Kashmiri ties: Valley weavers create Asia’s biggest handwoven carpet

The artists have created Asia’s biggest handmade silk carpet in over nine years, raising hopes for the revival of the carpet industry in Jammu and Kashmir.

The carpet is 72 feet by 40 feet, or 2880 square feet, or over half a kanal area. This publication was informed ten years ago by carpet trader Fayaz Ahmad Shah that he had received an order for 72 feet by 40 feet of carpet from a Gulf nation.

It was a massive carpet, the likes of which had never been produced in the Valley. Making the carpet was a problem for us,” he said. The carpet was woven on a specialized loom made in the Wail Kralpora, Tangmarg region of the Baramulla district in north Kashmir, and it took 12 to 14 months to finish.

Beginning in February of last year, the project was finished in April of the same year. Approximately twenty-four skilled weavers worked on the carpet. The artists overcome all obstacles to continue weaving the carpet in spite of the lockdown. According to Shah, “this is the largest carpet in Asia, with about 36.5 crore knots.”

He said that Kashmir has never seen the creation of a carpet this size before. After the carpet was finished, the carpet merchant needed to rent a crane to raise the carpet. “To get the carpet to the washing facility, a special truck was hired. The carpet will need to be cleaned in about a month, Shah said.

According to Shah, Jammu and Kashmir’s carpet industry would flourish once more as a result of the biggest handmade carpet in Asia being woven there.He continued by saying that it will also result in the advancement of the craftspeople and artisans connected to the sector.

Kashmiri carpets are renowned for their exquisite artistic skill, unique patterns, exceptional craftsmanship, and unique character. The biggest handwoven carpet in Asia, according to Shah, who is also working on a sizable project, would contribute in the growth of the carpet and handloom industries.