PHULKARI : ART & TRADITION OF PUNJAB BY NAVJOT PAL SINGH RANDHAWA & DAVINDER PAL SINGH (HARDCOVER)

A hereditary embroidery tradition, phulkari was historically practised by women of the Punjab region in present-day India and Pakistan. It is a form of counted-thread embroidery recognised by its neat, regular patterns of geometric and natural motifs, whose name translates to ‘flower work’ in Hindi and Punjabi. Embroidery was traditionally considered an integral skill for women in the region, and phulkari garments came to be closely associated with major events in their lives, particularly marriage. In the medieval and colonial periods, girls would initially learn to embroider small garments like odhinis or scarves for themselves, and as they grew older, produce chaddars or shawls to be handed down to younger generations of women in their families. Phulkari shawls are often gifted to brides on wedding days, especially by maternal relatives. 

The origin of the craft is debated, with some scholars suggesting that it was introduced to India from Central Asia by the Jat community in the late medieval period, while others state that the craft was born of influences from Persian gulkari embroidery designs. Phulkari embroidery and the traditions surrounding it have been mentioned in the Sikh holy book Guru Granth Sahib, and the eighteenth-century Punjabi epic Heer Ranjha.