Raja Ravi Varma's Influence on the Revival of Modern Indian Art
The art of weaving Pashmina shawls is one of the most treasured art forms of the Kashmir Valley that requires years of skill and expertise. Although the weaving process dates back to the 15th century when the Cashmere wool or ‘Pashm’ was discovered by a Sufi saint, it hasn’t changed much since that time.
Before the Spinning
Acquiring the fleece from these goats and transforming it into wool to be ready for spinning is an arduous process that takes ‘herders’ a long time to complete. In Kashmir, the weaving process is called Wonun while the artisan who weaves is referred to as Wovur.
Most of these processes are done in the spring season and include combing, dusting, dehairing, and treading. To elaborate, first, the goats are combed for raw wool during the spring. Then this raw wool is ‘dusted’ or cleaned and the external material is separated, followed by the process of dehairing, which involves distinguishing and gathering the fine wool from a mix of guard hair and wool.
Since the fine wool obtained till thSis point is extremely delicate, it is treated with a mixture of pounded rice and water in order to strengthen it. In Kashmiri, processed wool is called ‘thumb’.
Spinning
Spinning is a manual process that requires a spinning wheel to convert wool into yarn. Since this yarn would be very fine and delicate, one needs to use a hand reeler to double it. After being washed in spring water, specialist dyers known as Rangers use natural ingredients to dye it in either white or a particular shade of brown.
Winding
Next, the dyed yarn is first rolled into a bobbin and treated with rice water again. This second treatment is called maya and is followed by the Tulun process which involves winding the yarn around wooden spindles.
Warp Making and Dressing
Next is the Yarun process which involves making the warp by tying the Pashmina yarn across a range of iron rods erected on the ground. Generally, 4-10 iron rods are used for this purpose. Finally, before the warp reaches the handlooms, it is stretched and fixed by the warp dresser or Bharangur to fit into the heddle of a loom. This process is also uniquely called Bharun, and after this, the 15th Century handlooms are put into motion for weaving.
