Rugs

Namda is widely acclaimed to have been originated during 11th century when Akbar, the great Mughal ruler was on throne. History of the periodreveals that the king ordered his exechequer to arrange for a siutable coverage for his horse who was affected by biting cold. In reponce to the proclaimation that was done in this behalf, a wise old man from the east stood up and offered his intention of felt. he was Nubi by name. The man manufactured the felt himself and embroidered the same in multicoloured beautiful designs. The felt so made aws given the title of Namda after the name of its manufacturer Nubi. The King Akbar is said to have been immensely impressed by the workmanship of Nubi and is said to have granted him villages in honour. The art of felting wool into namdas has come from Yarkand. Namdas are a kind of mattress, originally from the state of Jammu and Kashmir. These are made by felting the wool rather than weaving it. A low quality wool mixed with a small quantity of cotton is used to manufacture namdas. They are usually of two types, plain and embroidered. Formerly, woolen yarn was used for embroidery, but now acrylic yarn (cashmelon) is in use. Namdas and gabbas are embroidered with thread, which gives colour, beauty and strength to them. This cottage industry is concentrated in Anantnag, Rainawari and Baramula. Prices of namdas depend upon their quality of wool, pattern (plain or embroidery), size of the product and the neatness in designs. Far less expensive are these colorful floor coverings made from woolen and cotton fiber which has been manually pressed into shape. Prices vary with the percentage of wool- a Namda containing 80% wool being more expensive than one containing 20% wool. Chain stitch embroidery in woolen and cotton thread is worked on these rugs.