Namda Traditional Art

News:Recently,Arifa Jan who revived a Kashmiri traditional art called ‘Namda’ was awarded Nari Shakti Puraskar and was also among the seven women who took control of the Prime minister’s Twitter account.

Facts:

About the Art:

• Namda comes from the root word Namata (Sanskrit for woollen stuff).It is a local term used for felted wool floor coverings made out of coarse variety of wool.
• The art consists of floral patterns which provide the themes for these masterpieces and flowers, leaves, buds and fruits are the essence of the designs.
• It is practiced as a craft in several cultures especially the countries throughout Asia such as Iran, Afghanistan and several places in Ladakh, Kutch and Kashmir and Rajasthan in India.
• In India,it is known to have come from Iran and was actively promoted in the state under the patronage of the Mughal monarchs and the Rajput royals.