Kimkhwab (Kim-Khwab, kamkhāb, ḳamkhwāb, , , ) is an ancient Indian

brocade Brocade () is a class of richly decorative shuttle (weaving), shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in coloured silks and sometimes with gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli", comes from Italian langua ...

art of weaving ornate cloth with

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

, silver, and

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

yarns. Kinkhwab is a silk damasked cloth with an art of zar-baft (making cloth of gold), The weave produces beautiful floral designs that appear embroidered on the surface of the fabric. it was also known as puspapata or cloth with woven flowers. Kimkhwab is a fabric of silk with leaves and branches woven in it "Kamkwabs, or kimkhwabs (Kincob), are also known as zar-baft (gold-woven), and mushajjar (having patterns)."—Yusuf Ali The mushajjar is also mentioned in

Ain-i-Akbari The ''Ain-i-Akbari'' (), or the "Administration of Akbar", is a 16th-century detailed document regarding the administration of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abu'l Fazl, in the Persian language. It forms ...

Name

“''Kimkhwab''” is a

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

word that means a little dream. ''Hiranya'' means cloth of gold, as mentioned in

Vedas FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of relig ...

(c. 1500 BC). And in It is called ''puspapata'' during

Gupta empire The Gupta Empire was an Indian empire during the classical period of the Indian subcontinent which existed from the mid 3rd century to mid 6th century CE. At its zenith, the dynasty ruled over an empire that spanned much of the northern Indian ...

(4th–6th century AD).

Etymology

Kimkhwāb derived from Persian. kam-khwāb, 'less sleep,' because such cloth is rough and prevents sleep! "The ordinary derivation of the word supposes that a man could not even dream of it who had not seen it (kam, 'little,' khwāb, 'dream')". Platts and the Madras Gloss. take it from kam, 'little,' khwāb, 'nap.'

Texture

The art has a flavor of Arab-Persian culture in it. The fabric was woven with

tapestry Tapestry is a form of Textile arts, textile art which was traditionally Weaving, woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical piece ...

weave, Kimkhwab was nearly thick because of its

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

lic yarns and patterns, but some fine qualities were also there, especially for wealthy people. Most of the patterns were floral, nature inspired such as plants such as the poppy, and pine tree, etc.

Manufacturing

Kimkhwab work of

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

Surat Surat (Gujarati Language, Gujarati: ) is a city in the western Indian States and territories of India, state of Gujarat. The word Surat directly translates to ''face'' in Urdu, Gujarati language, Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of t ...

was famous in the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1707. Two more centers, Aurangabad and Paithan, were also noted for their production. The value was priced with contents of gold, silver, or silk and motifs.

References

{{Reflist Indian clothing Weaving

Name

Etymology

Texture

Manufacturing

See also

References