Old Art
Satrangi in Parsian,jamkhani in Kannada or jhamakalam in Tamil- call it what you may,but the humble dhurrie, as we say in Hindi and Urdu, remains an integral part of Indian culture and history.
The earliest existence of dhurries is found in the Buddhist frescoes and sculptures at Ajanta. Miniature paintings belonging to the Mughal era,dating early sexteenth century, show the protagonist seated on a typical dhurries,easily indentified by its trademark stripes.
A Kulu Ragmala paintings, circa 1700-1710, shows a lady, playing a stringed instrument, seated on a dhurrie with light and dark stripes and a border. The oldest dhurrie is found at the Amber Palace in jaipur, and dates back to the 17th century. The Ain-i Akbari, or the official biography of Emperor Akbar belonging to 1590 AD, mentions,”It would take up too much time to describe the jajams, shatrinjis,baluchis and the fine mats which look as if woven of silk.”European travellers to India,in the 17th century, describe a tapestry used by Indian royalty for sitting as “a rough carpet,strip’d with white and blue…”and compare it to the kilims of Persia and Afganistan.