Chikan, also known as Chikankari or Chikan ki kadhai, is a traditional hand embroidery style woven into a very delicate and intricate shadow work. Mainly practised in Lucknow, it is one of its best known textile decoration styles, done on a variety of fabrics like muslin, silk, chiffon, organza, net, which has mesmerised everyone – from the royals of yore to trendsetting celebrities of today.
Facts about Chikankari
- Chikankari was brought to India by Persian nobles who would visit the courts of Mughal emperors as a part of their culture, one of which was the court of Jahangir, whose wife, Noor Jahan, is popularly credited for introducing it to India.
- The embroidery was primarily done with white cotton threads on sheer muslin cloth to give a subtle but rich texture to a plain fabric. But now, it is also done with silk threads in colours, and adorned with sequins, beads and mirror-work, to meet the fashion trend.
- The patterns and effects created with Chikankari depend on the stitches and the thicknesses of the threads used. The fabric cannot be too thick or hard, else the embroidery needle won’t pierce it.
- The embroidery consists of 32 different stitching techniques, which requires patience and concentration to make it look absolutely appealing and graceful. It features numerous patterns and designs of murree, lerchi, keel kangan and bakhia, often using motifs of Mughal architectural themes.
- Chikankari is done on vast varieties of fabrics like cotton, semi-georgette, cotton blends, silk, chiffon, organdie, organza which are light in weight that highlights the embroidery.
- Anjuman, a 1986 Indian film, set in Lucknow, deals with issues of Chikan workers.
- Chikankari is not restricted to clothes, and can be found on cushion covers, table linen, pillow covers, etc. It’s rich 3D effect is nothing but extraordinary.
