Chikankari
Sign in to savealt=Chikankari hand-embroidery|thumb|Traditional Chikankari hand-embroidery by Craft Artisans of India Chikankari (, ) is a traditional embroidery style from Lucknow, India. Translated, the word means embroidery (using thread or wire), and it is one of Lucknow's best known textile decoration styles. The main market in Lucknow for Chikankari based products is Chowk. Production is mainly based in Lucknow and in the adjoining districts.
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Origin
- Technique
- Stitches
- GI status
- In popular culture
- References
- Further reading
- External links
alt=Chikankari hand-embroidery|thumb|Traditional Chikankari hand-embroidery by Craft Artisans of India Chikankari (, ) is a traditional embroidery style from Lucknow, India. Translated, the word means embroidery (using thread or wire), and it is one of Lucknow's best known textile decoration styles. The main market in Lucknow for Chikankari based products is Chowk. Production is mainly based in Lucknow and in the adjoining districts.
==Origin== There are references to embroidery similar to chikan work in India as early as 3rd century BC by Megasthenes, who mentioned use of flowered muslins by Indians, but these embroidered patterns lacked the characteristic features of chikan, such as colour, ornamentation, or any notable embellishment. According to Laila Tyabji, chikankari stems from the white-on-white embroidery of Shiraz came to India as part of a culture of Persian nobles at the Mughal court. There is also a tale that mentions how a traveler taught chikan to a peasant in return of water to drink. The most popular origin story credits Noor Jahan, Mughal empress and wife of Jahangir, for introducing chikankari to India.