Kashmiri Namda Rugs and How to Buy a Genuine One

Walk through any Srinagar market and you will see bright felted rugs stitched with flowers and vines, priced anywhere from a few hundred rupees to many thousands. The problem is that a real Kashmiri namda and a cheap machine made copy can look almost identical on a shop floor, and most visitors only find out which one they bought after the first wash.

I have spent years writing about Kashmiri crafts and sitting in workshops in the old city, and namda is one of the crafts I care about most. This guide explains what a namda is, how it is made, what a fair price looks like, and the simple checks that help you bring home a genuine piece.

What a Kashmiri namda actually is

A namda is a felted rug, not a woven one. There is no warp or weft. Instead, raw wool is cleaned, carded, laid out in layers on a mat, sprinkled with water and soap, and then rolled and pressed by hand for hours until the fibres lock together into a dense sheet.

Once dry, the felt is embroidered, usually in aari, the hooked chain stitch also used on shawls and pherans. Common designs include chinar leaves, paisley, vines and small birds, worked in bright wool yarn on a cream, grey or dyed base.

The craft has deep roots in the valley, with local tradition linking it to the sixteenth century. By the early 2000s it had declined sharply as cheaper machine made rugs took over. Since around 2021, government and craft revival programmes have trained new artisans, and the number of working namda makers in Srinagar has started to grow again.

Where namdas fit in a Kashmiri home

Traditionally a namda was a practical floor covering, laid over straw matting or under a carpet to keep the cold of the floor away during winter. You still see them in homes today, often in the room where guests are seated. If you are visiting a family, our guide to Kashmiri home etiquette for guests explains why shoes come off well before you step on one.

Namda versus gabba

Shops often display namdas beside gabbas, and the two are easy to confuse. A gabba is made from old woollen blankets that are washed, dyed, cut and stitched together in patchwork or applique style, then embroidered. It is heavier and flatter, with visible seams where the pieces join. A namda is a single sheet of new felted wool with no seams. Both are genuine Kashmiri crafts, and many families own one of each. Gabbas from Anantnag are especially well known. Just make sure the label matches what you are holding, since the price and the care needs are different.

How to tell a genuine Kashmiri namda from a copy

Most fakes fall into two groups: machine made felt with machine embroidery, and handmade felt that uses a high proportion of cotton or synthetic fibre to cut costs. These checks take a few minutes in the shop:

Turn it over. Hand aari work leaves slightly irregular stitches and small knots on the back. Machine embroidery looks perfectly even, with a uniform thread pattern across the whole rug.
Feel the weight and density. A good namda feels thick and firm, roughly 1 to 1.5 cm deep. Pinch an edge. If it feels thin, papery or spongy, the felting is poor.
Look at the edges. Hand felted pieces have slightly wavy, soft edges. Perfectly straight, cut edges suggest machine felt.
Ask about the wool content. Traditional namdas were pure wool. Many good modern pieces use 70 to 80 percent wool with some cotton for strength. Anything that is mostly cotton will flatten and pill quickly.
Check the embroidery yarn. Hand aari usually uses wool yarn. Shiny, slippery thread is often acrylic.

A trusted seller will happily let you check all of this. If someone hurries you or refuses to let you turn a rug over, walk on.

What a Kashmiri namda should cost

Prices vary with size, wool content and the density of the embroidery, but these ranges, seen in Srinagar during 2025 and 2026, are a reasonable guide for handmade pieces:

Size	Typical handmade price	Suspiciously cheap below
2 x 3 feet	Rs 1,800 to 4,000	Rs 800
3 x 5 feet	Rs 4,500 to 9,000	Rs 2,000
4 x 6 feet	Rs 7,000 to 15,000	Rs 3,500
Fully covered embroidery, any size	Add 30 to 60 percent	Not applicable

Expect to bargain politely, usually landing 10 to 20 percent below the first figure. For where to shop and how bargaining works across the city, see our guide to shopping in Srinagar.

The counter-take: the government emporium is not always the safe choice

Visitors are often told to buy crafts only from the state emporium, because prices are fixed and quality is checked. That is sensible advice for pashmina and expensive carpets. For namda, I think it is too cautious.

Emporium stock is limited, often older, and tends to favour standard designs. Some of the best new namdas in the valley come from small family workshops in the old city and from artisans trained under the recent revival programmes, who sell directly or through small cooperatives. Buying there puts more of the money into the hands of the maker, and you can often watch the felting or embroidery in progress.

The trade off is that you need to do the checks yourself. Use the list above, ask to see work in progress, and buy from someone who will explain the wool content in writing on your receipt. The same approach works well for other crafts, such as the pieces in our guide to buying Kashmiri copperware in Srinagar.

Caring for a namda once you get it home

Shake it out or vacuum gently on low suction once a week. Avoid beater bars, which pull at the embroidery.
Never machine wash it. Felt can shrink and distort badly. Spot clean with cold water and a little wool wash, blotting rather than rubbing.
Air it in shade a few times a year. Strong sun fades the dyed yarns within a single season.
Store it rolled, not folded, with neem leaves or cedar to keep moths away.

Treated this way, a well made namda will last for decades, and many families still use pieces handed down from grandparents.

Frequently asked questions

What is a namda rug made of?

A namda is made of felted sheep's wool, sometimes blended with a small proportion of cotton for strength. It is then hand embroidered, usually with woollen yarn in aari chain stitch. Pieces made mostly of cotton or synthetic fibre are cheaper copies.

Can you wash a Kashmiri namda?

It should not go in a washing machine, since felt shrinks and distorts with agitation and heat. Spot clean with cold water and a mild wool detergent, then dry flat in the shade. For heavy soiling, a carpet cleaner familiar with wool felt is the safest option.

Where can I buy a namda in Srinagar?

You will find them in the old city markets, around Lal Chowk and Polo View, and at the state handicrafts emporium. Small workshops and craft cooperatives in the old city often offer the most interesting new designs and let you see the work being made.