Phulkari, for centuries, has been celebrated as an essential part of a Punjabi girl’s life. However, this traditional embroidery from Punjab dates back to the 15th century and still delights and astonishes its admirers. A revered artwork, Phulkari comes from two words, ‘phul’ and ‘Kari
Phulkari, for centuries, has been celebrated as an essential part of a Punjabi girl’s life. However, this traditional embroidery from Punjab dates back to the 15th century and still delights and astonishes its admirers. A revered artwork, Phulkari comes from two words, ‘phul’ and ‘Kari’ meaning flower and embroidery.
Phulkari was done as communal work by women earlier in the day. They would gather round in their free time to make hand-woven Phulkari dupattas to be gifted to women getting married. Traditionally, these hand-embroidered artworks were made on hand-spun cloth called “khaddar”, with different kinds of embroideries created purely based on imagination and colours that represented the spirit of Punjab using silken thread. Every Phulkari made in the olden days would weave a story in its pattern.
Many skilled artisans still do not make irregular patterns on the cloth and depend mostly on their creativity for designs and colour combinations.Embroidered Phulkari is a must-have in a newly married woman’s trousseau and is handmade mainly by her family members. Red, orange, yellow, and green are the most preferred colours for making Phulkari dupattas, stoles, suits, and even sarees.
Like all things, the traditional Punjabi Phulkari has also evolved over the years to cater to its admirers' tastes. While most of the older Phulkari embroidery was done on a coarse cloth called‘Khadar’, Phulkari is now done on all fabrics. From chanderi silk to cotton to Kota Doria, you will find the best of Phulkari embroidery on various materials, clothing and accessories.
While many motifs and designs are sewn,‘bagh’ is the most intrinsic and famous Phulkari design.Baghembroidery, when done, covers the entire base cloth with such closely done stitches that the base cloth is wholly hidden under it. This is one of the mostoriginal Phulkari forms that can cost up to lakhs. However, there are many options if you wish to get Embroidered Phulkari for yourself but something that isn’t too heavy on work.
Chope is another popular Phulkari embroidery stitch close to a Punjabi woman's heart. Traditionally, this is gifted to a bride by her grandmother. It is said that a grandmother would start makingchope once her granddaughter is born and would carry it with her once she gets married. This is how deep-rooted Phulkari is in Punjab’s culture. Chope is sometimes adorned with a peacock or cow as a symbol of protection and well-being for the girl. Ikka/Meenakari Bagh, Kaudi Bagh, Surajmukhi Phulkari, pachranga phulkari, veliana-da-bagh etc are all other motifs that are usually associated with Phulkari work.
Women have worn Punjabi Phulkari Dupatta worldwide as it carries the charm of Punjab. Famous Amritsari Phulkari is highly in demand in India and across the globe. The hand-embroidered Phulkari can be worn as a dupatta, sarees and suits. The gorgeous handwoven Phulkari dupattas have been around for generations for the sheer exquisite look.
The thing about traditional Phulkari is that it is super colourful and can be matched with anything. Since red, green, yellow, and orange Phulkari dupattas are the most common base colours, you can compare them with similarly coloured kurtas. Add the punjabi juttis & parandi, and you are ready to become the pind-di-kudi swag.
Sarees never go out of style. Phulkari Kota Doria sarees are light and easy to carry in the summers. You can use even accessories with Phulkari by adding Phulkari work handbags and potlis or even belts made using these. However, if desi is not your style, we suggest you buy the traditional Punjabi Phulkari dupatta with Jaal embroidery and wear it as a cape or long jacket. You can even wear heavily embroidered Phulkari dupattas for your wedding shoot. Or add the beauty of a chanderi silk stole to your regular jeans and white shirt for that indo-meet-western look.
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A Traditionally hand-embroidered dupatta from Punjab is called the Phulkari. It is derived from“phul”, " flower ", and“Kari”, meaning handwork.
Pair it with a plain kurta & churidar for the best way to style a phulkari dupatta.
The starting price of a phulkari dupatta is Rs 1500 and can go up to lakhs. However, at iTokri, you will find everything that suits your budget.
Traditionally, Phulkari is handwoven; however, with growing demands, many machine-made Phulkari dupattas are also available. To determine whether you are buying a machine-made or a handmade dupatta is to look for the stitch on the other side.
All of Punjab is famous for Phulkari; however, Amritsar, Ludhiana & Patiala are known for their craftsmanship.
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