Pashmina is an almost generic name for accessories made from a type of wool that is obtained from a special breed of goat endemic to high altitudes of the Himalayan Range Belt of Asia. The name comes from Pashmineh, made from Persian          pashm (= "wool"). The special goat's fleece has been used for thousands of years to make high-quality shawls that also bear the same name. The Himalayan Mountain goat, Carpa Hircus, sheds its winter coat every spring and the fleece is caught on thorn bushes. One goat sheds approximately 3-8 ounces of the fiber. Villages would scour the mountainside for the finest fleece to be used. Cashmere shawls have been manufactured in Kashmir and Nepal for thousands of years, but the Indians never called them "pashmina". They were popularly called Kashmiri wool shawls. The test for a quality pashmina has been warmth, feel and the passing the shawl through a wedding ring.

Pashmina is an indigenous Nepali word which only became popular after the so-named shawls, woven in Nepal, started being popular in the west. What are commonly thought of as pashminas have their origin in Nepal, where the people have a cultural heritage of hand-weaving pashmina shawls with the well-known fringing and hand dyeing.

Dhaka is one of the oldest and most important fabrics in Nepali culture. Dhaka topi, chaubandi cholo (blouse), daura suruwal and shawl are everyday wears for Nepalis. There are numerous accounts about Dhaka being initially brought from Bangladesh by the Rana rulers. Other evidence suggests that Muslim invasion in Eastern India, due to which the victims who were Dhaka weavers fled to Nepal and continued their profession here. Traditional Dhaka prints use red, black, white and orange.
Dhaka weaving involves alertness, hard work and experience as each weaver produces distinctive pattern that doesn't match with another. Original Dhaka clothes are pure cotton and woven mostly in the eastern parts of Nepal like Terathum, Dang, Illam and Dhankuta. The original fabric is wrinkle free and less prone to discoloration. Dhakas are not only used for cholos and topis but also for bags, slippers, waistcoats, kurtas, cushion covers, ties, placemats, purse and so on*.

*Dhaka article courtesy of Nandita Rana.

Here are some interesting links to Nepali life, culture, history, travel and trekking:

Pashmina Land