Central Block, Ground Floor

Banarasi saree,
19th century.

Banarasi Patka,
20th century.

Maroon Jamdani,
Men’s costume,18th century.

Indian Textiles

India is celebrated all over the world for its rich tradition of textiles. The antiquity of the tradition dates back to the Indus Valley civilization, where cotton was found in excavations in Mohenjo-Daro. In this Gallery of Indian textiles an attempt has been made to acquaint the visitors with the rich traditions of textiles through varied specimens of fabrics, costumes and miscellaneous objects belonging to the last three centuries.

The fabrics on display apart from cotton include Brocade, Himaru, Mashru, Muslin, silk, Velvet and Wool. A range of costumes from Pagdi, Safa, Chuga, Jama, Patka to Kamarbands, Sarees, Odhani and shawls are found in the gallery. To break the monotony of this display we have Huqqa bottoms from the Mughal period.

The Museum has a rich collection of Kashmiri shawls of the 18th and 19th century. The shawls bespeak the rich traditions of the Kashmir textile industry for which India has attained universal appreciation. The shawls displayed here reveal complex and colorful textures. ‘Turanj’ pattern, is a distinctive style found in the shawls of Kashmir, there are four such shawls on display, in which three of them adorn this beautiful pattern as a border.

The Museum has a particularly rich collection of Brocades. We have a exuberant collection of sarees, dupattas, Odhanis. Besides this we have a large collection of costumes as well, muslin char Jama’s with a waistcoat having Meenakari embroidery of the 19th century is a prized possession. We also have a huge ‘Angarkha’ engraved with flower and zari embroidery that catches the attention of the visitor.