India Post Special Covers on GI Tagged Products: 059. Phulkari

Phulkari is a traditional embroidery work with intricate and original geometric or floral designs and patterns, balanced to composition, pleasing and harmonious colour combinations. Originally, Sikhs were the main practitioners and patrons of this art form. However, today Phulkari is made all over Punjab and parts of Haryana and Rajasthan.

The stitches are even, regular and smooth which is reflected at the back of the Phulkari. Only faint and smooth lines of very small dots at regular intervals will be formed on the reverse of the cloth where Phulkari is done

Phulkari means “flower working” or “flower embroidery”. This art form originated in Punjab as early as the 15th century. This form of embroidery has more than twenty three patterns which are skillfully reproduced by artisans trained in this art for several generations.

There are two types of Phulkari – ordinary Phulkari and Bagh Phulkari. In the case of ordinary Phulkari, the embroidery does not cover the entire ground cloth. The designs are scattered over the ground cloth and the same is visible. On the other hand, in the case of a Bagh, the embroidery is so dense that the ground cloth is hardly visible.

The beauty of Phulkari lies in its intricate and original geometric or floral designs and patterns, balanced composition, pleasing and harmonious colour combinations, which makes it an exquisite work of art. The stitches must be even, regular and smooth which is reflected at the back of the Phulkari. In the best embroidered Phulkari, only faint and smooth lines of very small dots at regular intervals will be formed on the reverse of the cloth.

What distinguishes Phulkari from any other form of embroidery is the extensive use of short and long darn stitches over systematically counted strands of thread on the cloth. Phulkari is invariably embroidered on dyed khaddar. The reason for using khaddar is that counting of strands of thread for embroidery in short and long darn stitches is easier on coarse khaddar.