04/06/2026
Six fabrics. Two thousand years of documentation.
All still being woven.
Slide 1 — Muslin, Dhaka
Kautilya described it in the Arthashastra, 4th century BCE.
He recorded it as among India's most valuable exports.
The weavers of Dhaka are still there.
Slide 2 — Kanjivaram Silk, Kanchipuram
The Silappatikaram, 2nd century CE, describes silk weavers
in the Kaveri delta region working with gold-thread borders.
The Kaveri delta is Kanchipuram.
The gold borders are still there.
Slide 3 — Banarasi, Varanasi
Abu'l-Fazl documented Banarasi silk in the Ain-i-Akbari, 1590.
He listed it as one of the Mughal court's finest textiles.
The same pit looms are still in use.
Slide 4 — Pashmina, Kashmir
Al-Biruni wrote about Kashmir's fine wool shawls in 1030 CE.
He noted that the fibre came from a mountain goat
and could not be replicated elsewhere.
He was correct.
Slide 5 — Jamdani, Bengal
Marco Polo referenced Bengal's fine woven muslins in 1290.
The Jamdani tradition — supplementary weft weaving on muslin —
is UNESCO-listed living heritage.
Slide 6 — Ikat, Odisha
Temple carvings at Konark, 8th century CE, show figures
wearing what textile historians identify as Ikat patterns.
The same patterns are woven in Odisha today.
At Kaarigar, we carry five of these six.
All with the weaver's name.
— Kaarigar
