The word ‘shawl’ derives from the Persian shal, denoting a class of woven fabric rather than an article of dress.
Shawls have been woven in Kashmir since about the eleventh century, but the industry producing what we refer to as a Kashmir shawl is thought to have begun during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Shawls were usually given as prestigious gifts, and one can clearly see the honour in which they were held by looking at miniatures of the period, where the proud owners are  seen wearing such  accessories.