Dhaka muslins, originating from the Ganga Delta in present day Bengal, India and Bangladesh, are among the finest muslins produced by India. Muslin saris dyed in dark colours such as blue, black and red were immensely popular. While inexpensive cottons incorporated woven or embroidered motifs of multi-coloured flowers, fine Dhaka muslins ornamented with zardosi embroidery were highly valuable, prized possessions. This is a fine example of a jamdani weave from the Dhaka region. The name jamdani is of Persian origin; “jam” meaning flower and “dani” meaning vase. Jamdani were woven on the loom with rich, decorative motifs; usually in white and grey, sometime using a combination of gold and white thread. In this example, gold and white thread are used alternatingly to create creeper flower like motifs running in diagonal lines covering the sari, with large floral borders forming the perimeter.
