Fragments of woven cotton and bone needles have been discovered at Mohen-jo-daro and Harappa , the ancient seats of the Indus Valley Civilization. Even the Rigveda and the epics of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana dwell upon the craft of weaving at length. These weavers of the past were true masters of their craft. Such was their capability that legend even refers to the fabulous semi-transparent saree (a great technical feat) worn by Amrapali, the famous courtesan. Indo-Pak cottons and silks were exported in huge quantities, causing concern among the Romans because their wives could not have enough of these beautiful fabrics! Fragments of cotton fabric were also found in the Egyptian tombs at Fostat, China too was another big importer of Indo-Pakn fabrics in ancient times.
Representing the familiar, unchanging images of rural life. These are abundantly full of joy and life, with figures of plants, animals and humans.
Revolving around royalty and court life. Here the forms and symbols varied according to the patronage of the ruler. Symbols and myths were rendered graphically, with elegance and style.
These were usually bold geometric patterns and weaves in strong primary colours usually woven on simple bamboo looms.
It was his son Hazrat Shish Paigamber Ali Salam who is credited with the discovery of weaving. In 1288-1298 AD, Hazrat Khwaja Bahaudin Nakshaband Bhokhari Rahamtulla Alia was born, who later became the creator of the Nakshaband (design template for weaving) which completely revolutionized the art of weaving. The Nakshaband technique or weaving according to premade design templates probably came to Indo-Pak with Mohammed Bin Tughlaq. ensured the continuity of a design through the years whereas earlier weavers had created non-repetitive designs.
This lead to the creation of fabrics with mixed silk and cotton or wool in the warp and weft. One such fabric was Mushru (meaning legal) since its warp was silk and the weft was cotton. Himru was another such blended fabric, only more expensive since it was much finer.
Persian motifs of flowers and fruits like the pomegranate, the Iris tulip had become part of the Indo-Pakn design scene. The vibrant reds, yellows and oranges of the Hindu tradition combined with the dusky pinks, emerald greens and turquoise blues of Persia to form a new colour vocabulary. The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb was said to be so fond of the 'Jamdani', that one had to seek royal permission before daring to wear the precious fabric. It soon came to be called 'Aurangzebi' on account of the Emperor's overwhelming passion for the fabric.
Traditional Indo-Pakn motifs were dropped in favour of large wallpaper like designs including absurd images of helicopters, aeroplanes, gardens, houseboats and palm trees etc. Pastel shades were incorporated which lacked the brilliance of Indo-Pakn colours. The Indo-Pakn 'zari' industry too, went downhill when 'zari' began to be imported from Belgium . The traditional silk and cotton too, was largely replaced by synthetic yarn. It was to resolve these issue of design, colour, texture and quality that Tantuvi was born.