How to recognize an authentic Muslin Jamdani Saree?

A beautiful amalgamation of textile, traditions, and art, Muslin Jamdani sarees are considered to be made out of one of the finest varieties of muslin. Historically, the jamdanis on muslin were handwoven from handspun cotton threads using a humble pitloom, without any kind of attachments, giving them the distinguishing serrated edges and motifs. These Muslin jamdani sarees originated in the Dhaka region of then ‘Bengal’ (now, the capital city of Bangladesh). From the very beginning, these muslin jamdani sarees found immense popularity amongst the masses and this intricate laborious art form flourished under the Mughal patronage. The Bengali weavers (called tantees or karigars) from the region used locally grown cotton crop and put in months and months of meticulous hard work and care into making every single piece of the Muslin Jamdani sarees, that are known for their delicate and soft texture.

The muslin jamdani sarees are known to have one of the most laborious forms of handloom weaves. Owing to the special weaving techniques the karigars used to employ in making the muslin jamdani sarees and the luxurious muslin itself, they are known to have certain characteristic attributes that set them apart from other kinds of fabrics and weaving patterns.

• The original Muslin Jamdani Sarees are made of high-quality muslin and hence, are very light and airy.
• The pattern of these sarees is drawn over translucent graph paper and placed underneath the warp, instead of sketching or outlining the pattern on the fabric itself. 
• Beautiful ornamental motifs are woven onto the muslin fabric in all the muslin Jamdani sarees.
• The muslin jamdani sarees are made using an extra weft technique for the making of thicker thread patterns and motifs in addition to the straight weft technique that produces the sheer and fine base fabric, which is then continued with weaving to create a motif pattern along the weave.
• These intricate motifs made in the thicker thread, seem to “float on the surface of the ultra-fine fabric”. 
• Individual spools are used to interlace the weft threads with fine bamboo sticks, manually creating the supplementary weft motif.
• Different kinds of patterns and motifs are created by threads of gold and silver that are usually woven together with these Muslin jamdani sarees.
• Looking at the reverse side of the Muslin jamdani sarees, you can easily spot a supplementary weft of the threads. The extra weft threads would not be loose and rather always loop into the parallel lines of thread that create the design
• The muslin jamdani sarees almost always will have floral motifs, as well as other motifs inspired by the Bengali culture, like Lotus, paisleys, fish, lamps, etc.

So the next time you are in the market buying a Muslin Jamdani saree, you can be sure you are not only buying an evergreen fashion statement but also investing in a regal piece of heritage.