Ashta is the latest design in our Sacred Tibetan Textile series. Artistic, religious and cultural traditions unite in the handwoven fabric depicted on our new softcover Flexi notebook.
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 12 kilometres from the Buddhist pilgrimage site Sarnath, where the Buddha first gave his sermon upon becoming enlightened.
In this place, Islamic, Buddhist and even Hindu practices have become woven together in harmony. In Varanasi, the Kasim family has been practicing this meditative tradition for generations, passing down the knowledge and reverence of their ancestors.
The fabric reproduced on our cover comes straight from the Kasim Silk Emporium and is an authentic expression of the family’s cultural heritage.
In this design, 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.
With our Sacred Tibetan Textiles series, we pay tribute to the rich heritage of Indian handweaving and to the craftspeople who continue this devotional practice today.
