Mashru in silk and cotton. Chandernagore, West Bengal, ca. 1862. 'Mashru' fabric is woven with a combination of cotton and silk. It was originally created for the use by Muslim men who were forbidden from wearing pure silk. 'Mashru' is a satin weave cloth with a combination of a cotton weft and silk warp, the cotton weft being the lower layer in contact with the skin. The fabric was originally woven for Muslim men who were prohibited from wearing pure silk. 'Mashru' (meaning 'permitted' in Arabic) was woven all over India, though it survives today mainly in Gujarat. This piece comes with a label stating that it comes from Chandernagore in West Bengal.