In an attempt to keep our content accurate and representative of evolving scholarship, we invite you to give feedback on any information in this article.

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.


    ARTICLE

    Thirma Phulkari

    Map Academy

    Articles are written collaboratively by the EIA editors. More information on our team, their individual bios, and our approach to writing can be found on our About pages. We also welcome feedback and all articles include a bibliography (see below).

    A type of phulkari with an unbleached white or cream base fabric as opposed to the red khaddar typically used in other phulkaris, thirma phulkaris are embroidered with floral or geometric motifs. Phulkaris with all-over embroidery can also be considered baghs. The design is mostly rendered with silk thread dyed in shades of red or magenta, as well as blue, yellow or green.

    These phulkaris used to be presented as dowry in the north-western regions of Undivided Punjab; today, this practice, along with the production of the textile, has been discontinued in these regions, spread across present-day states in India and Pakistan.

    Thirma Phulkari; Undivided Punjab, India; c. 19th century; Handspun, handwoven cotton plain weave (khaddar) with silk embroidery in darning, whip, and running stitches; 256.5 × 147.3 cm; Philadelphia Museum of Art
    Thirma Phulkari; Undivided Punjab, India; c. 19th century; Handspun, handwoven cotton plain weave (khaddar) with silk embroidery in running, darning, and chain back stitches; 251.5 × 140.3 cm; Philadelphia Museum of Art
    Thirma Bagh Phulkari; Undivided Punjab, India; c. 1900s; cotton, floss, silk; 115 x 245 cm; Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore

    Examples of thirma phulkaris are held in the collections of the National Museum, New Delhi, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

     
    Bibliography

    Beste, Michael. “Hopes & Dreams: Phulkari and Bagh from Punjab.” HALI Magazine, November–December 2000, 87–93.

    Lal, Krishna. Phulkari: From the Realm of Women’s Creativity: A Tradition of Handmade Embroidery of Punjab and Haryana: Selected Pieces from the Archives of IGNCA. New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, 2013.

    Philadelphia Museum of Art. “Thirma Phulkari.” Accessed September 14, 2021. https://www.philamuseum.org/collection/object/322099.

    Thakar, Karun. “Embroidered Truths.” HALI Magazine, July 2021, 100–05.

    Feedback
     
     
    Related Content
    loading