A loom incorporating the Jacquard punched card apparatus, invented in the early nineteenth century, which mechanically opens the warp sheds in intricate repetitive patterns. Usually the warps are lifted and the shuttles are thrown also by mechanical means.

Circular medallions worn on the hair by dancers in Tamil Nadu.

Hair braid ornament composed of nagas or serpents in Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu.

The nomadic jadu-patuas, literally magic- painters of Bengal, cater mainly to their Santal clientele in Singhbhum and the Santal Parganas in Bihar and adjoining areas in West Bengal. Their paintings, both scroll and rectangular, are executed in few colours usually with a pale green ground and the figures are small in size. According to the Santals, the jadu-patuas possess magical powers that protect their disciples from evil, both in "this life" as well as in the "after life".

Floor spread.

Legendary horsemen, now deified, who liberated Kutch from tyrannical rule in the 10th century.

The thread Jacquard used in brocade weaving.

An openwork pattern in chikan work.

Lattice.

The Jambia dagger were originally of Arabic origin but are popular all over West Asia and India. Their distinguishing feature is a curved blade, usually double-edged and often ribbed. Hilts are their easiest identifiable features, ranging from fan shaped pommels to the smaller, flat- topped Indo-Persian style. Though the general shape of the hilt and the blade remains the same in different countries, the sheath can differ considerably.

Originally a dress material for both women and men, nowadays it is made in sari lengths in an astounding variety of designed geometrical motifs. Woven on a simple frame or pit looms. The pattern of the design drawn on paper is pinned beneath the warp threads and as the weaving proceeds, the designs are worked in like embroidery. When the weft thread approaches close to where a flower or other figure has to be inserted, the weaver takes up on of a set of bamboo needles round each of which is wrapped yarn of a different colour as needed for the design. As every weft of woof thread passes through the warp. He sews down the intersected portion of the pattern with one or another of the needles as might be required, and so continues till the pattern is completed. When the pattern is continuous and regular, as in the usual sari border, a master-weaver generally dispenses with the aid of paper patterns. Very often, two persons work together on a sari.
Traditionally, jamdanis were white of fine cotton muslin, with designs in bleached white. However, today, very lightly dyed grounds with designs in white, maroon, black, green, gold and silver sari and muga silk of a dark golden colour are also seen. Woven at and near Dacca in Bangladesh, at Tanda and at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

Jamdani or figured muslin, traditionally woven in West Bengal, Tanda in Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh and Dhaka in Bangladesh, refers to an extremely fine fabric cotton or zari brocading on cotton fabric. Here, two weavers work on a single loom where the design on paper, kept underneath the warp, is used as a guide in placing the cut threads, according to the design, over the warp. These are, then, interlaced into the warp with fine bamboo sticks in a zigzag manner to form the motif. This is followed by the weft thread, the process being repeated before the shuttle carrying the weft is thrown across again.

A Kashmiri shawl.

Name of the famous river, alongwith the Ganges, which flows from north to south of Bangladesh, assuming the local names of Meghna and Padma (Podda). The word is also used for the angular wave line in kantha embroidery.

Sacred thread.

Mesh motif in Benaras brocade.

Literally wire from Japan; A variety of polypropylene wire, popularly used in embroidery in recent times.

Traditional drama from legends about gods and deities, and historical events of Kings and Queens based on the human principles of Truth, Good and Evil.

Dowry chest of Orissa.

Tree of life/World Tree.

Fish trap of Tripura and parts of Assam.

Cane and bamboo dowry casket in Madhya Pradesh.

Window-façade-cum balcony of Rajasthan.

Hanging oil lamp in Bastar, Madhya Pradesh.

Name of border design; literally, the bush border in Kantha.

An embroidered or appliquéd cover for a bullock’s back.

Ear ornaments with danglers, mainly in Northern India.

Embroidery done with imitation copper wire.

Literally false wire; Copper wire gilded with gold or silver.

Pairs of stripes; a traditional motif in the mashru fabric of Gujarat.

A caste of snake charmers or snake catchers found in Sind and Kutch. Jogi women of Badin district, Sind, stitch quilts to a unique design.

A pair of fish; this motif refers to a wedding symbol, being part of the gifts sent to the bridegroom’s house before the wedding. Symbolic of fertility in Ka e.

Weavers.

Weaver.

Traditional Indian footwear.

Painting of three female deities with Ganesh, distinctive of Kumaon region of Uttar Pradesh.