Himachal’s Traditional Shawl Industry Eyes Entry Into Guinness World Records

It evolved from indigenous hand-weaving on locally designed looms to Shimla’s historic Ridge and beyond. Now, the shawl industry, Himachal Pradesh’s ancient woollen craft, featuring intricate motifs and bold colours—is set to make a decisive bid to enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

The upcoming HIM MSME Fest 2026, beginning in the town at the Ridge, will not only provide a platform for these weavers and craftspersons—the unknown faces of the shawl industry—but also find a route to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Around 30,000 pure hand-woven shawls with a wide variety of colour palettes, striking designs, and a price range will be on display at the Ridge on the opening day of the Fest 2026, where the teams from the Guinness Book of World Records will be invited for on-the-spot evaluations.

“We have taken an extreme case and chosen each exhibit piece with handloom certifications and GI tagging. These are products of traditional weavers from almost every district, including Kullu, Kinnaur, Chamba, Kangra, and Sirmaur, which are known for carrying a legacy of intricate patterns and multiple colours and have existed for hundreds of years,” said Tilak Raj Sharma, Additional Director (Industries).

Sharma, who is also the chief coordinator for the Fest 2026, said the weaving tradition in Himachal Pradesh dates back several years, to the pre-independence era. The process of shawl weaving has passed through generations and continues to survive and prosper despite market challenges and the threat of power looms. This way, the government wants to celebrate their journey to this stage, recognise their skills and fine hand-artistry.

“In Kinnaur, a high-altitude tribal district bordering Tibet, the weavers take seven to eight months or even a year to create one shawl. The highest-priced shawl from Kinnaur, which will be showcased, is worth Rs 1.75 lakh,” he reveals.

The entire Kullu district and the remote interior mountain pockets of Mandi are popular hubs of the weaving industry, with women having been the biggest stakeholders. It’s a family tradition that has proved a major source of livelihood and improved income in areas where the farm economy is not well developed due to remoteness and sheep-rearing activities in the communities.

“Both men and women are equally skilled and equipped with traditional knowledge of weaving. Most households even have their own pit looms to keep the weaving legacy alive,” says Vijay Thakur, a native of Banjar, Kullu

In the old times, when local valleys in Kullu, Kinnaur, Mandi, and Lahaul-Spiti used to experience heavy snowfall and get cut off from the rest of the world, families used to spend time in weaving and handicraft activities on the looms to make "Patti" (or pattu) for clothing, shawls, and coats for personal use. They used only natural wool colours—white, black, and grey.

However, later, it is said, the indigenous weaving was influenced when craftspersons from Kinnaur and Bushehar, the erstwhile princely state of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh arrived in Kullu in the 19th and 20th centuries and introduced various geometric motifs and their creativity to transform old weaving patterns into present-day Kullu shawls. Cooperative traditions and certain MSMEs significantly expanded the industry's potential.

In this Kullu’s famed Bhutti Weavers Cooperative Society (Bhuttico)—which supports hundreds of traditional small weavers' families—played a transformative role in the shawl industry.

The society was formed in 1944 by a group of 12 weavers in Bhutti village. But it was Thakur Ved Ram, whose vision and tireless dedication made the initiative a success and an example of the thriving cooperative movement. It earned him the title of “Father of the Kullu Shawl Industry.”

The legacy is carried forward by Satya Prakash Thakur, a former minister and a new visionary in the weaving sector. He even engaged qualified NIFT Delhi and NID Ahmedabad graduates to create a new designing line and colour palette, besides diversifying into other wool and weaving products having demand in the global markets.

The shawl industry now has statewide presence. The Gaddi community of Kangra and Chamba, which is pioneering in sheep rearing, has become the backbone of the sector. Wool, the primary material of these shawls, is sourced from local sheep; sometimes, even merino wool is blended. The shawl weavers have also introduced new products made from yak wool, Angora, and fine Pashmina.

Kullu shawls have held a GI tag since 2004, which helped the traditional weavers protect their authenticity and link the craft to its region.

“The shawl industry in Himachal Pradesh is a vital component of the state’s traditional handloom and handicraft sector, blending cultural heritage with economic livelihood for thousands of artisans. This is a reason we want to give it global exposure during the HIM MSME Fest 2026,” said Harshwardhan Chauhan, minister for Industries in Himachal Pradesh.

Shawl weaving may have remained as a livelihood activity for rural craftspersons for years, but the time has come when it shines as a full-fledged industry with global linkages and market demand. The products—the shawls—will tell stories about the hands that crafted these finest handloom products in Himachal Pradesh.