INTRODUCTION

Jammu and Kashmir, one of the beautiful states of India, is popular for its natural beauty and rich culture. This state is populated with Kashmiris and a minor percentage of other ethnic groups such as the Ladakh, Dogras and Gujjars. The rich culture and landscape of the region are reflected in the traditional dress worn by the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

What makes Jammu and Kashmir`s costumes and attires different from the rest of India is because of the blend of three distinct cultural backgrounds. Filled with greener pastures the dressing in the region of Kashmir becomes more colourful with exquisite embroidered work that accompanies their clothes, especially the shawls and Pherans, which are embroidered with intricate patterns of multihued threadwork. Up above in Ladakh , the dressing sense is having a trans-Himalayan influence in it. One can check the true colours of this barren cold desert in the festive seasons when the ceremonial attires just astound the spectators. Kashmiri Muslims used to wear the pheran, a long loose gown hanging down below the knees, a white turban tied on a skull cap, a closefitting shalwar and lace less shoes called gurgabi. A white piece of material is hung on their shoulders like a stole. Hindu men wear churidar pyjama instead of shalwar. The less affluent Muslims wear skull caps, which looks cute and does not carry any shawl.

JAMMU & KASHMIR DRESS

DRESSES FOR MEN & WOMEN: PHERAN & POOTS

A Similar Way of Dressing

For many years Kashmiri men and women have worn the same style of dress. The Pheran and `Poots` consist of two gowns, one on top of the other, falling to the feet in the case of a Hindu, worn up to the knees by a Muslim. Muslims wear the sleeves wide and open; Hindus wear them narrow with turned up ends. Traditionally there was a brightly coloured design on the outside, with Yak or goatskin on the inside to keep the wearer warm. This has now been changed by fashion to a simple ornament of brightly coloured material, although in winter many women still wear the goatskin for warmth.

The women wear the pheran, the voluminous Kashmiri gown, hemmed with a border and hanging in awkward folds. The long, loose pheran covers their physique no doubt, but does not blunt their physical appeal. Whereas a Muslim womans pheran is knee-length, loose and embroidered in front and on the edges, a Hindu womans pheran touches her feet. For the sake of smartness and ease it is

tied at the waist with folded material called lhungi. The long loose sleeves are fashionably decorated with brocade. With this type of Hindu costume goes the head-dress called taranga, which is tied to a hanging bonnet and tapers down to the heels from behind.

The folds of the taranga are made of brightly-pressed lines fastened to a pointed red-coloured and brocaded skull cap with a few gold pins at the sides. Over the head and ears are pieces of muslin embroidered in gold thread . The younger Hindu women, however have taken to the sari, after the reform movement of the thirties. Even then, on the wedding day they have to wear the taranga ceremonially. It is covered with the palav of the brides wedding sari. Taranga, thus stays as part of the bridal trousseau.

Unlike a Hindu woman`s pheran, which gives her a Roman look, the Muslim woman`s pheran is beautifully embroidered in front. Their head gear, the Kasaba, looks very different from the taranga. It is red in colour, tied turban-like and held tight by an abundance of silver pins and trinkets. It has an overhanging pin-scarf which falls grace fully over the shoulders. A work-a-day shalwar goes with it. Unmarried Muslim girls wear skullcaps, embroidered with gold thread and embellished with silver pendants, trinkets and amulets.

With the passage of years, an appreciable change has come about in the dress of the Kashmiri women. Saris, shalwar-kameez, churidars and jeans are becoming popular, yet none of these belong to them as much as the good old pheran.

COSTUMES WORN BY JAMMU & KASHMIR PEOPLE

Pheran: The long Flowing dress called the pheran-pravarna of the Nilamata Purana
is traditionally worn by both Pandit males and females. The dress is always worn in a pair, the underlayer called potsh, being of light white cotton. In case of women, the pheran has wide sleeves, overturned and fringed with brocaded or embroidered stripes. Similar long stripes of red borders are attached around the chest- open collars (quarterway down the front of shoulders and all along the skirt. A loongy or a coloured sash was tied round the waist. The traditional male garment is always plain and has narrow sleeves and a leftside breast-open collar with a kind of lapel or lace emerging from it.

Muslim wearing Pheran

Kashmiri pundit wearing Pheran

Churidars:
Churidars or more properly churidar pyjamas are tightly fitting trousers worn by both men and women in South Asia and Central Asia. Churidars are a variant of the common salwar pants. Salwars are cut wide at the top and narrow at the ankle. Churidars are narrow at the ankel, so that contours of the leg are revealed. They are usually cut on the bias (at a 45-degree angle to the grain of the fabric) which makes them naturally stretchy. Stretch is important when pants are closefitting. They are also longer than the leg and sometimes finish with a tightly fitting buttoned cuff at the ankle. The excess length falls into folds and appears like a set of bangles resting on the ankle (hence 'churidar'; 'churi': bangle, 'dar': like). When the wearer is sitting, the extra material is the "ease" that makes it possible to bend the legs and sit comfortably. The word "churidar" is from Hindi and made its way into English only in the 20th century. Earlier, tight fitting churidar-like pants worn in India were referred to by the British as Moghul breeches, long-drawers, or mosquito drawers.

The churidar is usually worn with a kameez (tunic) by women or a kurta (a loose overshirt) by men, or they can form part of a bodice and skirt ensemble, as seen in the illustration of 19th century Indian women wearing churidar with a bodice and a transparent overskirt. Traditionally attired Kathak dancers, from northern India, still wear churidar with a wide skirt and a tight bodice; when the dancers twirl, the leg contours can be discerned -- as can be seen in many Bollywood movies featuring Kathak dancing.

Women's Headgear:
Taranga or the female headgear is reminiscent of the racial fusion of the Aryans and Nagas to which the Nilamata Purana has referred. It symbolizes the decorative hood of the crelestial serpent (nag) with a flowing serpentine body tapering into a double tail almost reaching the heels of the wearer. It is composed of the following parts:

The elements for composition of the Headgear:

a) Kalaposh - The cap, a conic shape of decorative brocade or silken embroidery,

attached with a wide and round band of Pashmina in crimson, vermilion or scarlet. The conic shape would cover the crown and the band would be shortened threefold around the forehead.

aa

A girl wearing kalaposh and A group of girls showing their kalaposh.

b) Zoojy - A delicate net-work cloth topped by embroidery motifs, and worn over
the crown of kalaposh and tapering flowing down to the small of the back.

c) Taranga - It comprises of three narrow and

continuous wraps over and around the head, the final round having moharlath, starched and glazed over with an agate-stone, crystal or a soft giant shell.

d) Poots - The two long lengths of fine white muslin hemmed together
longitudinally with a "fish spine" pattern. Lengthwise, then the whole piece is rolled and wrapped inwards from both sides so as to form the long bodies of a pair of snakes with a pair of tapering tails at the lower end and a hood at the other end (top) to open up and cover the apex of the headgear while flowing down over the back almost touching the heels.

Men's Headgear:

The turban is the traditional headgear of the Kashmiri Pandit males, though its use is very restricted now. This turban is not much different from the turban the Muslims wear except that the Pandits do not wear any scalp cap inside. The priest class among the Pandits would wear their turbans in almost the Namdhari Sikh style.

Karakul:

A Karakul (Qaraqul) is a hat made from the fur of the Qaraqul breed of sheepThe fur from which it is made is referred to as Astrakhan, broadtail, qaraqulcha, or Persian lamb. Qaraqul means Black fur in Turkic, similar types of hats are common among Turkic peoples. The hat is peaked, and folds flat when taken off of the wearer's head.

OTHER COMMUNITIES OF JAMMU & KASHMIR

Ladakh:
Costumes of Ladakh have a trans-Himalayan impact in it. The national dress of Ladakh is termed as `goncha` which is a practical dress for the harsh cold climate of Ladakh. Men wear is a distinctly stylish garment. It is a double-breasted calf-length coat. It is cut wide and the extra material is pulled to the back to form two pleats. It is fastened on the right shoulder and down the right side with brass buttons and loops. The edges of the stand-up collar are piped with silver brocade. The `gonchas` which are worn by poor people is made from coarse homespun woollen cloth which is a dark shade of maroon. In formal occasions there are few more stylish garments like a `goncha` in black velvet, silver gleam of piping at the border and collar. It has a full skirt with several small pleats which is secured with a bright cummerbund. For formal wear, the outfit is completed by wearing a hat, or by the `perak` which is the traditional head-dress of Ladakh. Silver chains and strings of coral beads complete the decoration of the head-dress. According to the Ladakhi tradition, the head dresses are the fortune of the women. The women purchase it and attach more stones to it. The head dress is much of the appearance of a cap with ear-flaps. The head dress of the women is straight and the men`s is at a casual angle.

A well-to-do Ladakhi lady has a striking and opulent appearance. The best `gonchas` are created in heavy figured Chinese silk for the females. The Ladakhi women adorn themselves with heavy strings of jewellery; baroque pearls, turquoises, coral and amber to bedeck their neck and ears. The women wear some other formal and semi-formal dresses thereby maintaining new generation style. The other costume worn by women is the `chuba`. This is a more streamlined and elegant Tibetan gown. However now it`s not that much worn by the women as in earlier times. The `goncha` is sometimes complemented by the `dupatta`, the light chiffon scarf.

Dogras:
Diverse castes and sects inhabit Jammu province. The Dogras inhabiting the hilly tract bounding the mountains of the Kashmir valley on the south and extending to the plains of the Punjab, are descended from Aryan stock generally dressed in grey woolens and loose pyjamas, they also flaunt a kamarband. Women wear long, loose tunics, close-fitting chudidars and dupatta or cap to complete their charming ensemble.

Gujjars:

The hill people of Kashmir, called Gujjars.The dress of a Gujjar woman of the hills in the valley is very much similar to that worn by the Turkish village women. It consists of as ample shalwar and full-skirted tunic with loose sleeves. A thick veil on the head falls back to the shoulders. The Gujjar woman knit their hair in multiple plaits, which hang in front, covering half of their moon-shaped faces.

EMBROIDERY
Kashmir is known internationally for its style of embroidery which is found on garments like the phiran, tapestry, curtains, shawls and household linen. The craftsmen draw inspiration from the landscape and the embroidery is renowned for its beauty and richness. The main patterns in this region are chinar leaves, cypress cones, the lotus and almonds.

Kashida, the local lingo for the embroidery, in a number of stitch styles, of which, the sujni stitch is used when uniformity is desired on both sides, like in choice shawls. Zalakdosi, the chain stitch done with a hook is found on chogas (cloaks) and rugs with long and flowing designs. A buttonhole stitch for thick fillings is Vata-chikan. Amli embroidery in multicoloured threads is found in Kani shawls while Do-rookha is a double-sided stitch used to create similar patterns on either side but with different colour combination. Gold or silver embroidery is done around the necks of the gown or phirans while chain and cross-filling stitches are used to do crewel work on namda or carpets. Gabba is another type of floor covering made out of old blankets with a combination of applique work and chain stitches. Patterns on gabbas and namdhas are in floral and geometrical designs. Shawls and furnishing fabrics are also embroidered while the famous Pashmina shawls are embroidered with fine silk thread .

The Kashmiri shawl is the most cherished acquisition of a lady and is believed to be indigenous to Kashmir. By way of technique, it can be categorised into two main types --- the loom-woven kani shawl and the needle embroidered sozini shawl. These shawls are much in demand during winter owing to their warmth, colour(s), texture(s), design(s) and softness. Kashmiri artisans depict the natural bounty of the valley on the shawl through embroidered floral motifs. The raw materials mainly used are raffal and pashmina fabrics. The kani shawl is a length of intricately woven material used as a wrap around the body. It is widely known as a jamawar. Kings and courtiers are supposed to have bought this by the yard (war) and wore it as a gown or robe (jama). Such a shawl is in a class by itself, and possesses an extremely fine texture. Kani is the little wooden stick used as a spoon to weave this wonder, known colloquially as a kani shawl. Sometimes as many as 50 kanis are used with different coloured threads for single weft reflecting the intricacy of design. The fine texture and the complex designs mean that artisans can seldom weave more than an inch a day. Kanihama, a village in the western part of Kashmir, has a monopoly over the weave and the trade in kani shawls. The pashmina is made from the wool obtained from the pashmina goat, known locally as Lena Rama, and found mostly found in the Changthang area of Ladakh. Pashmina wool is available in colours like white, brown, gray, and black. The average height of a pashmina goat ranges from 18-224 inches and it yields 250- 300 grams of pashmina per season, comprising 60 per cent fibre and 40 per cent hair. Pashminas are famous for their lustre, texture, softness, and warmth. The colours are richly blended in beautiful varied patterns.

Pashmina shawl

Shahtoosh wool is obtained from Tibetan antelopes found in Tibet and Ladakh. The animal also called chiru measures 4 feet in length and 31 inches on the shoulders, and weighs between 41 and 45 kg. The shastoosh is fine enough to pass through a finger ring and is thus also known as the ring shawl. Presently the production of shahtoosh shawls has been banned by the Central Government owing to the needs of wildlife protection. Carpet making is the national craft of Kashmir. It was introduced here by Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin. Hand-woven pile carpets (kalins) harmoniously depicted with floral and other designs are the most popular. The namda, felt rug made from beaten wool embroidered all over, the gabba- a floor covering, prepared from old woolens in a variety of forms and designs, the chain-stitch rug, made from Hessian cloth and coarse wool, over which floral and other motifs are worked are also famous.

Kashmiri carpet

Silk carpet

JEWELLERY
ORNAMENTS

Kashmiri women

Kashmiri women generally have such love of jewellery that their headgear, ears, necks and arms glisten with ornaments. The typical ornament that Hindu women wear is the dejharoo, a pair of gold pendants, hanging on a silk thread or gold chain which passes through holes in the ears pieced at the top end of the lobes. The dejharoo is the Kashmiri panditani's mangal-sutra. Muslim women wear bunches of ear rings, the weight of which is supported by a thick silver chain. And there are ample bracelets and necklaces. The whole ensemble lends a most artistic effect to the appearance of Kashmiri women.

The craftsmen of Jammu and Kashmir have over the years excelled in the art of making jewellery with stones, gold and silver. They have transformed their skill onto making ornaments with finesse and ingenuity. The rural men and women folk in Jammu and Kashmir wear huge circular ear rings called kundalas while large anklets called nupura are worn by the rural women in Jammu. The women of Rajouri district fancy a silver cap or crown known as chaunk phool which is worn on the head under the veil. The tika worn on the forehead, the nose ring called balu and a fine gold filigree wrist ornament called band or kada are some fine specimens of bridal jewellery which can be seen in Jammu.

Halqaband, a traditionally tight choker which is studded with rubies, emeralds, semi-precious stones and even mirrors is usually made of silver, gold or brass and has interlocking sections joined together with thread. The

dejihor which hangs from the upper portion of the ear is worn by every Pandit woman as a symbol of marriage. Gunus, a thick bangle of solid gold and silver with a snake or lion head at either ends is popular even today.

Srinagar, a centre for precious and semi-precious jewellery is flooded with traditional as well as modern designs. Most of the jewellery is custom made to met the demand of the ever increasing market. Jammu city has goldsmiths who repeatedly make traditional designs of jhumkas and naths for local consumers. The jewellery of Ladakh region is unique, distinctive, and bears links to its regional history. The Ladakhi women wear an ornament called sondus or branshil, a marriage symbol fixed on the left shoulder which has a few gold or silver discs connected by a number of long silver strands and is given by a mother to her daughter at the time of marriage. An extraordinary head dress called perak, are worn by Ladakhi women wear, and has between 20 and 200 large turquoise and other stones set across a wide leather piece.

Ladakhi Women s jewelry

TEXTILES OF JAMMU & KASHMIR

The state of Jammu and Kashmir comprises of Jammu Province, the Vale of Kashmir and Ladakh. Jammu Province is bounded by the Ravi River to the east and the Jhelum to the west, and is bisected by the Chenab. To the north of Jammu lies the Pir Panjal range of mountains, which separate the beautiful wooded and fertile vale of Kashmir from the rest of India. Kashmir is itself connected to the east by a series of high passes to Ladakh.

Women printing with blocks

Printing bloxks

Jammu lies in the foothills of the Himalayas, with easy communications to neighboring Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, and its textile tradition has much in common with that of the neighboring states. Phulkaris, similar in composition and technique to those of Punjab, were made in Jammu, as were rumals, in the Chamba style.

The most notable textile products of Jammu Province are still the block-printed calicoes of Samba, a village about thirty miles south of Jammu where the hand printing of textiles is a very long-established industry. Indeed, Samba is reputed to have been a centre of textile production long before many other famous Indian textile towns. Vegetable dyeing on hand-woven cotton sheets was once the norm, with sonehri (gold) and rupehri (silver) printing a speciality, but now aniline dyes are used on mill-made cloth. Designs are most probably Persian in origin, with motifs of flowers and arabesques often in reds and greens on a yellow background. Animals, flowers and insects as well as human figures are also part of the contemporary printing repertoire, with bedspreads, tablecloths, masnad (floor coverings) and yardage being the main articles of production. Hand printing is also practised in Jammu city and the surrounding area. The beautiful Vale of Kashmir is justly famed for its textiles, above all for the Kashmiri shawl. Zain-Ul-Abidin (1420-70), the ruler of Kashmir who was reputed to have brought weavers from Turkestan to the valley, is believed to have laid the foundation of the Kashmir Shawl Industry.

SHAWLS:

Kashmiri Shawl

There are three fibers from which the Kashmiri shawls are madewool, Pashmina and shahtoosh. The classical Kashmir shawl was woven out of Pashmina wool, whose main source was the fleece of a central Asian species of

mountain goat, the Capra Hicus. This fleece grows during the harsh and extremely cold winter, underneath the goats outer hair and is shed at the beginning of summer. There are two grades of pashmina. The finest grade is known as asli tus that comes from wild goats. The second grade comes from the fleece of domesticated goats and it is this grade that has always provided the main bulk of the yarn used by Kashmir looms. Kashmir shawls are also known as kani shawls and jamawars. Woven in the twill-tapestry technique, the weft threads of these shawls alone form the pattern. They do not run across the full width of the cloth but are by wooden spools known as tojli, woven back and forth across each section of the warp threads using the particular thread required by that part of the pattern.

CARPETS:
Silk usually have cotton base. Sometimes when the base is silk, the cost increases proportionately. Occasionally, carpets are made on a cotton base, mainly of woolen pile with silk yarn used as highlights on certain motifs.

The knotting of the carpet is the most important aspect, determining its durability and value, in addition to its design. Basically, the more knots per square inch, the greater its value and durability. Also there are single and double-knotted carpets. You can quiet easily identify one from the other on the reverse of the carpet. The effect that it has on the pile, too, is important. A double-knotted carpet has a pile that bends when you brush it one way with your hand, and stands upright when it is brushed in other direction. A Single knotted carpet is fluffier and more resistant to touch.

NAMDAS:
Far less expensive are these colorful floor coverings made from woolen and cotton fiber, manually pressed into shape. Its price varies with the percentage of wool. A Namda containing 80% wool is more expensive than the one containing 20% wool. Chain stitch embroidery in woolen and cotton thread is worked on these rugs.

CHAIN STITCH AND CREWEL FURNISHINGS:

Chain stitch, be it in wool, silk or cotton, is done by hook rather than any needle. The hook is referred to as ari, Hook work covers a much larger area than needle work in the same amount of time. Crewel is basically similar to chain stitch. It is also Chain stitch done on White background, but here the motifs, mainly stylish flowers, do not cover the entire surface, and the background is not embroidered upon. Wool is almost invariably used in Crewelwork and color ways are not as elaborate as in Chain stitch. They make excellent household furnishings being hand or machine washable.

SILKS AND TWEEDS:

Sericulture and tweed weaving are more important industries in Kashmir, with departments of the State government closely monitoring the process. Interestingly, just as little or no raw material for tweed comes from Kashmir, almost no weaving and printing of silk is done in the state. However, the cocoon reared in Kashmir is of the superior quality, yielding an extremely fine fiber, and any silk woven from this thread becomes known. The fineness of the yarn lends itself particularly well to the weaves known as chinon and crepe de chine, in addition to the universally recognized silk weave.

Tweed on the other hand is woven in Kashmir with pure wool. The resultant fabric, made with imported know-how, compares favorably with the best in the world. It is available by the length occasionally as ready to wear garments.

PHERANS:
This garment, somewhere between a coat and a cloak, is eminently suited to the Kashmiri way of life. Mens pherans are always made of tweed or coarse wool; womens pherans, somewhat more stylized, are most commonly made of raffel, with designs of ari or hook embroidery at the throat, cuffs and edges. The quality of embroidery and thickness of the raffel determines the price. JAMMU & KASHMIR FOOTWEAR: In Ladakh, footwear made of Yak skin and wool is known as `Papu`.

J & K Footwear : Gurgabi & Women s footwear

Refrences:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. http://textiles.indianetzone.com/1/jammu_kashmir.htm http://www.craftandartisans.com/jewellery-of-jammu-kashmir.html http://www.craftandartisans.com/embroidery-of-jammu-kashmir.html http://www.indianetzone.com/41/embroidery_jammu_kashmir.htm http://indiancostumes.indianetzone.com/1/jammu_kashmir.htm