Indian Shawls: Mantles of Splendour

From the earliest times to the present, shawls have been part of the great tradition of Indian textiles, especially that of weaving. Some were famed throughout the world as the luxurious merchandise of kings and emperors, some were simply a practical necessity against biting cold. Yet they were always made vivid with colour and decoration, the hallmarks of the Indian craftsman. This book in five parts briefly looks at some major shawl traditions in India drawn from various regions, including the "woven jewels" of Kashmir and those of Punjab and Nagaland. The text examines the contexts of shawls from different parts of India, their weaving and their patterning. Lavishly illustrated with colour photographs from a number of sources, including museums, this book is a glimpse of one of the greatest of Indian textile arts.