UNESCO defines heritage as the residue of our history, what we experience now, and what we transmit on to the generations that follow. Heritage might be cultural or natural. Cultural heritage may be both tangible and intangible. Tangible cultural heritage includes antiques, monuments, a wide range of structures and sites, and museums. Whereas, intangible heritage includes cultural customs, languages and knowledge.
Textiles play a significant role in the history of humanity, culture and legacy. Textiles have a wide range of applications that include clothing, home furnishings, and industrial application.
The Indian textiles that include folk embroideries and Mughal courtly weavings to block-printed, appliqué, and hand-painted cloths and knotted-pile carpets, are beautiful, diverse, and culturally significant, thus forming an important component of India’s cultural legacy. Generations of cultivators, weavers, dyers, printers, and embroiderers have cleverly used the region’s natural resources to produce an impressive collection of beautiful fabrics. This ability and expertise were passed down to us as part of our intangible legacy.
Every neighborhood, region, and culture has a particular style of dress and clothes. India’s textiles and fabrics showcase the country’s rich legacy of arts and crafts. India has a diverse collection of local textiles, each with its history, competence, and cultural importance.
Embroidery in India
Embroidery, which is primarily used to reinforce and adorn fabrics, was an important component of the household traditions of many cultures that moved to India and contributed to the country’s cultural legacy. Folk embroidery was the most effective way for women in India, particularly in rural areas, to convey their lives, hopes, and desires.
Here are some embroidery styles that are unique to various parts of the country.
Kashida Embroidery
Native: Kashmir
Best Material: Wool, Cotswold, silkwood or cotton
It’s an established Kashmiri embroidery. Kashidakari was first introduced in the 15th century by Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin. Weavers were invited from Turkestan and Persia to demonstrate new weaving methods. The illustrations are an example of biomimicry, implying they are influenced by nature and mirror the flora and wildlife of Kashmir. The trendiest motifs are birds like Kingfishers and butterflies, fruits and vegetables. For Kashida embroidery cotton, silk, wool and artificial silk threads in a variety of colors are used. The embroidery’s unique characteristic is that it is composed of a single thread, giving the pattern a flat orientation. This stitching accentuates the elegance of Kashmiri shawls, saris, and other dress materials.
Chikankari Embroidery
Native: Uttar Pradesh
Best Material: Cotton, pure georgette, rayon, and chanderi
The name chikankari is derived from the Persian word Chakeen, which signifies exquisite patterns on cloth. Originally, Chikankari meant embroidering a white muslin cloth using a white thread. But it has evolved, and is done on a variety of textiles like linen, nylon, georgette, cotton, chiffon, and synthetic fibers. It is also used on home furnishings like curtains, bedsheets, pillow and cushion covers and tablecloths. The embroidery is inspired by nature and flowers like jasmine, rose, peacock, parrot and lace patterns. Woodblock designs are printed in washable colors. The designs are imprinted on the material and handed over to the embroiderers. Chikankari work is done on a sari, blouse, kurta, sari borders, and the above-mentioned household linens.
Kantha Embroidery
Native: Bengal
Best Material: cotton, silk, tussar
Kantha is a Sanskrit term for throat, and Lord Shiva’s name is Nilakanth, which means blue throat. It is also known as the Throat Chakra. This form of embroidery is done on abandoned fabric, such as layers of dhoti or sari put together with a simple running stitch in white thread to defend against the cold. Kantha stitching is divided into two types: the first involves stacking cotton saris or dhotis, quilting them, then embroidering them. The other form employed discarded cotton bedspreads for pictorial embroidery using Tussar Silk threads. The motifs utilized in this embroidery are Lotus, Solar, Moon, Wheel, Swastik, Kalka, and Tree of Life.
Phulkari Embroidery
Native: Punjab
Best Material: a hand-loomed plain-weave cotton fabric known as khaddar
Phulkari is a Punjabi rural handicraft practice named after two Sanskrit words: phul, which means flower, and kari, meaning work. Phulkari refers to flower craft or floral work in which every part of the shawl is covered with floral motifs. Phulkari is an embroidery-style shawl used to cover women’s heads at Gurdwaras. Phulkari is an important aspect of a Punjabi girl’s life and is believed to be auspicious, representing happiness, wealth, and Suhaag for a married lady. Phulkari stitching was traditionally done on back covers, but it is now widely used on pillow covers, bolster covers, and saris. The motifs are made of horizontal, vertical, and diagonal stitching, forming geometrical patterns like square, rectangle, and vertical, and horizontal lines.
Kasuti (Karnataka)
Native: Karnataka
Best Material: Hand-woven cloth or Saree
Kasuti embroidery represents the cultural practices, customs, and professions of the Karnataka people. Kasuti is formed from the words Kai, meaning hand, and Suti, meaning cotton thread. Thus, Kasuti is the handiwork of cotton thread. In ancient times, it was customary for the bride to wear a black silk saree called the Chandrakali Saree with Kasuti embroidery. Kasuti work is done on five garments: the Kunchi (bonnet and cape combined), the Lehanga (skirt), the seragu (sari pallu), the Kusuba (bodice), and the Kulai (bonnet). The designs used in kasuti embroidery are inspired by folklore, religious architecture, vegetation and wildlife, and everyday objects such as rudraksha, flower containers, anklets, bells, chess squares, and cradles.
Kutch Embroidery
Native: Gujarat
Best Material: Cotton or silk embroidery threads on different bases
This embroidery is done using multicolored threads, which are often cotton or silk embroidery threads. Mirrors are also used, which are embroidered onto the cloth. Gujarati embroidery themes are mostly inspired by nature and animals. Typical motifs include flowers, creepers, trees, peacocks, parrots, and elephants. In addition to flowers and wildlife, certain Gujarati embroidery designs feature human figures in various moods, such as dancing ladies and men. Embroidered products are manufactured in several districts of Gujarat. Examples include blankets, doorway hangings, purses, bags, ghagra, choli, bridal dresses, and animal trappings.
Appliqué Work & Patch Work
Native: Orissa
Best Material: Cotton fabric
The word “applique” is derived from the French verb “appliquer,” which means “to put on”. The art of appliqué work is a process in which patterns are made by connecting tiny pieces of designer textiles to a larger fabric, generally of complimentary color. Attaching small pieces to a foundation cloth can be done by sewing or bonding them with a stick. Muslin fabrics with architectural jali patterns are highly popular for appliqué techniques. Traditional motifs in this work include elephants, parrots, peacocks, 45 flowers, and creepers. While mythical subjects such as Rahu and the half-moon can be identified. Multicolored and intensely structured fabric pieces embellish the geometrically designed textile foundation, offering a visual feast when combined with a composed appliqué patchwork. The unique feature of appliqué work is that it may incorporate detailed embroidery with mirror work to create a regal impression. It is used to make dresses, dupattas, sarees, blankets, and handbags.
Toda Embroidery
Native: Tamil Nadu
Best Material: woven white cloth, woolen black
Toda embroidery is manufactured by the Toda people in Tamil Nadu‘s Nilgiri Hills, mostly by Toda women, The patterns created are related to nature and the everyday cycle of life. Though their favorite study is connected to the floral landscape, the designs employed in Toda embroidery do not include many floral themes but rather celestial bodies (such as the Sun and Moon), reptiles, animals, and buffalo horns in red and black. The embroidered cloth’s border is always adorned with rabbit ears. Another frequent pattern is black triangles in a box, which is done in commemoration of their first priest. The fabric used is a coarse bleached half-white cotton material with bands; the woven bands on the fabric consist of two bands, one red and one black, spaced six inches apart. Women who embroider regard their art as a “homage to Nature”.
Our country is endowed with a rich heritage. We must conserve the textile heritage since it gives an ethnic identity and a livelihood for many artists. The fabrics and embroidery symbolize centuries of workmanship, telling stories about tradition, identity, and creative superiority. As the next generation, it is our responsibility to promote, enrich, and develop this legacy further. We must attempt to globalize knowledge and creative forms without degrading our present artists and their holy skills. Preserving India’s textile tradition is a long-term commitment that stimulates creativity, passion, and dignity in its cultural past.
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