1. CHAMBA
RUMAL
Arjun k a
Sumesh b s

2. Introduction
 The Chamba Rumal , is a form of embroidery that
flourished in the eighteenth and early twentieth century in
the mountain region of north India.
 Running through Chamba, Kulu, Kangra, Guler, Mandi and
Suket, the craft witnessed explicit distinctions between
'elite' and 'folk art'.
 The languishing craft of the 'Chamba Rumal' refers only to
the delicately embroidered rumals created by royal and
elite women who had access to the professional services of
trained miniature artists.
 These miniature artists not only drew the theme to be
embroidered on the rumal in charcoal, but also provided
the women who would be embroidering the rumal with a
sophisticated colour palette

3. Location of Chamba
Chamba is the north-
western district of
Himachal Pradesh.
Founded during the
6th century, it is one
of the oldest
princely states in
India.
Chamba has a rich
history of crafts
including metal
crafts, miniature
paintings, weaving,
leather work, wood
carving, basketry
and jewellery
making.

4. Traditions
• It was customary to gift embroidered
rumals in a girl’s marriage.
• Subjects like wedding scenes were
popular and were repeatedly
embroidered.
• This handicraft , being an important item
of the dowry, was dependent for its
existence almost on the social custom i.e.
wedding.
• No marriage ceremony would be
reckoned complete with out the gift of
Chamba rumal by the relatives of the
brides.

5. Raw material
Traditionally, the fabric used to make the Chamba Rumal was
hand-spun or hand-woven unbleached thin muslin or malmal.
The most popular fabric , employed in Chamba rumals, was
khaddar because of its availability, low cost and durability.

6. Threads
The thread used for the embroidery was untwisted silk yarn,
which, in the do - rukha stitch used in Chamba embroidery. This
untwisted silk thread - usually made in Sialkot, Amritsar, and
Ludhiana - was the same as that used in the Phulkari
embroidery of the Punjab.
Untwisted silken thread

7. Needle

8. STITCHES
The stitch used in embroidering the Chamba Rumal was the do –
rukha, double satin stitch which, as its name implies, can be
viewed from two (do) sides or aspects (rukh). The stitch is
carried both backward and forward and covers both sides of the
cloth, effecting a smooth finish that is flat and looks like colours
filled into a miniature painting. No knots are visible, and the
embroidered rumal can be viewed from both sides. It thus
becomes reversible.

9. Dandi Tanka - the stem stitch
The outline in black thread is a marked characteristic, which
is a conspicuous characteristic of the Chamba rumal. After
filling the colourful threads in the figures and floral designs ,
these are finally enclose with a fine line worked out in black
thread , which apparently lends the powerful affect as seen
in pahari miniature painting

10. Criss Cross stitch
The use of criss cross stitches , which comprise a simple
technique of crossing two stitches of equal size in the shape
of a cross (X) can be discerned in several rumals. This stitch
as a unit comprises a running band mostly in red colour ,
arrayed usually in straight or circular line identically visible
on the both sides of the fabric. This criss – cross stitch is no
longer practiced by any contemporary embroider in Chamba .

11. MOTIFS
•Animal and birds motifs are used along with human figures
•Bird motifs - parrot, peacock, duck and swan
• Animal motifs – tigers, horses, rams
• Tree motifs – cypress and the plantain trees bent, laden with
flowers and fruits.

12. MOTIFS

13. PROCESS
STEP 1:

14. STEP 2 :
Outlining of drawing with charcoal by
the artist.

15. STEP 3 :
Do-rukha embroidery done by the women folks.

16. EMBROIDARY DESIGNS

17. Dice board

18. Radha-Krishna

19. Shikargah

20. Radha-Krishna
Krishna Ras Leela

21. Radha-Krishna
Krishna Ras Leela

22. Current designs, fabrics and tread
used.
Chamba Rumal on silk fabric
with traditional motifs
Currently, raw materials being used are cotton, malmal,
silk, terricot and polyester fabrics. Both twisted and
untwisted yarn is being used to do the embroidery. The
affect and the beauty of the Chamba Rumal are clearly
visible on the malmal or cotton. Other fabrics are mostly
being used to bring down the costs of the rumal and sell
it in the local market

23. Pahari painting in Chamba
There is a strong link between pahari paintings and the embroidery on
the rumals. The subject of the embroideries ranged from religious
themes, embodying the strong Vaishnava fervour in the pahari regions,
to themes from the great epics, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata.
Krishna surrounded by his gopis , godhuli(the hour of cow dust, with
Krishna and his cow-herd friends bringing home the cows); the Radha-
Krishna alliance are among the popular themes.

24. Important Works
So far, the oldest dated rumal is a 16th century creation
that is supposed to have been embroidered by Bebe
Nanki, the sister of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh
faith in India. This is now preserved in the Sikh shrine in
Gurdaspur in Punjab. A rumal depicting the battle of
Kurukshetra - from the Indian epic Mahabharata - is to be
found at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This
oblong piece is supposed to have been presented by Raja
Gopal Singh of Chamba to the British in 1833.

25. Bibliography
Books
Indian textiles,by John Gillow
Crafts of Himachal Pradesh , by Subhashlni Aryan
Indian Embroidery, by Irwin and Hall
The techniques of indian embroidery, by Anne Morrell
Indian Embroidery, by Jamila Brijbhushan
Fabric art heritage of india, by Sukladas

26. Websites
http://www.craftandartisans.com/chamba-rumal-embroidery-of-himachal.html
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/printarticle.aspx
http://niftcd.wordpress.com/chamba-rumal/
http://vibhavari.hubpages.com/hub/Indian-Embroidery-Chamba-Rumal
http://www.himbunkar.com/chamba.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chamba_Rumal_.jpg
http://mytextilenotes.blogspot.com/2008/07/chamba-rumal.html
http://www.archive.org/stream/ChambaRumal_709/Chamba_Rumal_1_djvu.txt
http://www.shimlahills.com/chamba-rumals.php
http://www.indiainfoweb.com/himachal-pradesh/arts-crafts/the-chamba-rumal.html