Chikankari and Kantha are two of India’s best-loved embroideries, and both are built from simple stitches – yet neither is counted. Comparing them with Kasuti shows how the same humble running stitch becomes three different arts.
What you’ll learn
- What Chikankari is, and why it is the opposite of Kasuti’s method.
- What Kantha is, and how its running stitch relates to Gavanti.
- The difference between Chikankari’s knot stitches and Kasuti’s no-knot rule.
- Why counted, traced and free work look so different.
Chikankari (Lucknow)
Delicate white-on-white embroidery on fine cotton, with shadow work (stitched from the back so it glows through), satin stitch and tiny knot stitches. The design is printed or traced onto the cloth first – the opposite of Kasuti’s counting. Chikankari is soft and flowing; Kasuti is geometric and crisp. Chikankari leans on raised knot stitches and texture; Kasuti never knots its thread ends.
The pattern is usually printed with carved wooden blocks dipped in a washable blue dye. The embroiderer follows the blue lines, and the finished piece is washed to remove them. Traditionally the ground is fine muslin (mulmul) and the thread is white, so the beauty lies in texture, light and shadow rather than colour.
Kantha (Bengal)
Running stitch through several layers of old sarees and dhotis, turning them into quilts, wraps and storytelling cloths (nakshi kantha). Kantha’s running stitch is related to Gavanti’s first pass – but Kantha is free-hand, follows drawn pictures, and is used to hold layers together, while Kasuti is counted on a single cloth.
Kantha is made across West Bengal and Bangladesh, and in parts of Odisha and Bihar. Traditionally women reused worn cloth and pulled coloured threads from old sari borders. Rows of tiny running stitches quilt the layers, and the same stitch outlines and fills pictures: lotuses, trees, fish, processions and scenes of daily life.
Three ways with one stitch
| Point | Kasuti | Chikankari | Kantha |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the design is placed | Counted | Block-printed, then traced | Drawn or free |
| Cloth | One even handloom layer | One fine, sheer layer | Several reused layers |
| Colour | Bright on dark | White on white (traditionally) | Colours from old borders |
| Back | Finished | Working back | Almost the same |
The lesson: the same basic stitch – a running stitch – becomes three different arts depending on whether it is counted, traced or free.
In more depth
Chikankari stitches
Chikankari has many named stitches; craft writing often counts around thirty or more. A few to know:
- Bakhiya – shadow work: a close herringbone on the back of sheer cloth that shows through as a soft shape on the front.
- Tepchi – a running stitch, used for outlines and simple fills.
- Phanda and murri – tiny knot stitches that form raised dots and grains.
- Jaali – open net-like areas made by easing the threads of the cloth apart, without cutting.
The origins of Chikankari are traditionally linked to the Mughal court, and stories credit the empress Nur Jahan, though this is legend rather than record. Lucknow Chikan craft has a GI.
Kantha kinds
Kantha comes in many forms: thick quilts for winter, light covers, wraps for books and valuables, pillow covers, small purses. The nakshi kantha (“patterned kantha”) carries pictures, often with a lotus at the centre and motifs in the corners. Each piece is personal: names, dates and family scenes appear in old kanthas. Nakshi Kantha has a GI in India.
Kantha’s running stitch and Gavanti
In Kantha, the running stitch passes through every layer, so the back shows almost the same dashes as the front. That makes Kantha nearly two-sided, but in a different way from Kasuti: it is one pass of dashes, with gaps. Gavanti adds the return pass, which fills the gaps and turns dashes into an unbroken line on both sides.
Tips for learners and teachers
- Stitch the three lines. On one practice cloth, work a counted Gavanti line, a traced running line along a pencil curve, and a free running line by eye. Compare them on both sides.
- Feel the cloth. Hold Aida, muslin and a layered kantha sample. The cloth explains why each craft works as it does: you can count Aida, you can see through muslin, and layers need quilting.
- Borrow Chikankari’s calm. One colour can be enough. Try a tone-on-tone Kasuti buti, white on white or indigo on indigo (Module 10, Modernising Kasuti – without losing it).
- Borrow Kantha’s thrift. Practise Kasuti borders on reused cotton with an even weave; it is a good way to use old cloth.
- Explain “knots” carefully when a learner already knows Chikankari: decorative knot stitches are fine in their craft; knotted thread ends are what Kasuti avoids.
Common misunderstandings
“Chikankari breaks the no-knot rule.”
Chikankari has its own rules. Its knot stitches are decorative, made on purpose on the front. Kasuti’s rule is that thread ends are never knotted, so both faces stay clean (Module 4, Start, end and join a thread). The earlier version of this lesson said Chikankari “leans on knots”; we have made the difference clearer.
“Kantha is Bengal’s Kasuti.”
Both use running stitch, but Kantha is free, layered and pictorial; Kasuti is counted, single-layer and geometric.
“Chikankari is always white.”
Traditionally yes; today it is also worked in pastel and bright threads on coloured cloth.
“Free stitching is easier than counting.”
Each is hard in its own way. Free work needs a sure eye and hand; counted work needs patience and accuracy.
For earning and teaching
For earning: Chikankari and Kantha are well known to buyers across India and abroad. When a buyer asks “is this like Chikankari?”, a clear answer – “No, it’s counted, coloured and finished on both sides” – helps them value Kasuti for itself.
For teaching: the three-line exercise above takes fifteen minutes and is one of the best ways to show beginners what “counted” really means.
Sources and uncertain points
- Kasuti details follow the D&D ebook, chapters 1, 6 and 11.
- Chikankari and Kantha details come from general craft knowledge.
- The number of Chikankari stitches varies between sources.
- The link between Chikankari and Nur Jahan is legend, not record.
- GI entries are as reported; check the GI Registry for exact names and years.
Check yourself
- Can you explain how a Chikankari design gets onto the cloth?
- Can you say what bakhiya (shadow work) is?
- Can you explain the difference between a Chikankari knot stitch and a knotted thread end?
- Can you say how Kantha’s running stitch differs from Gavanti?
- Can you name the three ways of placing a running stitch from this lesson?