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Books, studies and academic papers on Bhutanese textiles by researchers and experts only point to the "links" that Bhutan shares with weaving traditions in the nearby regions and other places further away such as Tibet and Southeast Asia. The origin is not mentioned anywhere in Bhutan's recorded history either.

A paper compiled by the textile museum says that the art of weaving existed since the 13th century.

The back-strap loom, according to the paper, is mentioned in the biography of Phajo Drugom Shigpo (1208-76) and the first depiction of clothing can still be seen in the wall paintings at the Changangkha lhakhang dating back to 1270. According to Rinzin Pemalingpa's biography (1450), "his mother wove and gifted him a bolt of woolen fabric". The paper assumes that other yarns were in use at that period. Bhutan was self sufficient in weaving in the past.

The earliest known textiles were woven out of fabrics obtained from zocha, a nettle grass. It was widely used for clothing and other purposes. Coarse cotton cloth was woven from cotton grown in warmer regions. Bura was woven from wild silk produced by giant silkworm moths. Bhutan has also had a long history of using vegetable dyes. Indigenous dyeing methods were employed to dye homespun fibers into basic colors. Dyeing techniques were passed from mother to daughter, from generation to generation.

Families would have their own secret recipes and master dyers received just as wide a reputation for their skills as weavers. Textile Arts of Bhutan, considered the definitive collection of writing on Bhutanese textiles by Michael Aries, Francoise Pommerat, Diana K. Myers and Susan S. Bean, says textiles and dress features shared by Bhutanese and immediately adjacent communities arose from common cultural histories.

"Textile and design influences also transcended borders through economic, political, and religious contacts between the Bhutanese and their more far-flung neighbours in present-day northeast India," the book notes adding that forms and practices relating to ritual and ceremonial textiles came from Tibet.

"Together, these influences helped create Bhutan's extraordinary, rich, and sophisticated textile heritage." The book says that the textile designs of northeast India "display a striking resemblance" to those in Bhutan. Backstrap looms were at one time widespread and are today found in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur in northeast India.

There are several myths surrounding the origin of the backstrap loom, locally know as pangtha. The most popular belief is that the loom, and perhaps weaving along with it, was introduced in Bhutan by the Chinese wife of Tibetan king Songtsen Gambo, Ashi Jaza. There are presently three types of looms being used in Bhutan - pangtha, thritha, and soghu thagshing. The thritha, according to some accounts, was introduced in Bhutan by the Thimphu zimpon Rinchen Dorji from Tibet.

It is generally accepted that Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel introduced the gho around the first half of the seventeenth century. It was adapted from the Tibetan chuba to suit Bhutan's warmer climate and to provide unrestricted movement on the mountainous terrain. The kira bears no resemblance to any Tibetan costume. There are no records of the women's attire. However, the gutsuma, a tunic made out of two panels of the kushu fabric, is believed to be worn by women much before the kira. This dress has almost disappeared except for a small group of women in Kurtoe who wear it today to honour local deities.

Textile Arts of Bhutan says that textiles flourished and became popular in Bhutan because the ruling Wangchuck dynasty came from a renowned weaving region, Kurtoe. "In the mid-nineteenth century, as the Wangchucks gained influence and moved westward from north central Bhutan, the prestige and influence of weaving techniques and decorative styles from the royal family's home region spread throughout the country."

The book refers to the period from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century as the "golden age" of Bhutanese weaving. Most fibres were produced, dyed, and woven locally in the early part of this period. The finest specimens of textiles called "hingthams" or heart weavings were made during this period. Despite the limited range of dyes and fibres back then, the wide distribution of skills and thorough knowledge of local materials ensured a supply of "superbly crafted textiles". Although weaving has spread to all parts of the country today, it was traditionally the domain of eastern Bhutan. A theory posited by some independent researchers is that weaving developed in the east because of the rugged physical terrain and limited cultivable land. Western Bhutan is plainer and there is a lot of cultivable land. People had big farms and did not have time to weave.

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