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 It
is one of the select few articles of home decoration that have
remained unchanged through the centuries. Prized for its warmth,
visual appeal and enduring quality, it has embellished the halls of
kings and sultans of a bygone era and is still a cherished item in
present day modern well-decorated homes. The Kashmir carpet or the
'Oriental rug' is used as floor covering, wall hanging, bedding,
praying mat, furniture covering and as saddlebag for camels and
horses, in some parts of the world.
This ancient Oriental art of carpet weaving - which originated around the 16th century in
Iran, Asia Minor and Syria - is a family and tribal tradition that has
been handed over through generations. It is such an intricate and fine
art that even the rugs woven today are done by the descendants of
these original weavers of Persia who possess the intimate knowledge
that goes into the making of a quality carpet. The process of making a
rug has also not undergone much change in this the age of
mechanisation with the weavers resorting to hand-woven methods with
much the same tools - such as coarse wooden and metal combs and
different types of shears -- as used by their forefathers. Each weaver
family follows a special design, method and style of weaving which
becomes its hallmark. As some of these carpets have a distinct
individual style and quality, many a potential buyer of good Kashmiri
carpets, spends a lot of time and effort to locate particular weaver
families to commission customised carpets to suit his/her tastes.
 In fact the making of
carpets involves an interesting process, which is not entirely known
to those who like and possess them. A single carpet is the end result
of the joint effort of several families over a long period of time -
sometimes as long as three years! It is the classic example of a
cottage industry that functions on the principle of division of labour
and specialisation. Each family in the carpet making process is well
known for one part of the entire process, like growing the silk or the
wool, treating the yarn to guard against pests, dyeing, designing,
weaving, clipping and cleaning and edging. The main activities are
those of the 'Nakaash' (designer), 'Kalimba' (weaver) and the 'Ranger'
(dyer).
A potential customer
approaches the Nakaash, to sketch out the design of the carpet. This
sketch is then used as a guide to procure the exact quantity of wool
of silk, in the required shades. The raw materials are then handed
over to the master weaver along with the design of the carpet from the
Nakaash. The master weaver then puts the entire weave pattern into a
tune with lyrics that convey the instruction of each weave which is
written down on papyrus in code! The
master weaver recites the lines which act as instructions to the group
of weavers while they weave the carpet. Many of these lyrics, which
contain the carpet design, are several hundred years old and are in
use even today!
 These world famous Persian carpets usually carry the name of the city from which the
designs originated like 'Kashaan', 'Bukhara' and 'Amadan' among
others. The knots per square inch used in the weave pattern determine
the sharpness of the visual design. In some cases the weaves in a
single carpet are known to have gone up to 4,400 knots, which is a
Guinness record! The price of a carpet is largely determined by the
number of knots per square inch, which reflects the intricacy of the
design and which also has a bearing on the time taken for making a
carpet. Weaver families are known to work on one small piece (2 ½ ft.
X 1 ½ ft) for several years, which finally sells for astronomical
price tags that touch rupees 11 lakh! Iqbal of Village Square, which
stocks some of the most exquisite carpets in Chennai, says, " The
Kashmiri carpet is undoubtedly the best in the world in terms of
design, weaving, colour, material and durability. It is known to last
for several generations"!
Rajat C. Kumar
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