Bareilly Zari-Zardozi Embroidery
Gold and silver wire couched into velvet and net, for wedding wear and furnishing.
Bareilly in western Uttar Pradesh is a major centre of zari and zardozi — raised metal-thread embroidery in which gold- and silver-coloured wire, coils, spangles, beads and stones are stitched onto fabric stretched on a wooden frame. Local karkhanas produce lehengas, sherwanis, saree borders, dupattas, wedding accessories, potli bags, shoe and slipper uppers, and furnishing panels and trims. Bareilly is often called India's 'zari city' because so much of the metal-thread trim used across north India is made there.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh
Also Known As
Zardozi, kalabattu work, karchobi, zari-zardozi
Craft Type
Metal-thread hand embroidery (zardozi and zari)
Practising Community
Largely Muslim karigar households, with a very large number of home-based women doing piece-rate work
Materials
Base fabrics of velvet, silk, georgette, net and satin; metallic zari thread; dabka, salma, kora, gijai and nakshi coils; sitara sequins, cut-glass stones, pearls and beads; cotton padding thread for raised work.
Known For
Raised zari and zardozi on bridal wear, saree borders, bags, shoe uppers and home textiles
Where It's Made
Bareilly city and its qasbah towns in Rohilkhand, Uttar Pradesh; closely linked to Lucknow and Farrukhabad
Time to Create
Days to several weeks per garment or panel, by density of work
GI Status
Not GI-registered; Lucknow's related zardozi is a registered GI
Process Steps
Framing the fabric
The base cloth is laced taut onto a rectangular wooden frame so it stays flat and drum-tight while it is worked.
Transferring the design
A perforated paper stencil is laid on the cloth and dusted with chalk or ink to print the motif onto the surface.
Laying the foundation
For raised areas, cotton or soft thread is stitched down first as padding so the metal work will stand proud.
Couching the zari
Continuous metallic thread is laid on the surface following the design and tacked down with fine stitches from below.
Adding coil and wire work
Dabka and salma coils are cut to length and sewn on like beads; kora and gijai add matte and textured lines.
Setting sequins and stones
Sitara sequins, cut-glass stones, pearls and beads are stitched in to catch the light within and around the motifs.
Securing and finishing
All thread ends are fastened on the reverse, the piece is taken off the frame, pressed and, for garments, cut and made up.
Technique Glossary
Adda
The wooden frame on which fabric is stretched for zardozi work.
Dabka
A tightly coiled fine metal spring cut into short lengths and stitched down like a bead.
Salma and sitara
Salma is a fine metal purl or coil; sitara is a small metal sequin, the two often used together.
Aari
A fine hooked awl used to make rapid chain stitches and to couch thread from below the frame.
Karchobi
Heavy raised zardozi worked over a thick cotton padding, used for borders and formal costume.
Kalabattu
The metallic thread itself — gilded wire wound over a silk or cotton core.
Couching
Fixing a thread that lies on the surface by tacking it down at intervals with a finer thread.
Gijai
A stiff, springy metallic wire used for raised outlines and stalks.
A Craft Through Time
Mughal era
Court metalwork
Gold-thread embroidery adorns Mughal robes, tents, canopies and trappings, and the skill spreads to qasbah towns.
18th–19th century
A regional craft
Zardozi settles across the Rohilkhand and Doab towns as a hereditary workshop trade serving nobles and temples.
20th century
Export supply base
Bareilly's karkhanas scale up to feed the fashion, wedding and export markets.
Late 20th century
A home-based economy
Tens of thousands of piece-rate embroiderers, many of them women, work from home for city contractors.
21st century
Machine competition
Computerised embroidery imitates hand zardozi cheaply, pushing hand workers toward the finest bridal work.
Present
The zari city
Bareilly remains the main source of metal-thread trim and embroidered wedding wear for north India.
Did You Know?
Bareilly is often called India's 'zari city' — a large share of the metal-thread trim and embroidered wedding wear sold across north India passes through its workshops.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.