Darjeeling Himalayan Woollen Craft
Hand-knitted woollens and Tibetan-pattern carpets in the eastern hill stations.
The Darjeeling hills of West Bengal — Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong — are known for woollen craft carried and developed by their Nepali, Lepcha, Bhutia and Tibetan-refugee communities: hand-knitted sweaters, socks, gloves and caps in colour patterns; woven shawls, jackets, mufflers and bags; and hand-knotted wool carpets in Tibetan designs made at the refugee self-help centres. The crafts sit alongside the region's tea and tourism economy.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Darjeeling, West Bengal
Also Known As
Darjeeling woollens, Kalimpong carpet craft, Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre carpets
Craft Type
Hand knitting, weaving and Tibetan carpet knotting
Practising Community
Nepali, Lepcha, Bhutia and Tibetan-refugee communities; the Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre at Kalimpong
Materials
Sheep and yak wool and acrylic yarn; natural and chemical dyes; cotton warp for the carpets; and, for garments, buttons and trims.
Known For
Knitted sweaters and caps, woven shawls and jackets, and hand-knotted Tibetan-design wool carpets
Where It's Made
Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong in the Darjeeling hills, West Bengal
Time to Create
Days to weeks per garment; weeks to months per carpet
GI Status
Not GI-registered as a craft (Darjeeling's GI is for its tea)
Process Steps
Preparing the yarn
Wool is spun or wound and dyed into the colours a garment or carpet design needs.
Knitting the garments
Sweaters, caps, socks and gloves are knitted on needles, carrying two or more colours per row for the motifs.
Weaving shawls and cloth
Shawls, mufflers and jacket fabric are woven on frame or backstrap looms.
Warping the carpet loom
Cotton warp is stretched tight on an upright carpet loom at the required density.
Knotting the pile
Wool is looped over a gauge rod across the warp and the loops are cut to form the pile, row by row from a graph.
Beating and building the field
Weft threads are passed and beaten down hard between knot rows to lock the carpet.
Finishing
Carpets are washed, sheared level and carved along the pattern lines; garments are blocked and trimmed.
Technique Glossary
Tibetan (cut-loop) knot
A pile-carpet knot formed by looping yarn over a gauge rod and cutting the loops.
Fair Isle
A knitting method carrying two or more colours per row to make repeating motifs.
Thangka border weaving
Narrow patterned bands woven to frame religious paintings, part of the hill Tibetan craft repertoire.
Backstrap loom
A portable loom tensioned by a strap around the weaver's body, used for shawls and belts.
Gauge rod
The metal rod over which pile yarn is looped so every knot in a row is the same height.
Self-help centre
A cooperative institution, such as Kalimpong's, that trains refugees and markets their craft.
Yak wool
The warm, coarse under-hair of the yak, spun for blankets, rugs and outerwear.
A Craft Through Time
Pre-colonial
Hill domestic craft
Nepali and Lepcha households spin, knit and weave wool for the cold months.
Colonial era
Hill-station market
British Darjeeling and Kalimpong create demand for knitted and woven woollens.
1959
Tibetan centres founded
Refugees establish carpet and handicraft cooperatives, adding Tibetan weaving to the local craft mix.
Late 20th century
Cooperative marketing
The self-help centres and craft cooperatives market woollens and carpets to visitors and exporters.
Present
Tourism-linked craft
Woollens and carpets are sold to visitors and through the refugee centres, alongside the tea and tourism economy.
Did You Know?
The Tibetan cut-loop knot used in Darjeeling and Kalimpong carpets lets a weaver tie a whole row at once over a rod, making it faster than the individually tied Persian knot of the plains carpet belt.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.