Come Alive with Kashmiri Craftsmanship

At Kashmir Government Arts Emporium, Srinagar

Amidst a magnificent Emporium garden and gorgeous Chinar and Walnut trees on Residency Road, spread around 8 acres, firmly stands more than a century old British structure, which is now the Kashmir Government Arts Emporium, Srinagar.
This is still remembered as British Residency where His Excellency had resided, pre Independence.
The structure has withstood several destructions, by a devastating fire in 1998 which was restored in 2004 and again the deluge in 2014 caused significant damage, restored all over again.

Original picture of The British Residency in 1900s

Colour representation of The British Residency in 1900s

A rare Black & White picture in the Emporium depicts the Original colonial style structure of the British Residency in 1900s. There is also colour representation of the same picture, both of them are wall mounted in the main passageway of the Emporium.
Have never missed a visit to this heritage place whenever I am in Srinagar.
It is not just about taking back something that is intrinsic to the region.
It is about meeting Mr. Khurshid Ahmad Baba, Manager of the Emporium, who truly manages the responsibility with tremendous zeal and utmost humility.
I shall always remember his warm Adaab and those many hours that he has spent sharing the untold stories about Kashmiri craftsmanship which are centuries old.
It has been a long journey of 38 years for Mr.Khurshid Ahmad Baba serving the Department across various branches outside the valley.
His dream was to work in this prestigious Emporium in Srinagar. Very often, he has received many dignitaries from around the world in this Emporium.
And he says, “I am extremely thankful to my superiors who posted me here and now on the verge of retirement, I feel happy that God fulfilled my dream to serve such a beautiful showroom.”

Khurshid Baba(in the centre) and his team at the Emporium

Let me walk you through the different sections and the range of handiwork that is available here –

Inside view of the Emporium

About PASHMINA and Kashmiri designs :

Pashminas and Shawls with different designs available in the Emporium

The first section close to the entrance is all about Handcrafted Kashmiri shawls which displays the exquisite range of Pashminas and woollen shawls.
Pashmina is the finest wool type, which comes from a special goat reared by communities in Ladakh. This goat, also called Pashmina goat is small in size, almost the size of a goat’s kid.

“Pashmina wool is Warm, Soft and Light as these are basic characteristics of Pashmina goat.” as Mr. Khurshid explains in his nonchalant style.
“Warm, as God has blessed the Pashmina goat with double coat of white hair as they have to survive in high altitudes of 12000 to 14000 ft. with extreme cold temperatures in Ladakh, which plunge to as low as – 20°C,
Soft as this breed of Pashmina goat grows a thick, warm undercoat which is the finest hair wool in thickness.
Light as the Pashmina goat is small in size and light in weight, so that they can graze in high mountains.”

The entire process of cleaning the hair, combing and weaving the Pashmina shawl is traditionally carried out by hand by specialised craftsmen and women. Depending on the design, Doordaar and Jaali Pashminas take 2-3 months and Jama Pashmina takes around one year to get ready. The enormous effort that goes behind making a Pashmina shawl, makes it so precious.

There is also a complete range of woollen shawls, stoles, Kashmiri pheran, long coats and jackets, spun out of wool which is light weight and popular. This wool is sourced from the sheep grazing in Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu & Kashmir.

Embroidery designs in shawls are differentiated by the size of their Borders which have Persian names like Neemdoor ( Neem means Medium 2-3 inches, and Door/Dore means Border), Doordaar ( Normal, 3-5 inches), Kalaandoor ( Kalaan means Extra big, 9-10 inches ), Paladaar Pashmina shawls have 2 sides of embroidery with atleast 5 inch work on each side.
Intricate Sozni work (needlework) in silk threads filling up floral motifs with an amazing blend of colours, makes each shawl so irresistible.

Price range :
Plain handcrafted Pashmina in single colour : INR 12,000 to INR 15,000 (approx.)
Pashmina with Hashidoor (Half inch border sozni embroidery) : INR 15,000 to INR 20,000 (approx.)
Pashmina with Neemdoor : INR 20,000 to INR 25,000 (approx.)
Pashmina with Paladaar : INR 20,000 to INR 30,000 (approx.)

About CARPETS, CREWEL, NAMDHA and WALNUT WOODWORK :

In the next section, there is an inexplicable display of Carpets, hand woven rugs and wall hangings in wool and silk, and Walnut wood work.

Vast range of Hand knotted Silk Carpets available in the Emporium

Hand knotted Silk Carpets are in plenty here. There are carpets of 324 knots (per square inch) made of Silk On Cotton base (SOC) and rest are Silk On Silk base (SOS).
Sericulture is an age old industry of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and mulberry silk is procured for making these carpets.

As Mr. Khurshid explains, “Any carpet above 400 knots is silk on silk (SOS). 1600 knots (40X40) is the rarest quality which has a special velvet finish and hand woven by genius craftsmen in Kashmir. These are masterpieces found in smaller sizes like 3ft x 5 ft / 2 ft x 4 ft.
A single craftsman takes 6 months to produce one carpet of 324 knots of size 4ft x 6ft and for the same size of carpet of 576 knots, time taken will be more than a year.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Kashmiri Craftsmen engaged in carpet weaving apply a paste of Mehndi (Henna powder) and pumbchalan (herbal powder) mixed with water over their fingers and nails on both hands. This application is kept overnight with a wrap and rinsed out in the morning.

This practice is followed once a month to harden their finger nails and adjoining skin layer so that there are lesser cuts and chips from the silk threads given their long months of work to produce carpets.

Price range :
324 Knots (SOC) with size ranging from 2 ft x 3 ft to 9ft x 12 ft – INR 2100/- approx. per sq ft.
576 Knots (SOS) with size ranging from 2 ft x 3 ft to 9ft x 12 ft – INR 3500/- approx. per sq ft. 90% of customers here prefer 576 Knots (SOS) segment.

JALAKDOZI WORK

Check out on JALAKDOZI or Chain stitch embroidery on Cushion covers and wall hangings in the showroom.

JALAKDOZI (Persian name) is Chain stitch embroidery done in wool or silk threads on cotton cloth base. This is a skill pursued at a very young age in every household of Kashmir.

Wall hanging with Jalakdozi work is my prized possession from this section, which I have framed and wall mounted, just like what I had seen at Lemon Tree, Srinagar.

Price range for Jalakdozi Wall hanging and flooring: INR 275 to INR 300 approx. per sq ft

CREWEL

Not to be missed : CREWEL running material with Jalakdozi work in Single colour, two colours and multi colours on Duck cotton.

CREWEL is running material with Jalakdozi work. Superfine cotton or Duck fabric, which is one of the most superior quality of cotton fabric is used for floral and creeper embroidered designs.
Crewel material is made on running Thaan (bundle of fabric), which is 54 inch in width and measured in metres. Each Thaan has 25 to 30 metres in length.
The design and embroidery are in single colour, 2 colours or multi colours for different tastes and home decor styles.
Crewel bed spreads, curtains, sofa covers and upholstery material is a speciality of Kashmir.

Price range :
INR 600 to INR 2500 approx. per metre. Price will depend on the quality of fabric and extent of Jalakdozi work.

NAMDHA

NAMDHA with Jalakdozi work on wool and cotton base is a popular buy in the Emporium

NAMDHA is hand made Felt rug made of unspun wool (thick, unused hair wool of Pashmina) and cotton as the base. Namdha with wool base is made for places with severe winters and cotton rug is used in places which has moderate or no winters.
Namdha with Jalakdozi embroidered floral designs in multi colour wool are made in different sizes for floor covering, wall hanging, prayer mats and more.

Price range :
INR 80 to INR 100 approx per sq ft. Price will depend on the size of Namdha and extent of Jalakdozi work.

WALNUT WOODWORK Display :

Walnut woodwork at display in the Emporium.

Carved out of 100% Walnut wood which is hard and durable, this wood work and carvings require high degree of skill and is also one of the oldest crafts of Kashmir.
A range of items like trays, bowls, lamp base to large furniture items like centre tables, ceremonial chairs, dressing tables, bedsteads have fine and detailed carvings of flowers and chinar leaves.
The Emporium arranges for shipping of large items, anywhere in the world.

About KASHMIRI PAPIER MACHE and KARI KALAMDANI

For gifting and home : Papier Mache handiwork , one of the most colourful sections of the Emporium.

The adjacent section showcases Papier Mache artifacts, again one of the oldest handiwork of Kashmir which is believed to have originated between 15th to16th century.
It is believed that the term, Kari Kalamdani was the name of the art form in which Pens, which was a treasure in that era, were stored. These beautifully painted papier mache pen cases were created using paper pulp or layers of polished paper.
There are many families in the valley today who have strived to keep this Papier mache legacy of their forefathers alive. The process, as explained by a papier mache artisan from Srinagar entails – soaking of discarded paper in water till it disintegrates, then pounding and mixing it with an adhesive solution, moulding and shaping it in different sizes and shapes and finally painting the boxes with different designs.
This is not as simple as it appears here and involves a laborious and massive chain of activity.

There is an entire range of decorative boxes, jewellery boxes and bangle holders, flower vases, lamp base, wall mounts and home wares. The intricate handiwork of the master artisans and the striking, bright colours laced with gold is mesmerising. These are great gifting items and I have always picked them up for my friends.
Don’t forget to pick up Walnuts and Saffron from this section.

This Emporium is a showcase of Kashmir’s stunning craftsmanship garnished with the warmth and niceness of Mr. Khurshid Ahmad Baba and his team.

Authenticity, great quality and right pricing are the biggest takeaways of this Emporium. So, be prepared to INDULGE.

Kashmir Government Arts Emporium, Srinagar is a unit of Jammu and Kashmir Handicrafts Corporation.
Emporium Building
Residency Road, Srinagar
Open from 11 am to 4 pm (as per Covid guidelines now)
Lunch time : 1 pm to 2 pm
Closed on Sunday
Phone : +91 1942- 452783

Garden view from the Emporium and the Garden Park