Description

About Dhaka

Dhaka is a traditional fabric of the indigenous Limbu people of eastern Nepal. At present it is gaining popularity in all cultures and around the world. It has its origins in Terhathum district of Nepal. People from this generation teach the next generation about the tradition of making Dhaka. Dhaka fabric represents Limbu cultural dress. Further more, the Nepali topi of men and traditional Nepali women shawls are some popular Dhaka fabric products.

Short History of Dhaka Fabric

Dhaka is a textile that holds special significance in Nepal. It was once only made in a place called Palpa, in Western Nepal. It is where it get its name from that is Palpali Dhaka. Funnily enough, Dhaka is actually the capital of Bangladesh. Back when Prime Minister Junga Bahadur Rana ruled Nepal (1846-1877), his daughter Dambar Kumari lived in Banaras (Varanasi) in India. She liked to use Chamua Dhaka cloth for her clothes. This particular fabric was adapted from a textile called Dhaka that was hand-woven in, Dhaka, then in the undivided Indian province of Bengal. This cloth was fine, soft and quite colorful, and Dambar Kumari loved it.

A shawl is a simple item of clothing, that we loosely wear over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular or square piece of cloth, which is often folded to make a triangle, but can also be triangular in shape. Other shapes include oblong shawls.