From Silk to Synthetic Phulkari: The Long Journey of a Period Textile

Abstract

Present paper talks about a period textile called Phulkari, with reference to its revival in rural areas of Hazara, in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is based on my three years of research work in Hazara in particular in village Noorpur of District Haripur. The art of silk embroidery on phulkari chaddars and baghs (women’s shawls) originated in Punjab in 15 th Century, whereas in Hazara it can be traced further back to the time of Greek rule in the area. In olden days phulkaris and baghs were part of the dowry given to a bride as a gift at the time of her wedding. An integral part of the Hazara culture, this custom slowly died down by 1950s owing to various factors, but regained popularity in the 1990s on a more commercial scale. A traditional phulkari was prepared putting in a lot of hard work spanned over months and years by the elderly women of the household, to be given to the daughters of the family on their weddings. The period Phulkaris were made for personal adoration with pure silk floss [pat] whereas the contemporary phulkaris made today for more commercial purposes have taken the shape of a commodity and are currently sold in both local and foreign markets. This new popularity is owing to their unfading lure, beauty and artistry to attract local and foreign buyers. The newly emergent trend of commercialization of this period textile, embroidered with synthetic silk floss, entails more profit motive than its original purpose of body-adornment and keeping a rural tradition alive. Although, numerous products are produced with phulkari embroidery in Hazara, for the purpose of this paper Phulkari only refers to women’s chaddars or shawls prepared by using this particular type of embroidery.

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