Three cloths matter in the far western hills. Allo is spun from the bark of the Himalayan giant nettle. Radi is a heavy blanket felted from handspun sheep wool. Dhaka is the geometric patterned cotton used for topi and shawls. Almost all of it is woven at home, by women, on simple looms, in the gaps between farming seasons.
Allo, the nettle cloth
Allo comes from a giant nettle that grows on damp shaded slopes through the middle hills. The stems are cut after the monsoon, the bark stripped off, then boiled for hours with wood ash, washed in the stream, beaten, rubbed with clay or ash to soften it, dried and finally spun on a hand spindle. Only then does anyone start weaving. A single shawl represents weeks of work spread over months, which is the first thing to understand about the price of it.
The fibre is long and extremely strong. Traditionally that meant sacks, ropes, fishing nets and hard-wearing clothing rather than anything decorative. What is sold now — shawls, scarves, jackets, bags — is a market that grew up around an old household craft. Genuine allo feels stiff and slightly rough when new and softens considerably with washing and wear.
Radi, the wool blanket
Radi is the cloth of the high Karnali valleys, where households keep sheep and move them to the summer pastures. The wool is handspun, woven into narrow strips, and the strips are stitched together into a blanket. The stage that makes it a radi comes last: the cloth is soaked and worked with water underfoot until the fibres felt together and the weave closes up. The result is thick, windproof and close to indestructible.
It is used for everything. Bedding, a floor mat, a cloak thrown over the shoulders in a cold house, a pad under a load. In Jumla and Humla you will see them in every house, generally in undyed cream and brown because that is the colour the sheep came in.
Dhaka, and being honest about where it comes from
Dhaka is the patterned cotton cloth of the dhaka topi and of the shawls worn at weddings and festivals, woven with a supplementary weft that floats the geometric pattern across the surface. It is worn everywhere in Nepal, including throughout the far west, but its weaving heartland is Palpa in the west-central hills rather than Sudurpashchim. Cloth sold in Dhangadhi or Silgadhi is very likely to have been woven elsewhere, and a seller who tells you otherwise is worth a second question.
| Cloth | Fibre | Where it is made | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allo | Bark of the Himalayan giant nettle | Bajhang, Bajura, Darchula, Dolpa and the middle hills generally | Historically sacks, rope and nets; now shawls, jackets and bags |
| Radi | Handspun sheep wool, felted after weaving | The high Karnali valleys — Jumla, Humla, Mugu, upper Bajura | Blankets, floor mats, cloaks, load pads |
| Dhaka | Cotton, supplementary weft pattern | Mainly Palpa and the west-central hills; worn nationwide | Topi, shawls, blouse pieces, festival dress |
| Bhangra | Hemp | Scattered hill villages, now uncommon | Sacking and rough working clothes |
Who weaves, and on what
Almost entirely women, at home, in winter and after the harvest when the fields do not need them. The standard loom is a backstrap loom: one end of the warp is tied to a post or a beam, the other to a belt around the weaver, and tension comes from leaning back. It costs nothing, packs into a bundle, and can be set up on a veranda.
It also explains why the cloth looks the way it does. A backstrap loom can only be as wide as a seated woman can reach across, so allo and radi both come off it as narrow strips that are stitched together afterwards. Every full-width radi is several loom-widths sewn side by side, and once you know that you can read the seams on any blanket in a Karnali house.
Where you can actually see it
Not, in most cases, in a shop. District headquarters bazaars in Bajhang and Bajura sell mass-produced clothing, and the handwoven material is in houses and at the weekly markets. Realistically there are four routes to it: ask at your guesthouse and be taken to somebody who weaves; buy at a village or a mela directly; find one of the women's cooperatives that most of these districts now have, usually near the district headquarters; or buy in the fair-trade shops in Kathmandu, mostly clustered around Kupondole, which is the easiest option and the one where least of the money reaches the weaver.
In the Tarai towns, Dhangadhi and Nepalgunj both have shops selling hill textiles, with the usual caveat about origin. Ask what it is made of before you ask what it costs — a great deal sold as allo is blended with cotton or acrylic, which is not a scandal at the price but is worth knowing. And do not bargain hard on something that took someone a month of evenings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is allo cloth?
Fabric woven from the bark fibre of the Himalayan giant nettle. The bark is boiled with wood ash, beaten, softened, hand-spun and woven, usually on a backstrap loom. It is very strong, stiff when new, and softens with use.
What is a radi blanket?
A thick blanket from the high Karnali valleys, woven in narrow strips from handspun sheep wool and then felted by working it with water until the weave closes. The strips are stitched together into a full-width blanket. It is windproof and lasts for years.
Is dhaka cloth made in far west Nepal?
It is worn there but mostly woven elsewhere, with Palpa in the west-central hills the best-known centre. Cloth on sale in far-western bazaars has usually been brought in, so ask where a piece was actually woven.
Where can I buy handwoven cloth in far west Nepal?
Directly in villages and at weekly markets, through the women's cooperatives near most district headquarters, or in the fair-trade shops in Kathmandu. Ordinary bazaar shops mainly stock mass-produced clothing, and much sold as allo is blended.