Pashmina History
The name ‘Pashmina’ comes from Persian word ‘Pashm’ which means wool.
However, over many centuries, Pashmina has come to be known as a special
kind of wool which comes from the outer skin of the goats living in the
high altitudes of the Himalayas. Pashmina wraps; scarves, stoles,
shawls, and throws are hand spun and woven in Nepal and Kashmir in the
Indian subcontinent. The pashminas from Kashmir are also known as
Cashmere (the changed name of Kashmir) Pashmina. The words Cashmere and
Pashmina have come into use as a substitute of each other and also
together to express high quality of pashmina wraps.
Mention of
pashmina shawls in writing is found between 3rd century BC and the 11th
century AD. Zayn-ul-Abidin, the 15th century ruler of Kashmir, is known
to be the founder of the pashmina wool industry. He introduced weavers
from Central Asia. Cashmere Pashmina shawls have been manufactured in
Nepal and Kashmir for hundreds of years.
The goats bearing
pashmina fiber are commercially reared in the Himalayas as well as now
in Gobi Desert (in Mongolia). The weather conditions in Mongolia are
similar to those of the Himalayan region, and are quite suitable for the
goats to grow pashmina. Owing to availability of vast open grazing
grounds to produce pashmina economically and commercially, production of
pashmina in Mongolia costs less than the Himalyas. The quality of
pashmina wool obtained from the goats raised in Mongolia is the same as
that of the Himalyan goats. Due to ever increasing demad of pashmina and
not everyone knowing about the quality of pashmina, quite a few
imitations have also appeared in the market. Acrylic and viscose
pashmina are two of the most common imitations of pashmina.
The
goats shed their winter coat every spring. Approximately 4 to 8 ounces
of pashmina fibre is shed by each goat. It takes fibre of two to three
goats to make one good quality pashmina shawl or stole. The pashmina
fiber which is closer to the body of the goat is of better quality than
the one on the outer side.