Indian Textile : Not Just A Fabric

Beautiful forms of wearable art are not just types of fabrics, but they strongly represent the Indian culture and how diversity is a boon for Indian textiles.

India, a country of more than a billion people, a land of diversity of cultures, people, languages and many more. Similarly, diversity exists in textiles and related artwork as well. Starting from the top to the bottom of India, you can clearly see how every region or state has their own traditional textile reflecting the influence of different empires, which is being practiced for over 1000 years.

The term ‘Motif’ refers to a design or figure that consists of recurring shapes or colors, as in architecture or decoration. They varied according to the place and geographical conditions. Some of these are -

KASHIDA -

In this art form, thread, gold-silver wires are used for embroidery. Kashmiri embroidery is one of the famous Kashida work in India. It comprises the chain stitch, the satin stitch, the slanted darn stitch, the stem stitch, and the herringbone stitch.

PHULKARI OF PUNJAB -

It is one of the famous embroidery traditions of Punjab. Its distinctive property is that the base is a dull hand-spun or khaki cloth, with bright colored threads that cover it completely, leaving no gaps. It is believed to be auspicious, a symbol of happiness, prosperity, and Suhag of a married woman.

KUTCH AND KATHIAWAR EMBROIDERY -

It is a signature art form of tribal community of Kutch and Kathiawar (Gujarat). This art form is generally done by six styles:Suf, khaarek, paako, Rabari, Garasia Jat, and Mutava.

CHAMBA HANDKERCHIEF -

It is a very popular art form of Himachal Pradesh. This art form consists of combinations, floral design, drums, and other musical instrument and scene of Lord Krishna’s Rasleela.

RAJASTHANI EMBROIDERY -

This art form is closely related to the embroidery art form of Gujarat and Sindh. It is an ancient craft, which has transformed over time to reflect the prevailing social, material and sometimes even the political mood of the times.

KANTHA OF WEST BENGAL -

It is a type of embroidery craft. The term Kantha means 'throat'. In this art, needle and thread are used to stitch on a sari, kurta/ Panjabi and churidar, and many other garments. It is very popular due to its aesthetic value and handmade characteristics.

CHIKANKARI OF LUCKNOW -

It is a traditional delicate embroidery style of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. In this art form, the French knot open work and Herringbone stitch techniques are used. There are three types of stitching are used- backstitch, chain stitch, and hemstitch.