Embroideries in The Kangra Museum

Collectors of Indian textiles will already know of the double-sided Chamba Rumaals made in Himachal Pradesh.

These usually have scenes from the Krishnayan – the life of Krishna. The art had almost gone extinct but is now being revived by some groups.

At the Kangra museum that focuses on paintings, a few textiles were also showcased.

The textiles presented there are good as a first lesson in the type of textiles produced there. But to learn about how amazing this category can be, google images will be a better resource.

Presenting below textiles from the Kangra museum:

And some other textiles:

Kangra Museum Embroidered Textiles Himachal Pradesh – Wovensouls

The embroidery on the last phulkari is interesting in the way the base cloth itself has been employed to create the checkerboard pattern.

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Some state museums in India have enthralled me with their collections while others have led me to think ‘why’. Even if I see a single artwork that ‘wow’s me – I consider the visit fruitful …

And so this visit was fantastic … but because of the paintings section.

More about that soon.

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Jaina Mishra

May 2023