Rampur chaddar

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A Rampur chaddar (Rampur chadar) was a kind of handspun woolen shawl that originated in the town of Rampur in Himachal Pradesh, India, during the 19th century. They were later manufactured in cities of the Punjab such as Ludhiana and Amritsar, [1] [2] and also imported from outside India.

Contents

Name

चद्दर, चादर, Chaddar, Chadar is a Hindi word that means sheet (a rectangular piece of cloth). [3] Rampur chaddar was named after the Rampur Bushahr. [1]

Material

There were at one time 2000 shawl weavers and 500 wool manufacturers in Rampur. They used to obtain the wool from Bushahr. [1]

Texture

The texture was fine yet warm. Rampur chaddars were made with wool or wool warp and silk or cotton in the weft. [4] Though the quality was fine, soft, and durable, it was not equal to Pashmina. [5]

Use

Rampur chaddars were liked as wrap or shawl and were sold throughout India. [6] They became popular in the late 19th century as a result of the import of power-loom woven examples sold as being of Indian manufacture. [4]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 MATHEWS, KOLANJIKOMBIL (2017). Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Textile Terms: Four Volume Set. Woodhead Publishing India PVT. Limited. p. 1171. ISBN   978-93-85059-66-7.
  2. Watson, John Forbes (1873). A Classified and Descriptive Catalogue of the Indian Department. W.H. Allen. p. 130.
  3. "English Translation of "चादर" | Collins Hindi-English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  4. 1 2 Watt, Sir George (1987). Indian Art at Delhi 1903: Being the Official Catalogue of the Delhi Exhibition 1902-1903. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 341, 351. ISBN   978-81-208-0278-0.
  5. Wingate, Isabel Barnum (1979). Fairchild's dictionary of textiles. Internet Archive. New York : Fairchild Publications. p. 492. ISBN   978-0-87005-198-2.
  6. Gazetteer of the Amritsar District, 1892-93. Revenue Department. 1991. p. 111.