Welcome to Lucknow – the Constantinople of East often revered as the cradle of Chikankari. Patronized in India during the Mughal era, it is considered that Nur Jehan, spouse of Mughal Emperor Jehangir was one of its leading proponents. Chikankari brings forth pictures of bright colored kurtas, sarees and suits covered with intricate embroidery all over. The styles are like routes of a dream, ranging from sensitive to intricate.
The process is done 100% by hand with patterns mostly inspired by Mughal architecture and the fabrics used can be cotton, muslin, chiffon, georgette, organza etc. People often use terms like, lucknawi kurtis and lucknawi Chikan whenever they are referring to Chikankari dresses for men and women. The most striking and visual appeal of Chikankari work is it’s design. These dresses do not stick to your body and are extremely light in weight and allow your skin to breathe even in extreme hot & sultry weather.
Chikankari Work Nuances -
Entire work is done by hand, from start with block printing on a fabric to embroiderer then stitching the patterns carefully and eventually washing and removal of all traces of printed pattern (dye marks). The entire process can be described in following steps:
§ Chapayi or Block Printing –Intricate designs are craved on blocks of wood which are in turn used to print various patterns on fabric. The dye used is a mixture of washable blue colour, water and glue.
§ Stitches (Embroidery) – Master embroiderers then create their magic with 36 different types of stitches. Different types of stitches are discussed below. The type of stitches and the thickness of the thread determine the patterns and effects created on the fabric. There are more than 36 stitches used in Chikankari to give a unique look to each design. All these 35 stitches are mainly classified into 3 main types. Flat, embossed, and raised stitches. Flat stitches are very subtle in nature and remain close to the fabric. Embossed stitches provide a grainy appearance to the fabric.
Different Types Of Stitches Used In Chikankari
§ Tepchi: This is one of the simplest form of designing a Chikankari dress. It’s a linear, long running or darning stitch on a fabric. Six strands on the right side of the ground fabric taken over four threads and one of them is picked up. This particular style is mostly chosen to outline the design motif.
§ Bakhiya: This type of stitch is known for its double back and shadow work. It’s mostly done from the wrong side of the fabric and the actual design on the front end is rendered in herringbone style. The shadow of the thread is seen on the cloth from the right side. In industry, it is also known as “Ulti” and “Seedhi” Bakhiya.
§ Hool: This one is a fine detached eyelet stitch. It is made with the help of six threads and forms the heart of the flower. A hole is very delicately punched into the fabric and the threads are then separated from each other. It is then held by miniscule stitches all around with a single thread on the right side of the fabric.
§ Zanzeera: This is a very small delicately handcrafted chain stitch worked with one thread being on the right side of the fabric. It’s is mostly used for enhancing the outline of a shape like flower or a petal once basic outlines have already been made.
§ Rahet: An offshoot of the Bakhiya stitch, it is rarely used in its simplest form. Popularly known as “Dohra Bakhiya”, it forms a solid line of back stitch on the right side of the fabric. Mostly used to create outline stitches.
§ Banarsi: A form of twisted stitch which is done with six threads on the right side of the fabric. Working on the right side and at an interval of 5 threads, a small stitch is taken over about two threads vertically. The needle is again reinserted at the half way mark just below the horizontal stitch and is taken out about two threads vertically on the right hand side just above the preceding stitch.
§ Khatau: Just like Rahet, Khatau is also an offshoot of Bakhiya. The most noticeable difference is that it is finer and is a form of appliqué. The design is mostly prepared on a calico which is a plain woven unbleached textile and often not fully processes cotton.
§ Phanda: This is one of the most commonly used and amongst the well known stitches along with Murri. It’s mostly used in making the center of the flowers in simple Chikankari design motifs. The basic difference between a Phanda and Murri is that Murri is a rice shaped design while a Phanda is millet shaped.
§ Jali: These stitches require great level of meticulous expertise. The beauty of this design is that the threads are never drawn through the fabric making the back of the fabric as impeccable as the front. The threads are very carefully drawn apart and very small buttonhole stitches are inserted into the cloth.
§ Turpai and Darzdari: These two types of stitches are integral part of Chikankari. Turpai is recognised by think thread design while Darzdari comes in various forms like “Singbhada Darz”, “kohidarz”, Kamal darz”, “Shankarpara Darz” etc.
§ There are many other types of Chikankari stitches which are: Banjkali, Makra, Kauri, Sazi, Karan, Kapkapi, Madrazi, Bulbul-Chasm, Taj Mahal, Chanapatti, Keel Kangan, Sidhaul etc.
Chikankari over the years has seen a paradigm shift in innovation and experimentation done with different types of fabrics. This handicraft art has seen various stages of transformations but it remains rooted in its city of origin, Lucknow and its surrounding areas like Malihabad & Kakori.
Kasturi-B was the brain child of a true blooded Lucknowi. Having learnt to love embroidery, I find myself fascinated by its dual simplicity and complexity. The humble act of repeatedly inserting a threaded needle or awl in and out of cloth creates the most wildly diverse results that although grounded in tradition offer infinite potential for experimentation. Stitches are like little soldier ants, an indispensible part of something much bigger. Take one out and eventually everything will unravel.
