India has dozens of living embroidery traditions. Here are ten of the best known beside Kasuti, with two simple questions that sort them better than any other: is the design counted or drawn? and is the back finished?
What you’ll learn
- Where ten major Indian embroideries come from, and their main stitches.
- How to sort any embroidery with two questions.
- Which traditions share Kasuti’s counted method, and which share its finished back.
- Why Kasuti sits in a very small group.
Where and how
| Embroidery | Where | Main stitches | Typical ground and colours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kasuti | North Karnataka | Double running, zig-zag, darning, cross | Dark handloom; red, orange, yellow, purple |
| Phulkari | Punjab | Darning, worked from the back | Coarse khaddar; golden and bright silk floss |
| Toda | Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu | Counted darning | White cotton; red and black |
| Sandur Lambani | Ballari, Karnataka | Mirror, cross, darning, appliqué and more | Dark cotton; bright threads, mirrors, coins |
| Chikankari | Lucknow | Shadow work, satin, tiny knot stitches | White on fine cotton or muslin |
| Kantha | Bengal | Running stitch through layers | Layered old sarees and dhotis |
| Kutch | Gujarat | Chain, mirror, interlacing, counted satin | Bright colours, mirrors |
| Chamba rumal | Himachal Pradesh | Double satin stitch (do-rukha) | Fine cotton; silk floss, painterly scenes |
| Sozni | Kashmir | Fine satin and stem stitch | Pashmina and wool shawls |
| Zardozi | Lucknow, Agra and beyond | Couched metal thread | Silk, velvet; gold and silver |
| Aari | Across India | Hook chain stitch on a frame | Silk and blends; beads and zari |
The two questions
| Embroidery | Counted? | Back finished? |
|---|---|---|
| Kasuti | Yes | Yes (Gavanti, Murgi) |
| Phulkari | Yes | No (one kind, the chope, is an exception) |
| Toda | Yes | Not a feature |
| Sandur Lambani | Partly | No |
| Chikankari | No – traced | No |
| Kantha | No | Almost |
| Kutch | Mostly drawn; some styles counted | No |
| Chamba rumal | No – drawn | Yes |
| Sozni | No | In do-rukha pieces |
| Zardozi | No | No |
| Aari | No | No |
Only a handful are both counted and finished on both sides – and Kasuti is the one that does it with a whole system of four stitches and no knots. The next lessons compare it with its closest relatives in detail.
In more depth
Counted or drawn
A counted embroidery places every stitch by counting the threads of the cloth. It needs an even, visible weave, and its shapes come out stepped and geometric. A drawn embroidery starts from a design printed, traced or painted onto the cloth. It can follow any curve, and the cloth can be fine and tightly woven.
Kutch is a good reminder that one region can have both. Most Kutch styles are drawn, but suf (a counted satin stitch built from tiny triangles), kharek (counted satin bands) and the fine cross stitch of some Jat groups are counted, much like Kasuti.
Finished back or working back
A working back is the normal side you never show: thread travels, ends are knotted or fastened, and the piece is often lined. A finished back is planned to look neat or even identical. In Kasuti, Gavanti and Murgi give a finished back by their double running logic. In Chamba rumal and do-rukha Sozni, careful double satin and fine stitching give a finished back by a different route.
GI tags
Several of these crafts hold a Geographical Indication, including Kasuti, Sandur Lambani embroidery, Lucknow Chikan craft, Phulkari, Toda embroidery, Kutch embroidery, Chamba rumal, Kashmir Sozani craft, Nakshi Kantha and Lucknow Zardozi. A GI is shared recognition, not a mark of which craft is “better”.
Others worth knowing
This table is only a start. Other traditions include the sujni quilts of Bihar, Pipli appliqué from Odisha, Rabari and Banni work in Gujarat, gota patti from Rajasthan, and Kashmiri crewel work. All can be sorted with the same two questions.
Tips for learners and teachers
- Use the two questions on anything. At a craft fair, ask “counted or drawn?” and “back finished?” about every piece. You will quickly learn to read embroidery.
- Look at the shapes. Stepped curves suggest counting; smooth, flowing curves suggest drawing.
- Look at the cloth. Counted work needs a weave you can see. Very fine muslin or velvet almost always means drawn work.
- Make a swatch strip. Teachers can stitch a short sample of each main stitch family – darning, double running, chain, satin, cross – on one strip for learners to handle.
- Turn the table into a quiz. Read out a description and ask learners to name the embroidery.
Common misunderstandings
“Kutch embroidery is never counted.”
Most of it is drawn, but some Kutch styles, such as suf and kharek, are counted. (The earlier version of this lesson said “No”; we have corrected it.)
“Chikankari uses knots, so it breaks the same rule as Kasuti.”
Chikankari’s “knots” are decorative stitches (such as phanda and murri) that form little raised dots on the front. Kasuti’s rule is about not knotting the thread ends. They are different things.
“A finished back always means counted work.”
No. Chamba rumal and do-rukha Sozni are drawn, yet finished on both sides.
“Only Kasuti has a GI.”
Many Indian embroideries have one. Kasuti’s GI matters, but it is not what makes Kasuti unique.
For earning and teaching
For earning: customers often confuse embroideries. If you can explain in a sentence how Kasuti differs from Phulkari or Chikankari, you sound like an expert, and buyers trust experts. Never borrow another craft’s name to sell your work.
For teaching: this table makes a good handout. Many learners join a Kasuti class already knowing Chikankari or Aari; starting from what they know helps them see what is new.
Sources and uncertain points
- The tables are summaries. Each tradition has many local styles that do not fit a single row.
- Kutch “counted” styles (suf, kharek, some Jat work) come from general craft knowledge; the earlier lesson listed Kutch as not counted, which we have corrected.
- Whether the back of Toda work is neat is described differently in different sources; we have kept “not a feature”.
- The two-sided nature of Phulkari chope, worked in a double running stitch, is reported in craft writing.
- The GI list is as reported; check the current register of the Geographical Indications Registry for exact names and years.
Check yourself
- Can you name the two questions that sort Indian embroideries?
- Can you name two embroideries that are counted, like Kasuti?
- Can you name two that are finished on both sides but drawn?
- Do you know why Kutch is a “both” region?
- Can you explain the difference between Chikankari’s knots and Kasuti’s no-knot rule?