Dhaka Fabric and Dhaka Topi

There are so many versions about, why the name “Dhaka” is given to this particular material. Some say Dhaka is Nepalese weaving style, but there is not so much evidence or argument to prove it. It is supposed that the art of Dhaka weaving came from the capital city Dhaka Bangladesh. Initially, the men used to travel to India and return with the high-quality jamdani cloth as gifts for their families. This jamdani (Dhakai, jamdani, musline) later improved into local weaving style, and thus the name Dhaka is given to this fabric. So it seems Dhaka Topi became its name as the material was imported from Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. Some say as Dhaka is completely covered with the pattern, the Nepalese verb “dhak nu”(to cover) became its name Dhaka. The geometrical Dhaka pattern is actually reasonably similar to the pattern found in an extremely traditional jamdani fabric usually woven by Bangladeshis in the rural area nearby Dhaka.

There is a Dhakewori Temple in Dhaka. It is believed that Dhaka city is called after Dhakeshwari Devi Temple.

But it 's hard to say, how and when the jamdani pattern found its way into Nepal. According to some entrepreneur, who is in Dhaka weaving business, in the -19th century, white muslin with flower pattern jamdani designs, was made by order of leaders and kings of Moghul in India and in Nepal. It can be said that on a stay to India or Bangladesh some great leaders observed kings wearing jamdani fabric. Then, inspiring from it, Nepalese king ordered that fabric, and thus make known to Dhaka cloth to Nepal. So, it is a fact that Dhaka fabric was initially introduced from Bangladesh, it was costly, so only rich people could buy it. So at the start, it is used only by kings and other rich people for several years.

In 1957, Ganesh Man Maharjan, an entrepreneur recognized for making Palpa district a place of Dhaka producing in Nepal. Before starting his own business, Mr. Maharjan worked in a factory in India and learned the skill required for weaving. He took a hand-operated loom from there. From then he worked hard to make Dhaka cloth attractive. Later on, it is expanded to eastern Nepal districts, like Terhathum and Bhojpur. But there is less evidence about when they started to produce in the east part of Nepal. As Dhaka is 100% handwoven, it is even hard to produce two meters of cloth per day. Using dyed cotton thread and a locally made wooden handloom, weavers create geometrical patterns in a variety of colors, from the old-style reds and greens.

Dhaka Topi

Dhaka topis, the Nepalese men’s cap, are made by using Dhaka cloth. It was commonly worn by government workers and was regarded as a part of the national dress. Yes, it was compulsory to wear for functions until Nepal was declared a republic. There are still several publics who feel delighted wearing this topi.

The main attraction towards Dhaka cloth is, they are still manufactured by hand looms using traditional designs.

These days Dhaka is used to make everything from shirts, saris, and scarves to bed sheets. The vibrant patterns have become one of Nepal’s best noticeable handicrafts. It is really an original form of attraction reflecting Nepalese art of expertise. This art, in the shape of a hand-weaving method, has been done in Nepal for many generations.

Let such handmade craft be persevered by its lover by not buying machine-made cloth.

UPdate
This not a Dhaka topi. This topi is called BADGAULE topi. ( भाद्गाउँले टोपी). This is originated from Bhaktapur Newari culture. Later the cross khukuri and Nepali flag were added to modify this form of topi. This cross khukuri topi is also extensively used by GURKHAS.Thus the cross khukuri here is also symbolized the bravery of GURKHAS.