আসল জামদানি শাড়ি চেনার উপায়

What Jamdani is· জামদানি কী

Jamdani is the figured muslin of Dhaka: a fine cotton ground into which the weaver adds each motif by hand with a separate supplementary thread, row by row, while the cloth is on the loom. Nothing is printed and nothing is embroidered afterwards. The craft was inscribed by UNESCO in 2013 as intangible cultural heritage of humanity, and the weaving villages around Narayanganj, Rupganj and Sonargaon still make the best of it.

Because every motif is put in by hand, a plain-ground Jamdani takes days and a dense one takes weeks to months. That time is what you are paying for, and it is also what the copies leave out.

Turn it over· উল্টো পিঠ দেখুন

The surest test. On a handloom Jamdani the back shows the short ends of the motif threads where the weaver cut or tucked them — small, slightly uneven tails around each motif. A powerloom copy carries the pattern threads in long continuous floats across the back, and a printed copy has a plain back with the design showing through faintly.

Look at the motifs· নকশা দেখুন

Hand-inserted motifs are never machine-perfect: two flowers in the same row differ by a thread or two, and the spacing breathes. Perfect repetition is a machine's signature. Real Jamdani motifs are also slightly raised — run a fingertip across one and you feel it.

Feel the weight· ওজন ও অনুভূতি

A cotton Jamdani is light and almost translucent, and it softens with each wash. A half-silk Jamdani (silk warp, cotton weft) has a gentle sheen and a little more body. Heavy, stiff or glossy cloth with Jamdani-style motifs is usually a synthetic or a powerloom piece.

Border and pallu· পাড় ও আঁচল

On a hand-woven piece the border motifs continue into the pallu with the same hand, and the pallu is usually denser than the body. Look for the weaver's small signature motif near the end of the pallu on higher-grade pieces.

Ask the shop· দোকানিকে জিজ্ঞেস করুন

A shop that buys from weavers can tell you the village, the thread count (80s and 100s cotton are common, finer for the top grades) and roughly how long the piece took. Ask, and listen for a specific answer.