The Khajuraho Festival of Dances (25^th Feb ─ 3^rd March), in Madhya Pradesh features renowned classical dancers of our country, who perform against the spectacular backdrop of the floodlit temples every year. This seven-day extravaganza proves to be an experience of a lifetime for the dance lovers and connoisseurs of dance from all over the country and even abroad. Daily flights connect Delhi to Khajuraho.The nearest railheads are Mahoba, Tarpaper, Jhansi and Satna for people coming to Khajuraho from various parts of the country. Khajuraho is connected by regular and direct bus services with Chhatarpur, Mahoba, Harpalpur, Satna, Panna, Jhansi, Gwalior, Agra, Sagar, Jabalpur, Indore, Bhopal, Varanasi and Allahabad

Lastly, if you are a music lover, try to make it to the annual Allauddin Khan Samaroh (16^th ─ 17^th February) at Maihar in Madhya Pradesh, where celebrated vocal and instrumental musicians from all over the country perform, by way of paying tribute the legendary maestro Baba Alauddin Khan Sahib (1862–1972), a Bengali Indian classical sarod player, multi-instrumentalist, founder of the Maihar gharana (school) of music, and one of the greatest Indian music teachers of the 20^th century, whose illustrious disciples include eminent Sarod player Ali Akbar Khan, Sitarist Pt. Ravi Shankar and flautist Pannalal Ghosh, to name a few. Maihar is located in Satna district of the state, close to Satna town, the district headquarter.The town is approachable by rail as well as road route through Mumbai-Howrah train route and National Highway No.7. The nearest Airport is at Khajuraho (130 kms).

A shawl (derived from Persian Shāl) is an extremely simple item of clothing; a square or oblong piece of cloth worn loosely over the shoulders, upper body and arms and sometimes also draped over the head. For centuries, people have been using shawls in order to keep themselves warm, as an accessory, as well as for symbolic and religious purposes. A classic example is the Tallit, worn by Jewish men during prayers and ceremonies, even today.

Since ancient times, the shawl has existed in India in myriad forms, worn by both men and women. Many references to shawls are to be found in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the earlier Atharvaveda. In ancient Buddhist literature, the shawl is also mentioned among the woollen garments prevalent in those times.

According to India’s cultural traditions, a shawl is not merely an item of clothing; it is also a symbol of honour. It is customary to welcome scholars and important dignitaries by draping a shawl over their shoulders. India’s highest civilian and cultural awards include besides cash, a plaque and a citation, a resplendent shawl. The Gurdwara (alternatively gurudwara, holy shrines of the Sikh community) bestows honour on any distinguished individual by presenting him/her with a Saropa (A gift of honour. Usually a length of cloth for tying a turban or a scarf worn over the shoulders).

The Hindu counter part of the Jewish prayer shawl is the Namavali (literally: rows of names). This fairly large scarf (made of cotton, jute or even silk), is saffron or ochre in colour, with either “Hare Krishna” (the sacred name of the Lord) or “Aum” (the most sacred symbol in Hinduism. It represents the sound of the universe and the three deities comprising the Hindu trinity ─ Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh or Shiva. The vibration of the three aspects of A-U-M represent the fullness of creation), printed in red in Devanagari or the Bengali script.

India being a tropical country, most parts of the land experience warm to mild weather throughout the year, which almost eliminates the necessity of shawls. However, the northern belt of the country experiences a severe, harsh winter, which is why the shawl is a major item of everyday as well as occasional wear, for at least a quarter of a year, in these parts.

In the southern states, which experiences no winter, the men’s apparel includes the traditional dhoti and shirt and the counterpart of a shawl, the Angavastram ─ a plain piece of fabric generally white or off-white in colour, its two ends adorned with shiny colourful stripes. The hill tribes living in the south do have their own version of the shawl, to keep away the slight nip in the air. In the northern states, the men folk have a penchant for draping themselves in large-sized blanket-like shawls, known as Lohi. They come in shades of grey and other dark colours.

The first shawls, woven in India were possibly a part of traditional male attire in Kashmir. They were extremely fine in texture, done in a single, uniform colour, with ornate designs; some were woven in a harmonious combination of colours too. During the Mughal era, Kashmir was already a flourishing centre of shawl-making. Emperor Akbar was so greatly enchanted by the Kashmiri shawl that he would often experiment with various ways of wearing it. Akbar encouraged the weavers to try new motifs, and also started the fashion of the twin shawl, where two identical shawls were sewn back to back, hiding the rough edges of tapestry weave, and giving the impression of a single, reversible shawl. In those days, the shawls meant for royalty and the nobility were embroidered with pure gold and silver threads, and embellished with precious stones.

The shawls made in Kashmir occupy a pride of place in ladies’ wardrobes, the world over. The “Kashmir shawl” includes several interesting and priceless varieties such as the Pashmina, made with pashm (soft, short, flossy under-wool) obtained from the Capra Hircus goat (a.k.a Cashmere) which inhabits the higher reaches of Tibet. These shawls are very fine in texture, lightweight and extremely warm. The varied designs on these shawls ─ ranging from large prominent paisleys in the four corners, to crisscross trellis (jaali) work all over ─ are breathtakingly beautiful. The designs on Pashmina shawls are executed with such masterly strokes of artistic craft, that one cannot easily tell the right side from the wrong!.

It would be interesting to note that it is solely on Pashmina shawls, that the traditional exquisite embroidery of Kashmir is executed; (sometimes the entire surface of the fabric is covered) thereby transforming it into a Jamawar. Also, the value of a shawl increases manifold, by virtue of these designs.

The Shahtoosh (literally: the king of wools) shawls made from wool obtained by killing several Tibetan antelopes (a.k.a Chiru), thereby rendering them a highly endangered species. These shawls are fabled to be so fine that they can easily pass through a ring. At present, the production as well as sale of the Shahtoosh has been banned by the Indian government and owners of old and previously acquired
Shahtoosh shawls are required to register their precious possession.

Another type is the Kani shawl whose production involves numerous Kanis or little wooden sticks wrapped in coloured threads, which are moved through the entire length of the loom to produce floral motifs using elegant colour schemes. The 19^th century witnessed changes in the weaving of the traditional Kani shawls. Instead of being woven as one piece, they now began to be woven in long strips on small looms. The areas of design being large, the pattern was broken down into fragmented parts, each woven separately (often on separate looms); finally all the pieces were put together, and stitched by artisans who were efficient in needlework. These stitches were almost invisible, so that the final product looked like one complete unit.

The period also saw the advent of the Amli or embroidered shawl which involves enhancing the beauty of a plain piece of woollen fabric by means of parallel darning stitches.

Totally enamoured by Kashmiri shawls, the British colonials took numerous pieces back home, where they found a ready market. Their fame spread to neighbouring France too; several portraits pertaining to that period depict high society ladies wearing these colourful shawls with beautiful motifs. Thus the colonial powers may well be credited with introducing and gradually familiarising Kashmiri shawls in Europe.

However, the most outstanding feature of the Kashmir shawl is the universally acclaimed “paisley” pattern. This lacy teardrop pattern had its origin in ancient Persia (modern-day Iran). The paisley was adapted in India and eventually spread to Scotland when soldiers returning from the colonies took home cashmere wool shawls. During the 19^th century, weavers in the town of Paisley, in Renfrewshire, Scotland, adapted the design to weave woollen shawls, and hence the name. A floral motif called Buta, which owes its origin to the Safavid dynasty of Persia happens to be a popular feature on Kashmiri shawls till date.