Mughal whitework from Lucknow.
Chikankari is a needlecraft, not a weave — but in Lucknow the loom and the needle are part of the same heritage. The craft is attributed to Nur Jahan, the Mughal empress and consort of Emperor Jahangir, who is said to have brought Persian whitework embroidery to the Mughal court in the early 17th century.
Today some 250,000 artisans practise Chikankari in and around Lucknow — 95% of them women working from home. The craft received GI status in December 2008 (No. 119).
Thirty-two stitches, all white-on-white.
The Chikankari vocabulary comprises 32 named stitches, including tepchi (running stitch), bakhia (shadow-work from the reverse), phanda (knotted dots), and jaali (drawn-thread net-work).
The classical base is fine cotton mulmul; modern variants include silk, chanderi, and georgette. The thread is typically white on white, sometimes pastel on white, the design built through the variety of stitches rather than colour.
How to spot a real one.
- 01 Reverse stitchwork Hand Chikankari shows clean, varied stitches on the reverse. Machine embroidery has long messy threads and a single mechanical pattern.
- 02 Bakhia shadow effect Real shadow-work bakhia shows the motif faintly through the cloth from the front, with neat satin-stitch on the reverse.
- 03 Stitch variety Authentic Chikankari uses 8–15 different named stitches in a single piece. Machine embroidery uses 1–2 repeated stitches.
- 04 Mul base The base cloth should be lightweight cotton mulmul (or chanderi/silk). Heavy polyester-cotton "Chikan" is mass-market imitation.
- 05 GI / Lucknow registered tag Look for the "Lucknow Chikan Craft" GI mark (2008) or the SEWA Lucknow co-op label.
Living with it.
- Hand-wash cold
- White-on-white is delicate. Use cold water and a gentle, bleach-free detergent. Don't wring.
- Press water out flat
- Lay between two towels and press to remove water; wringing tears the fine threads.
- Dry in shade
- Hang flat on a padded line in shade. Sun yellows the white cloth over time.
- Iron damp from the reverse
- Iron from the back while slightly damp — preserves the embroidery's raised texture.