Zardozi & Chikankari Textiles

Witness the craftmanship behind the embroidery that adorned royal wardrobes

Chikankari literally means embroidery work and might have been introduced by Noor Jehan, Jahangir’s wife. Chikan is a delicate, intricate, hand-worked embroidery, which originated as a white-on-white style but now, uses coloured thread as well, evolving to suit modern tastes. Chikankari has the occasional embellishment of beads or sequins. Zardozi is another craft with Persian origins, which literally means ‘gold work’. Zardozi is a metal embroidery style that uses fine gold or silver threads to embellish textiles, sometimes combined with pearls or precious stones – once featured on royal wardrobes.

The dexterity of the craftsmen is remarkable – these crafts, like so many others, which will be forgotten with this generation as their children move towards bigger cities for employment. Travel Scope provides an intimate insight into the chikankari and zardozi workshops in Lucknow with a chance to interact with the artists and watch the crafts come to life.