It was a prosperous industry in the days of the Roman Empire, when Kashmiri shawls were worn by the proudest beauties at the court of the Caesars.[ii] According to the Ree’s Encyclopaedia “there seems no doubt that Romans were well acquainted with the shawls of Kashmir, which are fabrics of a brilliant and beautiful texture. The history of their manufacture is proof of a very high degree of perfection to which the fabrication of woollen cloth had been carried on in former times, for shawl is only woollen without a twill and unmilled; but it is spun to so great a degree of fineness, from wool peculiarly soft, that it has been rivalled by European nations". (Abraham Rees's, 1819). In the Emperor Ashoka’s time, the Buddhist texts also make mention of Kashmiri Shawls. But thereafter for a long period this art was dead.[iii]

The industry dates its revival by the efforts of great saint Shah Hamdan, who visited valley in 781 of the Hijri era during the rule of Sultan Qutb-ud-din who patronised, nourished and stimulated it.[iv] However, the industry flourished under Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin (1420-1470 A.D) who introduced the twill tapestry technique, the brush and new type of loom in the manufacture of the Shawls. It was also during his glorious reign that exquisite floral, faunal and geometrical designs were woven on the new type of loom.[v] More than half century later, i.e. about the year 950 A.H (1541 A.D) Mirza Haider Kashgari encouraged many of the industries originally introduced by Zain-ul-Abidin. In his book he praised the enthusiasm of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin for the popularization of handicrafts as:

The Mughal Rulers and Shawl Industry:- The manufacture of shawls reached its zenith during the Mughal rule (1586-1752 A.D). The Mughal Emperors immensely encouraged it which ultimately led to the commercialization of the industry and to its reorganisation. The shawls were produced on a large scale and were made in high perfection, which were sent as valuable gifts to ‘every clime’.[i] It had become a craze with every noble to have a fine Kashmiri shawl, which was considered a symbol of prestige.[ii] It became a custom of the Mughal Emperors to reward their allies with robes of honour.[iii] It was given as presents to the ladies of the imperial harem, governors, and the special officials.[iv] Jahangir in his Tuzuk describes the stuff as one of his favourite items of dress.[v]

After conquering the valley of Kashmir in A.D 1586, Emperor Akbar took many efforts to improve this old industry. He introduced the fashionable aspect of shawls, including how to wear and embroider them to best advantage for the wardrobe of nobility (Maskiell, 2002). He initiated a shawl cloth production in imperial workshops at Lahore, Patna and Agra, directing changes in how these were to be woven and dyed. In addition to the finest shawls made of white tus (wild ibex hair) supposedly reserved for the Emperor and his family, artisans wove shawls from domesticated goat hair, silk, sheep wool, or combinations of fibres. During Akbar’s reign, robes of honour were normally given within the emperor’s ruling circle, but this practice was greatly expanded under his successors.[vi] He brought many weavers from the cities of Andizhan and Eastern Turkistan (about 400 miles north of Kashmir) down to Kashmir, these weaves jiugha design.[vii] He encouraged in every possible way, the manufacture of shawls in Kashmir.

According to Abul Fazl, “In former times shawls were often brought from Kashmir. People folded them up in four folds, and wore them for a long time. Nowadays, they are generally worn without folds, and merely thrown over the shoulders. His Majesty has commenced to wear them double which looks very well.” [viii] He further wrote that how Akbar improved this department in four ways; or to simply put it, following four kinds of shawls were manufactured. First: The improvement is visible in the Tus shawls, which are made up of wool of an animal of that name; people generally wear it without altering its natural colour. His majesty has had it dyed. These excelled in lightness, warmth and softness. Second, in the Safid Alchus, also called Tarehdars, in their natural colours, the wool is either white or black. These stuffs may be had in three colours, white, black and mixed. The first or white kind was formerly dyed in three ways; his Majesty has given the order to dye it in three ways. Third principle variety of shawls manufactured were to be seen in stuffs like Zardozi, Kalabatun, Kashida, Qalghai, Bandhnun, Chhint, Alcha, Purzdar and Parmanaram to which his Majesty pay much attention. Fourth, an improvement was made in the width of all stuffs i.e.-jamas; his majesty had the pieces made large enough to yield the making of a full dress.”[ix] Thus according to Abul Fazl, Akbar increased the size of the Kashmiri Shawl so that it could be made into a complete suit. These measures taken, made the shawl industry more famous and thus boosted trade between Kashmir and the rest of India.[x]

Shawls weaving attained to such an excellence that a shawl of one and half square yards could be twisted and passed through the ordinary finger ring. It became very popular and was manufactured in numerous ranges of price to suit the purses of both the middle and upper classes. The price of an ordinary piece of shawl 1¹/2 yards long was from two rupees to eight mohurs. Shawl Cheerah was from two rupees to twenty five mohurs, shawl foteh from a half to three mohurs, and shawl Jamah from a half to four mohurs.[xi] Bernier rightly observed that Kashmir derived much of its wealth from this industry.[xii]

Following Akbar’s death, his son Jahangir succeeded to the throne. Being a lover of nature, Kashmir became his favourite abode. He is often said to have opined that he would, “rather be deprived of other provinces of his mighty empire than lose Kashmir.”[xiii] The reason of the king’s special preference for this country was its climate.

In the words of Palscert, “when the heat in India increases, his (Jahangir’s) body burns like a furnace, owing to his consumption of excessively strong drink and opium, excesses which are still greater in his youth. He usually leaves Lahore in March or April and reaches Kashmir in May” (Francisco et al., 1972). Jahangir like his father was also a lover of Kashmiri shawls. He remarks in his Tuzuk-i-Jahangir “the shawls of Kashmir to which my father gave the name of parm-narm are very famous; there is no need to praise them”. [xiv] He categorized the shawls on the bases of material used and the way they are fashioned. According to Jahangir other than the parm-narm another kind is ‘narharma’; it is thicker than a shawl and is soft. Another is called ‘darm’; it is like a jul-i-khirsak and is put over a carpet. With the exception of shawls, they make other woollen material better in Tibet. Though, they bring the wool for the shawls from Tibet; In Kashmir, they weave the pattu shawl from wool, and sewing two shawls together they smooth them into a kind of saqarlat (broad cloth termed chadar in Kashmir) which is not bad for a rain coat.”[xv]

Shah Jahan, the great architect sent a large number of shawl products to the rulers of south India i.e. Golconda and Bijapur. Aurangzeb and the later Mughals also were extremely fond of shawls and patronised and subsidized the shawl weaving industry. Bernier who had the privilege of visiting while accompanying Aurangzeb found the shawl promoting the trade of the country and filling it with wealth. He described the shawl industry in some detail, ‘it is the prodigious quality of shawls which they (Kashmiri’s) manufactured which gave employment even to children’. These shawls measured five by two and half feet, were ornamented at both ends with a sort of embroidery made in loom, a foot in length. The Mughals and Indian men and women wore them in winter around their heads passing them over the shoulders as a mantle. One sort was manufactured with the wool of country and the other with the wool of shawl goat of Tibet. The price of the tus shawl ranged from 50 to 150 rupees. Great pains were taken to manufacture similar shawls at Patna, Agra, and Lahore, but they lacked the delicate texture of Kashmiri shawls.”[xvi] Many measures were taken for example in A.D1682-83 on account of the attack on Ladakh by Tibet the supply of the wool was threatened, the imperial Mughals on behalf of the Ladakh freed on the Qalmaq rulers of Tibet. A treaty was signed between Blabran a steward of the Dalai Lama and the king of Ladakh in 1683. The most important provisions of the treaty were that Kashmiri merchants got exclusive monopoly on the purchase of the Pashm.[xvii]