Chikankari

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While Indian chikan work goes as far back as the early 3rd century BC, it was Noor Jahan, the wife of Mughal emperor Jehangir, who truly popularised this form of embroidery by intr oducing the Persian art in India in the 17th century. After the downfall of the Mughal Empire, chikankari artisans spread all over India, but Lucknow remained the main center. The Lucknow chikankari technique involves block printing the design on to cloth using indigo dyes. Then comes the embroidery process with needlework tracing the ink patterns. Show more