Himroo, silk saree from India: what it is and how it is worn

Himroo is a woven fabric of silk and cotton from Aurangabad in Maharashtra, made from fibre once grown around the city. Tradition links it to weavers who stayed on when Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq moved his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in the 14th century, and it reworks the kinkhwab brocade once meant for royal families.

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Himroo is a woven mix of silk and cotton, both once grown around Aurangabad.
Its name comes from the Persian Hum-ruh, which means 'similar'.
It reworks kinkhwab, an older brocade that once carried gold and silver thread for royal families.
Weavers who arrived at Tughlaq's new capital Daulatabad chose to stay rather than go back to Delhi.
The royal family and a small elite used the famous Aurangabad himroo.

What is Himroo?

Himroo is a woven fabric of silk and cotton, made in Aurangabad in Maharashtra from fibre once grown around the city. Its patterns follow Persian designs, and its look is described as characteristic and distinctive, unlike other cloth. The name comes from the Persian Hum-ruh, meaning 'similar', because himroo reworks kinkhwab, an older brocade that once carried gold and silver thread, made for royal families. Fabrics and shawls from the city are sought after for a style all their own. In its early days the cloth was used by the royal family and a narrow elite.

Where does Himroo come from?

Historians trace the art to Persia, though this has never been proved, and some hold instead that himroo was the work of local craftsmen, with little Persian influence in it. What is recorded plainly is its tie to the 14th century, when Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq relocated the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad and many weavers came with the court. Offered the chance to return to Delhi, the weavers chose to stay and make their lives there. The city kept pulling makers in: under Malik Ambar many settlers arrived from far and wide, and when Aurangabad became the capital during Aurangzeb's governorship and the Mughal years, the weavers grew prosperous and the handicraft industry drew craftspeople by the hundred.

How is Himroo made?

Himroo is woven, and its manner of weaving is said to be unlike that of any other cloth. The material is silk and cotton, both of which once grew around the city itself. The pattern idea is borrowed: himroo is a replication of kinkhwab, the brocade in which pure gold and silver thread was once used for royal families. The craft took hold because weavers who came with Tughlaq's court settled rather than return to Delhi, and because the city later became a capital under the Mughals, drawing hundreds of artisans to its workshops.

Himroo, drawn

The cloth Field colour, brocade motif. Drawn from this page, not from one saree.

Draped A sketch of the usual Nivi wrap in this saree's colours.

Brocade: a motif lifted in gold or silver zari thread, woven into the cloth rather than printed on it.

Satin weave: the warp floats over four wefts before it is caught, which gives silk its smooth, bright face.

Colours, motifs and borders

The pattern language of himroo is Persian, and it gives the cloth a look that is characteristic and distinctive. In effect himroo copies kinkhwab: that brocade was once made for royal families with thread of pure gold and silver. Himroo carries that courtly manner into a silk and cotton cloth. Fabrics and shawls in this weave, made in Aurangabad, are sought for a unique style and design.

Aurangabad Himroo design shawl bedsheet. Photo: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When Himroo is worn

In its early centuries himroo was not everyday cloth. It served the royal family and a narrow circle of elites, and the kinkhwab it reworks was meant for royal families in its own day. What is recorded now is broader appeal: fabrics and shawls from Aurangabad are in demand for their style. The weave's standing came from that courtly link and from its Persian-style designs.

What Himroo means

The fortunes of himroo rose with its city. Under Malik Ambar many people came to Aurangabad and settled from far and wide; when the city became the capital in Aurangzeb's governorship and the Mughal era, its weavers grew prosperous. The handicraft industry drew craftspeople by the hundred, and the famous Aurangabad himroo served the powerful. Its fabrics and shawls stayed in demand, valued for a style that belonged to the city alone.

Questions people ask about Himroo

Where does himroo come from?

It belongs to Aurangabad in Maharashtra. Tradition links it to the 14th century, when Sultan Mohammad Tughlaq made Daulatabad his capital in place of Delhi, and weavers who came then chose to stay rather than return.

What is himroo made of?

Silk and cotton, fibres that once grew around Aurangabad itself. The cloth is described as a replication of kinkhwab, the older brocade worked in gold and silver thread, so himroo restates that royal fabric in silk and cotton.

Why is it called himroo?

The name comes from the Persian Hum-ruh, which means 'similar'. It suits the cloth: himroo is a replication of kinkhwab, the brocade once made for royal families with gold and silver thread.

Is himroo Persian or Indian in origin?

Historians trace the art to Persia, though this is unproved, and some credit local craftsmen, finding little Persian influence in it. The firmer link is to Tughlaq's move to Daulatabad in the 14th century, and the cloth's designs are Persian in style.

Who wore himroo?

The royal family and a select elite used the famous Aurangabad himroo in its early days, while the kinkhwab it copies had once been meant for royalty alone.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Himroo", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryPallu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes. Traditions, weaves and prices differ from one weaver, town or shop to the next, and it is not buying advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.

Himroo