TALES 》 Dhakai Jamdani, Dhakai from West Bengal India

Delicate devotion and passion, lies sophisticated threads

Jamdani is one of the finest muslin textiles of Bengal, produced in Dhaka District, Bangladesh for centuries. Jamdani originally known as 'Dhakai' named after the city of Dhaka, is called by varies names such as popularly known as "Dhakai Jamdani" or simply "Dhakai". The word ‘jamdani’ is believed to be of Persian origin, 'Jam', meaning flower and 'Dani' meaning vase or a container, named after decorative floral patterns which discovered from Dhakai textile. This unique hand technique of weaving was called jamdani in the old days, while the weave was called Dhakai, these sarees are traditionally woven around on the brocade loom. These beautiful intricate weaves are available in mediums such as cotton and silk. One of the most expensive product of Dhaka looms, Jamdani requires the most dedicated and passionate weaver and during olden days only royal families were able to afford such luxuries.

Usually what happens in the looms, they generally sketch the patterns or outlined, but in this weaving technique, they draw on a graph paper and place underneath the warp so that they can refer and weave the patterns, thats the uniqueness. The basic fabric for Jamdani is unbleached cotton yarn, which is traditionally designed and woven, by using bleached cotton yarns, which gives the shades of light and dark vibrancy. The masterweavers do not need to draw the design on paper, but instead work from memory. One will be mesmerized by the art work and labor-intensive forms involved in it. One Dhakai Jamdani saree could take anywhere between one month to a year to be handwoven, its a lot of dedication, passion and time duration, lets not call for a prank its dedication! Beautifully crafted masterpieces are seen in varities products such as Jamdani sarees, scarves, handkerchiefs, kurtas, turbans, skirts, dupattas, screens and tablecloths dresses like Sherwani were made of jamdani fabric or a piece of art on a wall.

Various types of Jamdani sarees are

The Shantipur Jamdani from Shantipur of India
Dhaniakhali Jamdani (India)
Dhakai Jamdani (Bangladesh)
Tangail Jamdani is woven in the Tangail district of Bangladesh

The garnished motifs
Jamdani is fabulously rich in motifs, names of which are diamond motifs, mango motifs, kamal or lotus motifs, Tota-maina known as parrot, abstract motif, kalka (paisley), fulwar(flowers arranged in straight rows), charkona known by rectangular motifs, panna hajar known as thousand emeralds and dubli lala.

The traditional art of weaving jamdani has been declared by UNESCO as a 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'. Present day jamdani sarees have on their backdrop or designs of rose, jasmine, lotus, bunch of bananas, bunch of ginger and sago. Sarees are common dress which is worn by women in Bangaldesh. Almost all family members are involved in weaving Jamdani and time-consuming and labour-intensive work, these sarees are neither printed nor embroidered in the looms, but these sarees are created, the designs are inspired by nature vegetables, plants, fruits, creepers and other floral ones.

How to identify an authentic Dhakai Jamdani saree

The fabric is absolutely thin soft, light weight, transparent and airy and are made up of high quality cotton muslin fabric

Fabric care for Dhakai Jamdani silk and cotton sarees
Do check out for specific care instructions on the garment tag once you purchase and follow the instructions carefully, it addition to it, here are certain guidelines

Dhakai Jamdani silk sarees should only be given for dry cleaning
Dry Jamdani saree preferably away from direct sunlight
Press the saree with medium-high while the fabric is damp, if the fabric has dried, use a spray bottle to dampen it

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamdani
http://www.westbengalhandloom.org/htm/h_jamdani.html
https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/traditional-art-of-jamdani-weaving-00879
http://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/Weaving-jamdani-wonders/article15718310.ece

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