TYPES of phulkari.....

Mainly there are two types of Phulkari...

BAGH: 

               BAGH is considered as the status symbol of Punjabi family. BAGH literally means "garden of flower". The embroidery is done with so profuse that the ground colour is not visible at all thus the embroidery become cloth itself. Unlike phulkari, BAGH wants more time, more patience, this is why BAGH is very expensive.

CHOPE:

               CHOPE is usually done on the borders. The chope is considered to be same on both sides because it was done with straight two sided line. Unlike other phulkari many colors are used but chope were done with golden and yellowish gold.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BAGH PHULKARI....

GHUNGHAT PHULKARI

                                                                            MEENAKARI PHULKARI

RESHMI SHISHA

                                          SURAJMUKHI

     BAWAN BAGH
















                  DARSHAN DAWAR

           KAUDI

                  SANCHI

   
           PACHRANGA

     
   
         THIRMA

All pictures source:google

Journey begins..........

PHULKARI belongs to Punjab. It is a traditional art taken place in Punjab for many years. Punjab was a place located at a point from where foreigners came to INDIA for the purpose of loot or to rule over, so it was known that it came from Iran. But the exact history of origin of PHULKARI is not known till now. I have researched from many books and from Google as well but didn’t get a clue.

But when Punjab came under the rule of Maharaja RANJT SINGH, the growth of PHULKARI take place. Also it got popularity when it was shown in the movie of “HEER- RANJHA” by WARIS shah. Earlier it was just done by the house ladies of Punjab to decorate their ODHINI. It was believed that when a girl born her grandmother start making her PHULKARI as a part of her trousseau. Each family has its own value as per of its motifs Embroided. They do embroidery about what they observe in their routine life, what they eat, or what animals they have. With the work of daily chores mothers also used to teach their daughter about PHULKARI so its theme was different from family to family. It was known that PHULKARI was done on khaddar which reflects the tough side of Punjabi women.

In Punjabi culture earlier it was also believed that when a girl was done with its PHULKARI this is  the sign of girl who is becoming a lady. Earlier it was only given or used when a lady gives birth to boy and when she went out for the first time with her baby boy and was given before the marriage of a girl at any ceremony done before marriage.

"PHULKARI"-" Do it wrong get it right"

Talented women of punjab(source:google)

PHULKARI is the hand embroidery of Punjab. It was introduced in Punjab from Iran from where it got its other name ‘GULKARI’. PHULKARI is made up of two words that is PHUL stands for flower and KARI stands for work, so it is all flower work. It was done on the wrong side of the cloth and it gave a right pattern on the right side. It was in the last quarter of 18^th century when Punjab was ruled by a Punjabi ‘Maharaja Ranjit Singh’. During this period architecture, fine art, music and various Folk Art  prospered. PHULKARI was also there in that. In villages Punjabi ladies start embellishing their ODHINI with embroidery. A variety of characters, forms and different motifs are there in PHULKARI. Different motifs  stands for different meanings. It differ from family to family .PHULKARI reflects the life of   women who embroidered it. Because they embroidered what they observe, what they see in their routine life.

Women doing phulkari(sourse:google)

Embroidery (source:google)

motif (source:book on phulkari)

PHULKARI.. is chosen as.....

(Source: Google)

I have been in Punjab since my childhood, I don’t belong to a Punjabi family but still I have an eagerness to know about Phulkari . I have chosen Phulkari as my topic to get down all my eagerness and to get all the answers for the questions I have in my mind for years. Now I got an opportunity to do research and to know more about its method, reasons, from it come from ,how it started, how it became traditional craft etc. Other thing which attracted me to choose Phulkari is that it is very colorful and attractive embroidery done through a tough stich and tough attracts. It was started in Punjab as Punjabi women love to do craft work being in their homes.