Gabba Making in Valley of Poonch, Kashmir (Jammu and Kashmir)

Just as its beauty, the valley of poonch is unique both in its history and geography. The endangered crafts of Poonch are as breathtaking as the lushy green Valleys and peaks.

Gabba is one of the significant handicraft of Poonch and Kashmir as well. Due to ethnicity, geographical and cultural similarities with kashmir craft of poonch shares many similarities with that of kashmir be it embroidery or handloom. Gabba making have its root in village life, therefore the image of rural culture and taste and aesthetic preferences are visible in craft. It is an example of sustainable design as it reuses old blankets /rugs as resource of new useful products.

          Gabba is used by common man to keep warm in long and harsh winters of valley. It is a creative craft out of worn and torn blankets and textile.

              The warmth of the loving hands and intricate beauty of valley can be seen on Gabba's. The hand embroidery on Gabbas are not just unique but ancient, it has been practicing since late 16th century, moreover the motifs that have been used on this rug have not changed much. Although variations have been made by shifting of craft in different regions.

History of Gabba making :

There is no exact date or time of Gabba's origin and it finds a little mention in books of literature and handicraft. As per the common belief in Valley of Poonch, it was originated as an inspiration to make affordable carpet for poor people. While namda was originated and popularised by mughals when Akbar ordered to make one for his horse to not let his horse freeze in chilling cold . later namda gave rise to Gabba Later it was popularised by Maharaja Ranbir Singh of kashmir when he ordered a piece for his personal use .where as there is a diffrent story in kashmir region .As per the kashmiri beliefs it was accidently made by a poot boy named LASSA TOTA in Anantnag ,who fixed together old woolen pieces .where as some people believe this craft was imported by a Kabul refugee named Abdul Rehman .

Material sourcing in poonch: due to no availability of machinery, woolen blankets and rugs are very laboured and time taking so instead of making them the self most of the designers feel it more likely to buy it from other regions like kashmir Valley. Or from any available market to them... The crochet (aari) is not available in market. Designers either have to make it themselves or to avail from other regions.. Usually people bring most of the materials from kashmir Valley as its closer than jammu which is the only other urban market in state. while embroidery threads were earlier made in valley itself but due to extension of spinning wheel in poonch valley ,yarn/threads are now brought from city where they are brought from Jammu or Delhi.

Process of crafting

Base selection : a good base is selected to make a good looking and luxurious Gabba. So it's the basic step. The more layered base the more warmth it gives. So it is selected as per the weather conditions of the region...

Colour selection : to make a beautiful piece of craft out of plain rug the designer need ti select the colour yarn very carefully . After complete satisfaction the designer starts to embroid . This colour choosing to match the base is termed as "RANG BASTE"in local dialect

Tool selection :to make these mesmerising rugs designers need special hooked crochet known as aari in local dialect (aaer in kashmiri) that come in different sizes and materials.

Embroidery on Gabba's :Finally the embroidery work is carried out by women. Generally it can be done around the year due to fine temperature and weather, but most work is done in winter as farming and other business are closed. Usually all the Gabbas are embroidered in Crewel (aari) zalakdozi style. The stitch used is Chain stitch or do muhi (double stitch). Usually 2 types od fibre /yarn is used 1 ply wool or silk or 2 ply wool or silk. The two ply yarn is costly but durable so 2 ply yarn is used mostly. Work can be carried out in homes, offices, training centres etc. To make a complete Gabba women need minimum 2 weeks to a few months depending on motifs, style and embroidery pattern. But the final product is always breathtaking beautiful. It is both experience and craftsmanship of embroider that add value to the product

Embroidery patterns and motifs. The usual motifs are almost constant in the Gabba making. Most of the inspirations that artisans use are taken from nature. Some most recognised motifs are vines(beel), leaf(patr/patta), amb (mangoes), badam (almond) etc. Flower shapes are mostly used with every motif also known as "butah" in local language. 

The making process 

The Way of making Gabba is by first dyeing the cotton or woollen cloth in a single colour followed by embroidery done with the yarn of different colours. In this type of Gabba, double stitch embroidery is done with cotton yarn. Such kind of Gabba is popular locally. Currently, craftspeople do not use the conventional old rags to make Gabba. Instead new blankets are used. The artisans have started dyeing the blankets before embroidering them.
Another type of Gabba is where embroidery is done using spun cotton yarn. The cloth used as a base differs from other Gabbas. In chain stitch, the embroidery is done so close that the base is not visible in the final product. Sometimes, the craftspeople use staple yarns instead of wool for embroidery.
A Gabba comes in varied sizes with dimensions of 9×12 feet, 4×9 feet, 2×4 feet, and 3×4 feet. Gabbas have been traditionally used for various purposes & during different occasions such as marriages, in guest rooms and embellishing the interiors of palanquins for brides. Chainstitch Gabbas are also used as curtains. Gabbas have also found use in rituals and as prayer rugs.

 For embroidery first the design is drawn on a perforated sheet by an expert tracer. Then this sheet is laid on the rug or fabric and either chalk or charcoal powder is used to trace the design. After that, in order to make the tracing more visible, some more powder is added to it after design gets traced into fabric the outline is drawn. The skilled workersor master or zalakdoz proceeds to embroid the fabric. The time taken depends on size and fabric used in embroidery to be done. This is how it is done.