight, fine quality and shimmery in texture. Chanderi has detailed designs, often having floral patterns. The Dobby and Jacquard looms are its means of production. The Chanderi has gold checks, little motifs (butis) or a gold border. It is traditional as well as modern and a popular choice among women.

Paithani

This artistry of Maharashtra is nearly 2000 years old. It comes from the Paithan town in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. This variety of sarees is made up of silk and zari which has oblique square, flower and peacock designs (on a padar which is the end of the saree). Paithani is available in a single color as well as with a kaleidoscopic effect. Earlier it had a cotton base only which has now shifted to a silk base. The silk threads can be the Charkha, Ciddle-Gatta and China silk.  

Bandhani

Bandhani is a tie-dye textile that is made in Gujarat, Rajasthan, parts of Punjab and Tamil Nadu. It traces back to 4000 BC. Bandhani is derived from the Sanskrit word bandh which means to tie. The Bandhej saree, Bandhani Piliya and Chungdi are its other names. To make Bandhani, the technique involved is dying the fabric (can be cotton, muslin or mulmul) which is tightly tied with a thread at several points. This produces several patterns accordingly, the knotted area stays uncolored. Thus it is a tie and dye process.

Kalamkari

Kalamkari is the traditional textile printing art from the state of Andhra Pradesh that began 3000 years ago. The name Kalamkari was coined by the Mughals, where kalam means the pen and kari is art. In this art, only natural dyes are used. It has two forms - the Srikalahasti which is completely etched by hand and the vegetable dyed block printed in the town of Machilipatnam. Kalamkari was prior known as Pattachitra. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, the first chairperson of All India Handicrafts board popularized the present style of Kalamkari.

Patola

The double ikat woven fabric is made from silk in Patan, Gujarat. The famous patola sarees are made with silk threads which are dyed using natural colors and woven to create the intricate details and designs. The process of applying dye before weaving is only known as double ikat. The art is known to have existed since the 4th century. Patola very soon became a symbol of status among the Gujarati women, the art form even though was taken there by the Salvi caste of Maharshtra. The patterns worn differ according to the communities.

Kanjivaram

The Kanjivaram silk is made in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It has been recognized with the GI in 2005-06. The sarees are weaved from the pure mulberry silk. It has wide border with traditional designs on the fabric. Three shuttles are used to weave the saree, where the body and border are separate and are interlocked together. The heavy silk and gold cloth sarees are very expensive and are worn on special occasions.

Apart from these, India is home to many other textiles like the Mysore silk of Karnataka, Kinnauri shawls from Himachal, Jamdani (West Bengal), Muga silk (Assam), Kasavu from Kerala, Lepcha, Ajrak, the ikat and Sambhalpuri fabrics. That’s why it is rightly the textile hub of the world.