The Kashmir Shawl's Sikh Period Virtual Lecture with the SDMA

Join the South Asian Arts Council online as textile expert Frank Ames shares insights on the history of Kashmir shawls. During the period that Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the ruler of Punjab, took control of Kashmir in 1819, the patterns of Kashmir shawls underwent a significant transformation, shifting from traditional repeated floral designs to those featuring architectonic, geometric, and indigenous cultural motifs influenced by Punjab’s Sikh culture. Some historians attribute this radical change to French influence, as France was a leader in replicating these imported Indian shawls. This presentation, drawn from Ames’s forthcoming book, will explore the events that occurred in France during this time, demonstrating that the country was preoccupied with replicating the latest Indian fashion to meet an overwhelming domestic demand, rather than producing shawls for export to the Asia Pacific, which never happened. Rather than viewing this as a loss to India’s Punjabi Sikh culture, the Sikh-era Kashmir shawl should be recognized by historians as a pinnacle of artistic achievement in Indian art, reflecting the creative spirit of the Khalsa movement.