Embroidery

MirrorworkZardoziGota and KinariPhulkariBagh
Chamba RumalsChikankariKantha
CrewelBanjaraKasuti

    Embroidery has become the most elegant and enriching part of the craft heritage of India. The needlework tradition dates back to 2300-1500 BC and has been richly inherited by various regions, each having special style and an individual inspiration.

    Each state here is specialist in its own kind of embriodary like, Kashmiri embroidery vividly reflects the exuberance of nature and is characterised by paisley motifs and lovely landscapes, while Chamba (Himachal Pradesh) embroidery is inspired by the miniature paintings of the Mughal rule, depicting courtly life and mythological characters.

Emergance of these embroidaries:
    These vast range of embroidaries has been emerged from the use of a variety of threads. Like the floss silk thread used to create motifs of flowers is the main highlight of 'phulkari' embroidery, popular in Punjab. 'Chikan' work of Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) is characterised by the delicate embroidery in white threads either in cotton or in silk. 'Zardozi' of Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) is worked in gold thread and the threads from the old saree borders have created the beautiful 'Kantha ' work of West Bengal.

Embroidary- A passion:
    Embroidery is a passion in the states of colour - Gujarat and Rajasthan. The highlight of the embroidery here is vibrant colour contrasts, rich patterns and sparkling mirror work. The craft of threads seems to pervade all aspects of life here, then be it their costumes, shoes, household hangings or trappings for their domestic animals. Especially famous are the embroideries of Kutch and Jaisalmer, renowned for their unique colours, styles and stitches.

    One of the unique form of needlework is 'applique', in which a textile is decorated by applying fabric on fabric with the edges sewn down by thread and needle. It is often used with embroidery to create a magical style of decoration. Most notable is the applique work of Gujarat in which pieces of coloured and patterned fabric are cut in varied shapes, sizes and colours and are sewn together on a plain background to form motifs like peacocks, birds, horse riders and caparisoned elephants. The applique work of Puri
(Orissa), Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) and Bihar is equally attractive.

     Presently, the splendour of needlework is reflected not only in costumes, but also in small items like hankerchiefs, scarves, veils and waist-bands, etc. The embroidered textiles form an essential part of an Indian bride's trousseau.

    Having woven cloth exactly as he wants to, the weaver often passes it on to a professional embroiderer (usually a woman) who works magic with needle and thread. Traditionally, however, embroidery has been the forte of the housewife. Let’s take you through the various loops Indian embroiders usually work into cloth.

Mirrorwork: The women of Rajasthan and Gujarat traditionally carry embroidered torans (frieze), dowry bags, shawls, cholis and dupattas as part of their dowry. This work can be identified by its use of tiny mirrors with colourful threads that shape floral and figurative designs. Its shiny brilliance makes it a hot favourite with tourists.

Zardozi: Zari is gold, and zardozi embroidery is the glitteringly ornate, heavily encrusted gold thread work practised in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir and Delhi. Of course, the days of using real gold and silver thread are now history. What you can get, however, is synthetic or ‘tested’ zari embroidery. Metal ingots are melted and pressed through perforated steel sheets, to be converted into wires. They are then hammered to the required thinness. Plain wire is called badla, and when wound round a thread, it is called kasav. Smaller spangles are called sitara, and tiny dots made of badla are called mukaish.

Gota and Kinari: Akin to applique, gota work involves placing woven gold cloth onto other fabric to create different surface textures. Kinari, or edging, as the word suggests, is the fringed or tasselled border decoration. This art is predominantly practised by Muslim craftsmen.

Phulkari: Embroidered extensively in Haryana and Punjab, the phulkari shawl is a spectacular piece of clothing. Birds, flowers and human figures are normally embroidered on red or orange khaddar (coarse cotton cloth made of handspun yarn). The design is fed into the cloth from the reverse side using darning needles and one thread at a time, leaving a long stitch below to form the basic pattern. The embroidery is usually done with silk or satin thread, in both a vertical and horizontal pattern so that when the phulkari is finally ready, the play of light on its shiny surface lends it breathtaking beauty.

Bagh: The bagh is an offshoot of phulkari and almost always follows a geometric pattern, with green as the basic colour. Green is probably predominant because Muslims have traditionally been doing bagh work. Although lacking in technical finesse, it makes up for the loss by a variety of colourful motifs. Simply everything goes into the design – elephants, houses, crops, the sun, the moon, gardens and even kites.

Chamba Rumals: The red and orange richly embroidered silk scarves of Chamba are simply beautiful. They often depict scenes from the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Raaslila of Radha and Krishna. The embroidery is done in silk yarn on tussar (silk) or fine cotton. The ground is usually white or cream, but the embroidery threads (usually red and orange) are in striking contrast.

Chikankari: Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh is the hotbed of white thread embroidery on white or coloured cotton usually in pastel shades. Intricate and complex, this work is similar to what is commonly known as shadow work. The beauty of the embroidery comes through on fine muslin cloth, where you can see the stitches forming lace-like patterns on the underside.

Kantha: Bihar and Bengal are known for their simple embroidery called kantha which is nothing more than patterns traced in a running stitch with short gaps. Floral, animal and bird motifs embroidered on both cotton and silk are extremely popular.

Crewel: Kashmir is known for phirans (woollen kurtas) and namdahs (woollen rugs) with big floral embroidery in cheerful colours. Crewel embroidery is the same as chain stitch, is usually done with an awl (a small pointed tool for making holes) and is worked from underneath the fabric rather than above.

Banjara: The embroidery of the lamada gypsy tribe of Andhra Pradesh, banjara is a mix of applique with mirrors and beadwork. Bright red, yellow, black and white coloured cloth is laid in bands and joined with a white criss-cross stitch.

Kasuti: Dharwar (Karnataka) is home to kasuti, a delicate single thread embroidery done on handloom saris. Motifs consist of temples, peacocks, elephants, flowering trees and geometric forms spread across the sari.

Special Shopping Destinations:
Srinagar (Kashmir), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh),Amritsar (Punjab), Kutch (Gujarat), Jaisalmer(Rajasthan), Calcutta (West Bengal).