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‘… you have to till the earth 16 times to cultivate radish and you have to till it 8 times to cultivate cotton …’ (sholo chaasher mula, taar ordhek tula, taar ordhek dhaan, bina chaasher paan)

– from an old verse prevalent among the farming community.

  • Roxburg's painting of cotton plant which started the search for the missing phuti karpas
  • Roman drawing depicting cotton as a product from a sheep-growing plant
  • Cotton being cleaned in ancient Bengal
  • 'Boal' fish, whose jaw with teeth were used to clean the cotton in ancient Bengal
  • 'Boal' fish jaw used for cleaning cotton in ancient Bangal
  • 'Dhun' used for separating heavy and light cotton in the past
  • Separating cotton from the seeds
  • Cotton yarn being spun on the 'takwa' in ancient Bengal
  • Cotton yarn being spun on the 'charka' in ancient Bengal
  • Cotton yarn being spun on the 'charka' in ancient Bengal
  • An example of fine muslin
  • Cotton yarn being prepared for passing through the reed in ancient Bengal
  • Cotton yarn being prepared for warping in ancient Bengal
  • 'Tanti' on the loom weaving plain muslin
  • Richard Arkwright's spinning frame - 18th century, England
  • Samuel Crompton's spinning mule - 18th century, England
  • Planting cotton on Bengal Muslin plot
  • Spinning yarn on the 'charka' in Cumilla
  • Spinning yarn on the 'charka' in Cumilla
  • Spinning yarn on the 'charka' in Cumilla
  • Yarn being spun on the 'charka' in Cumilla
  • Ambar charka, used in India for spinning yarn of different counts
  • Cotton plant similar to 'phuti karpas' growing on Bengal Muslin plot
  • Winding and reeling the yarn
  • Different fineness of reeds (shana) stored at the weavers place
  • Applying the yarn on the reed
  • Winding the yarn
  • Tools used for preparation of yarn
  • Wooden spindles used for winding the yarn
  • Coloured yarn for motifs on the loom
  • Dyed thread for motifs on the loom
  • Warping the yarn
  • Model loom used for sample manufacture
  • View of the loom from the bottom
  • Pulling the loom onto the end beam (koler narod)
  • Weaver seen through the threads of a loom
  • Weavers at the loom
  • A 'Jamdani' weaver at the loom
  • Weavers' factory operating at night
  • Weavers working at jamdani village at night
  • Drawings of the various stages of muslin manufacture
  • Master Weaver Al Amin working at the loom
  • A 'Jamdani' weaver at the loom
  • Operating the heddles below the loom
  • Operating the foot pedals of the loom
  • Master Weaver Al Amin working at the loom
  • A weaver working at the loom
  • A 'Jamdani' weaver at the loom
  • 'Jamdani' weavers working at the loom
  • A 'Jamdani' weaver working at the loom