Bengaluru Silk
Peacock-Woven Sari, Zari Border
“A hand-embroidered, handloom, Ilkal sari features a contrasting border and pallu (end-piece) adorned with kasuti embroidery, a heritage craft of Karnataka.”
The body of the sari is made from cotton-viscose, while the pallu is crafted from silk. The intricate embroidery showcases religious and architectural motifs such as temple gopurams, animal motifs like peacocks and elephants with howdahs, as well as various types of foliage and flowers.
Larger designs are depicted near the pallu, while the main body is adorned with scattered geometric motifs of varying sizes. The entire sari is embroidered using two types of stitches: gavanthi (double-running stitch) and murgai (zig-zag stitch) to achieve the desired patterns.
The sari features a traditional Ilkal pallu and chikki paras border along both sides. The pallu is finished with hand-knotted, self-fabric fringes, and additional three-layered purple tassels add a contemporary allure to this classic piece.
Royal grace; sovereignty; the monsoon's herald. Identified across the body and pallu of this object.
Open motif entryCosmic order; mathematical harmony in weave. Identified across the woven ground of this object.
Open motif entryEmbroidery in India is regionally codified to an extraordinary degree: each tradition has its own stitches, its own colour palette, its own placement on the garment, and often its own historical practitioner community. The Krishna Lal Collection holds eight major embroidery traditions — from the running-stitch lyricism of Bengali kantha to the floral darning of Punjabi phulkari and the white-on-white delicacy of Lucknowi chikankari.