The Ain-i-Akbari said the Emperor Akbar fervent admiration for cashmere shawls although not shed any light on the styles. The emperor retained his cabinet well stocked with colorful shawls and fine flower-filled vase motifs showing the influence of the Indo-Persian and Mughal schools naturalist. The flower motifs later known as butas. In 1668 the historian Bernier evidence that the decoration is limited to the borders less than a foot deep. For general loose layers, the decoration is limited to the neck and sleeves. The Indians, apparently in favor of the mort Feuille or dead leaf motifs. The Emperor Akbar introduced the fashion shawls using two by two (doshala), sewn back to back so that the children of the parties were not visible. Kashmir Shawls then became famous worldwide and were sent as gifts to distant countries.
Mughal period shawls were woven with threads of gold and silver. Manrique records, in 1630, that the finest examples of wool, cashmere shawl had fringed borders of gold thread, silver and silk. The shawl was generally a male garment and nobility wore the finest shawls. Princes wore either as layers or bring cushions in her arms. The finest shawls were white when the loom, but later dyed any color, designed and decorated with colorful flowers and decorations complicated. Around this time, 300 were in use vegetable dyes. Blue and purple forms indigo, orange and yellow safflower, saffron and red are logwood, cochineal crimson and black iron filings form.
In the third quarter of the 18th century, Kashmir or Cashmere shawls had become synonymous with fine wool wear India, and were famous in all the fashionable circles of the West and the trade was well established in China, Afghanistan, Turkey , etc. used in Kashmir shawl brocade twill or fabric upholstery. Weft threads introduced by the tojils wooden spools or without the use of shuttles, were used to form patterns that did not run the entire width of the fabric, but spun round and over the warp threads only if each particular color is needed each shawl requires a high degree of specialization or designer Naqqash and elaborate designs were woven in two or three looms, which have a large area of design to take up to 18 months. Various parts of the mantle are woven separately and delivered to an employee of the needle (rafugar), who joined them along with the experience that made it impossible to detect with the naked eye points. In 1821, W. Moorcroft recorded eight looms using a wool shawl mosaic composed of 1,500 separate pieces. Amli or embroidered imitations of Kashmir shawls, requires a very low cost and ability much less. Escaped from the obligation of government to tax (26 percent of the value of a shawl in 1823) and made huge profits. In 1830, after barely rafugars or embroiderers, there were about 5,000 of them from those whose lands were expropriated by Ranjit Singh in 1819, when Kashmir was invaded and annexed the Sikh kingdom.
In 1821, the total of your asli was less than one sixth of the total thick wool shawl with one or two specialized weaving the fabric of your asli. Second grade fleece domestic goats are now used to make blankets. An epidemic among the goats reduced the amount of wool from herds kept by nomadic Kyrgyz tribes and imported through Yarkhanl and Khotan. Supplies are rarely met demand and the goat became polar face, thereby encourage adulteration and a drastic fall in standards.
