Shankha/Chakra

Sacred Tibetan Textiles: Shankha & Chakra

Artistic, religious and cultural traditions unite in the handwoven fabrics of our Sacred Tibetan Textiles. For centuries, Muslim families in Varanasi, India, have practiced the art of handweaving silks to create cloths and vestments for sacred rituals. The city lies just twelve kilometres from the Buddhist pilgrimage site Sarnath, where the Buddha first gave his sermon upon becoming enlightened, and so Islamic, Buddhist and even Hindu practices have become woven together in the area.

In Varanasi, the Kasim family has been practicing this meditative tradition for generations, passing down the knowledge and reverence of their ancestors. In these designs, created for Buddhist monasteries and the Dalai Lama, the weavers have portrayed the path to enlightenment, both in the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism represented by the pattern and in the brightness of the colours chosen.