The Enthralling Journey Of The Treasured Zari Embroidery

By Maliha Tabassum

Zari work is one of the most luxurious and ancient forms of embroidery in India, long associated with royalty and the elite sections of society. The zari work we know today is quite different from its original form. It flourished under the Mughals but first came to India as early as the 12th century, brought by the Persians.

Let’s learn more about the enthralling journey of zari embroidery.

The history of zari

The luxe, intricate zari embroidery has a fascinating history that saw a roller-coaster ride in relevance and demand. Believed to have been brought by the first Turko-Afghan sultanate in the 12th century, it became firmly established only under the Mughal dynasty in the early 16th century. The clothing of the ruling class saw extensive use of zari embellishment, and so it came to be associated with glory and royalty. Mughal emperors and their ministers sported zari-embroidered anarkali dresses. What made the embroidery more exclusive was the use of precious metals like gold and silver — a reflection of the nobility’s fascination with purity.

The downfall

Zari work began with pure gold and silver, with chunks of these metals formed into delicate, intricate yarn through various stages. The preferred cloth was mostly silk or high-grade cotton. Artists took months to work on a single piece, all by hand, and highly skilled craftspeople passed on their work as a legacy that took years to develop. It was time-consuming and remained exclusive to the ruling class. The breakdown of zari work came with the decline of the Mughal dynasty in the 18th century — exclusivity, high cost, high maintenance and the scarcity of precious metals all drove down demand.

The transition

With advances in the clothing and fashion sector, people found alternatives to zari’s pressing challenges. Its impeccable beauty could not be denied, and so zari saw a revival. Metals like copper and brass replaced pure gold and silver — first silver-electroplated copper wire, and then metallic zari — which effectively cut cost and increased longevity. Earlier, maintaining zari clothes was a herculean task; after a year or so the metal would react with the air and the embroidery would appear dull and dark, so people followed a set of guidelines to preserve their outfits. A wider range of fabrics came into use, not just silk and high-grade cotton, and machine work broadened accessibility across classes. The patriarchal lineage of passing on the skill was also challenged after the revival — women, along with men, worked as zari artists.

Designs and motifs

Initially, the motifs and colours had a Persian flair, mostly inspired by nature — leaves, flowers, the moon, animals and more — and the Mughals brought their own impression and technique to the craft. What we see today is an evolution of zari work, a fusion of many cultures. Artisans took the liberty to move beyond traditional designs and adapt to changing times, giving us geometric and contemporary motifs. Craftspeople also incorporated beads and sequins with zari to create a captivating look. The heavy, close-to-impractical embroidery that once put people off is now embraced in zari-embellished outfits. Lucknow, Bhopal, Surat, Hyderabad, Kashmir and Agra see massive production of zari-embellished clothes. The old practice of outlining a design, hanging the fabric over a wooden frame (adda) and using a crochet-like needle to trace the pattern may not be followed as widely, but the beauty of zari work remains alive in the hearts of its admirers. Its close cousin, the metal-and-wire craft of zardozi, carries the same legacy forward.

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