Why is Chikankari considered a craft and not just embroidery ?

Chikankari is considered a craft rather than simply a form of embroidery because it encompasses much more than the act of stitching thread onto fabric. It is a traditional body of knowledge that brings together design, fabric preparation, block printing, specialised hand-embroidery techniques, sewing, washing and finishing.

More Than Just Stitching

At first glance, Chikankari may appear to be an embroidery technique: a needle and thread are used to create patterns on fabric. But the finished work is the result of a much larger and more specialised process.

Paola Manfredi, in Chikankari: A Lucknawi Tradition, describes Chikankari as a creative combination of delicate embroidery with fine dressmaking and sewing techniques. She presents it as a distinctive craft tradition with its own costumes, motifs, production process and extensive vocabulary of stitches.

A Traditional Production Process

Traditional Chikankari involves several stages, including:

  • Preparing and cutting the fabric

  • Transferring the design through chappa or block printing

  • Hand embroidery using traditional stitches

  • Washing to remove the temporary printed design

  • Finishing and preparing the final textile or garment

The Government of India's documentation describes Chikankari as a multi-stage craft involving printing, embroidery and washing, with a specialised division of labour among artisans.

A Distinctive Vocabulary of Stitches

Chikankari also has its own established repertoire of hand-embroidery techniques. Traditional stitches include bakhia, tepchi, murri, phanda, jaali and hool, among many others.

The GI documentation notes that traditional Chikankari has a defined repertoire in which individual stitches have particular uses. It is this specialised combination of stitches, rather than simply the presence of needlework, that contributes to the distinctive identity of Chikankari.

Design Is Part of the Craft

The craft also has a distinctive visual language. Traditional Chikankari draws extensively from flowers, leaves, creepers, petals and paisley forms, with influences associated with Persian and Mughal artistic traditions.

The placement of these motifs, the choice of stitches used within them, and the relationship between the embroidery and the garment are all part of the craft.

It Requires Specialised Artisan Knowledge

Chikankari is traditionally practised through a division of labour, with different people contributing to different stages of production. The Government of India's documentation notes the involvement of specialised artisans in printing, embroidery and washing.

This means that the knowledge behind a finished piece is not simply “how to embroider.” It includes knowing how to prepare the fabric, interpret the printed design, select and execute appropriate stitches, handle different fabrics, and complete the textile after embroidery.

A Living Heritage Craft

Perhaps most importantly, Chikankari is a living craft tradition. Its techniques and knowledge have been passed down through generations, while its fabrics, colours, garments and applications have evolved with changing lifestyles and markets.

Today, Chikankari appears not only on traditional garments but also on sarees, contemporary clothing, men's wear and home textiles. The Government of India's documentation records this expansion beyond its earlier garment forms.

In Summary

Chikankari is more than embroidery because it is an entire craft tradition built around specialised knowledge, techniques, design, materials and human skill.

The embroidery is at its heart, but the craft also encompasses the preparation of the fabric, design transfer, distinctive stitches, sewing, washing and finishing—and the generations of artisan knowledge behind these processes.

That is why a piece of hand-embroidered Chikankari is not simply a piece of fabric with a pattern stitched onto it. It is the result of a traditional craft process in which design, material, technique and human skill come together.

At Manjari Chikankari, we see this distinction as central to the value of the craft. What we preserve is not merely an embroidery style, but a living Lucknavi tradition of making.