The sarees of Amritsar
The Sikh holy city is a market for phulkari, the bright floss-silk embroidery of Punjab, now also worked on sarees.
Motifs of Amritsar
Woven here
Best time: October to March, when the weather is mild.
GI: Phulkari of Punjab is registered as a Geographical Indication.
Phulkari means flower work, and it is the best known needlecraft of Punjab. Women once embroidered cotton shawls and wraps for themselves and their daughters, in silk thread on thick hand-woven cloth. Today the same style is used for dupattas, suits and sarees, and Amritsar is one of the main places where it is sold.
What is made here
Phulkari is worked from the back of the cloth in a darning stitch, so that the long silk floss threads lie on the surface of the front in a pattern. Bagh, meaning garden, is a kind of phulkari in which the whole cloth is covered. Traditional cloth was coarse khaddar dyed red or ochre, while modern pieces use cotton, georgette and chiffon. Sarees with phulkari are usually a plain base with borders and scattered motifs.
The craft and its people
Phulkari was traditionally made by village women for their own households, and some pieces were made as part of a girl's trousseau. Today the work has moved into the market, with groups of women in villages around Punjab embroidering for traders and for craft organisations. Machine-made imitations are common, so ask whether a piece is worked by hand.
Seeing it
Amritsar's markets sell phulkari dupattas and fabrics, and traders in the old city can show the differences between hand and machine work. The Golden Temple, the main sight of the city, is nearby, and many visitors combine the two. Crafts melas and fairs in the state sometimes bring village embroiderers to the city.
A trail idea for Amritsar
- The Golden Temple complex Begin with the central place of the city, where you will see the dress of local women in daily life.
- The old city markets Look at phulkari dupattas and fabrics in the lanes around the temple and compare hand and machine work.
- A craft fair or cooperative Look for stalls run by village embroiderers who can explain the darning stitch and show a half-finished piece.
Written by the EveryPallu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Amritsar" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and workshops change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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