Chikankari

What is Chikankari?

Chikankari is a hand-embroidered decoration from Lucknow, India. Artisans stitch fine thread patterns onto cloth, most often white thread on pale cotton or muslin, though coloured and silk threads are now used too. The work is delicate and the cloth is kept light, because thick or stiff fabric stops the needle. Sheer grounds let the stitches on the back show through as a soft shadow, which is a mark of the style. It is made in Lucknow and nearby districts and is sold through the Chowk market. The craft decorates garments and fabrics rather than forming a weave of its own.

Where does Chikankari come from?

The earliest Indian reference the article gives is not chikan itself: Megasthenes wrote in the 3rd century BC about flowered muslins, but those patterns did not have chikan's colour, ornament or embellishment. Laila Tyabji traces the craft to white-on-white embroidery from Shiraz, brought by Persian nobles at the Mughal court. A folk tale says a traveller taught it to a peasant in exchange for water. The best-known origin story names Noor Jahan, Jahangir's wife, as the one who introduced chikankari to India. In its early form the work was white embroidery on white cloth.

How is Chikankari made?

Making starts with a design and an engraved block. The block prints a guide pattern onto the ground cloth. An embroiderer then works the motif by hand, choosing from a large stitch vocabulary that the source numbers at 32. Backstitch, chain stitch and hemstitch are among them, and the choice of stitch and thread thickness shapes the result. Some stitches make open, lace-like jali; bakhiya is worked from the back so a shadow appears on the front. Murri, used for flower centres, is made of rice-shaped French knots and is the oldest and most valued stitch, though fewer artisans now do it. The finished cloth is washed to clear the printed guide.

Colours, motifs and borders

The classic look is white thread on a pale ground, usually light cotton or muslin. The source describes the result as delicate and artful, with flower forms at the centre of many motifs. Modern work breaks the white rule: coloured threads and silk threads are used to follow fashion. Extra shine can come from mukaish, kamdani, badla, sequins, beads or mirrors. Because the ground cloth is often sheer, the reverse stitches show as a faint shadow, and the open jali work gives a lace-like texture. The sources do not describe a fixed border or pallu for chikankari.

How Chikankari is worn

The sources do not set out a saree drape for chikankari. They describe it as embroidery applied to garments and fabrics, especially light ones. The cloth is chosen so the needle can pass through and so the stitching shows clearly; sheer fabric is valued because it lets the back of the work cast a shadow. The embroidery decorates the surface of a garment rather than wrapping the body on its own. How the finished garment is draped depends on the garment, and the article does not give a step-by-step drape.

When Chikankari is worn

The article does not list weddings, festivals or rites for chikankari. It presents the craft as clothing decoration that also follows fashion, with coloured threads added to keep it current. Its best-known modern association is with the 1986 film Anjuman, set in Lucknow and concerned with chikan workers. The actor Farooque Shaikh wore chikan throughout his life and became a kind of ambassador for Lakhnavi chikankari. Beyond that, the sources do not tie the embroidery to a particular ceremony.

Styles of Chikankari

The Lucknow variety is called Lucknawi chikan. Within the craft, the source counts 32 stitches, and individual stitches create different effects: tepchi makes lines, bakhiya gives shadow work, hool makes eyelets, jali creates open lace, and murri forms flower centres. Recent work adds mukaish, kamdani, badla, sequins, beads and mirrors. The ground fabric can be cotton, chanderi, muslin, georgette, viscose, silk, organza, net, crepe or chiffon, as long as it is light enough for the needle. The article does not compare handloom and powerloom versions.

Care and buying

The sources mention one care step in the workshop: after embroidery, the piece is washed carefully to remove all traces of the printed guide pattern. They do not give home washing, storage or buying advice. Because the cloth is often light and sheer, the article's only related caution is that fabric must not be too thick or hard, or the embroidery needle will not pierce it.

What Chikankari means

Chikankari received Geographical Indication status in December 2008, and the registry recognised Lucknow as its exclusive hub. The craft supports workers in Lucknow and nearby districts, and the main Lucknow market for chikan products is Chowk. The 1986 film Anjuman, directed by Muzaffar Ali, is set in Lucknow and deals with the lives of chikan workers. Farooque Shaikh, who acted in it, wore chikan all his life and was seen as a sort of ambassador for Lakhnavi chikankari. These are the source's main notes on the craft's public life.

Questions people ask about Chikankari

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle

• Chikankari on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data