The Samvedana Culture & Heritage Trust was established in 2003 with the goal to revive, conserve and promote the traditional art of Kani Jamavar weaving and its designs.

Before its inception, research on the origin and history of Kani Jamavar shawls in the valley of
Kashmir and the exploration of museums, private collections as well as stocks of weavers
and shopkeepers led to an extraordinary and rich database of antique and contemporary
shawl designs as well as to a collection of relevant books.

Samvedana is actively engaged in sensitizing people about the predicament and problems of the artisans and in promoting their cause. Three public awareness programs were created to increase awareness about the unique art form of shawl making. The first – “The Heritage Art of Kashmir: Kani Jamavar Weaving” – was presented in December 2003, the second – “The Heritage Art of Kashmir: Kani Jamavar
Designs” – in 2005. The third event took place in February 2006 as a seminar on the topic of this heritage art, combined with an exhibition of photographs on the splendour of Jammu and Kashmir. These were supplied to the Ministry of External Affairs, Delhi, for world wide distribution.

The 41 contemporary and historical pictures selected by the organizers for this exhibition show Jammu and Kashmir’s gorgeous nature, cultural monuments of different eras and the specific material culture of the region, as well as its people and scenes from their professional and daily life.

In their thematic diversity, the photographs, which are being exhibited for the first time in Europe, provide a rich picture of the cultural heritage of Jammu and Kashmir.