Chamba Rumal, as Chamba embroidery is popularly called, is brought to life by an arduous process where miniature painting meets weaving, opening up a world of stories carried through generations and traditions that speak of nature, faith and life, thus forming not just an embroidered masterpiece but a piece of literature itself. Usually embroidered on khaddar or muslin, its repertoire includes the daily life of Chamba, folk stories of the region as well as prominent stories from religious myths.
Chamba Rumal originated in the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh, and was widely practised until the nineteenth century. It can be broadly categorised into the folk style of embroidery present in Chamba and several other states of northern India in various forms like coverings, patwars (belts), cholis (blouses), caps, scarves, pillow covers, household accessories, chaupad (a game of dice) cloths, bedstead, wall hangings, chandwas (ceiling covers), and pankhas (fans) and the miniature style rumals that came to be in the late sixteenth to seventeenth centuries. The miniature form of Chamba rumal was based on Pahari paintings and Rang Mahal wall paintings and came up in the eighteenth century when the royal women took an interest in the art. Painters at their courts drew the outlines on fabric and then they were embroidered upon using pat (naturally dyed untwisted pure silk floss) or badla (silver gilt) on unbleached muslin. The miniature-style rumals also saw changes in the colour palette as instructed by the painters in most cases. Unlike bright shades used in the folk style Chamba rumals, miniature-style Chamba rumals used softer and muted shades.
Chamba lies at a crossroads with several centres of art in the Western Himalayas directly connected to Basohli, Kangra and Nurpur, which interacted over time as rulers encouraged the development of Pahari arts. Pahari art and culture flourished in Chamba during the seventeenth to eighteenth centuries. The reception of Pahari paintings in Chamba rumal, which created the miniature style of embroidery beyond the pre-existing folk embroidery, especially Basohli, Chamba and Kangra kalams (schools of painting), can be traced back to constant political interactions these regions had with Chamba since the mid-seventeenth century.
Both Chamba and Kangra arts flourished under the patronage of Raja Umed Singh and Ghamand Chand, respectively, and was continued by their successors, Raja Jit Singh of Chamba and Raja Sansar Chand of Kangra. A space for free exchange of artistic ideas between Mughal court painters and local Pahari artists was created during Raja Umed Singh’s reoccupation of Rihlu and Palam from the Mughals. Under Raja Umed Singh’s expanding state of Chamba, highly skilled Mughal painters along with Pahari painters together formed the various Pahari kalams of painting that we know today. The Pahari arts, as well as the Chamba rumal, thus developed through an interaction and exchange of ideas and techniques. For example, the Lakshmi-Narayana temple inscription of King Sri Simha of Chamba (1858–1860 CE) mentions an artist scribe, Upadhyaya Mirachu, settled there from Basohli; further, the annexation of Rihlu by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, 1821 CE, opened up the possibility of the reception of colourful Punjabi style of painting with the predominance of yellow, among other colours, on the art of Chamba. Miniatures and embroideries were offered as gifts to maintain political alliances, and artists were sent to other regions so that the arts could mutually develop their skills.
Because of its name, Chamba rumal is often confused for a literal handkerchief, but it refers to the art form of Chamba embroidery, which involves various stitching styles, techniques, images and most importantly, stories. Chamba rumal extends across various artworks like double-sided frames, handkerchiefs, covers, belts, sheets, shawls, dupattas, fans, and more. The embroidery is intertextual as literature and paintings are reinterpreted and one cannot distinguish paintings, stories and embroidery from one other when woven as one in the final creation.
Chamba rumal is made by using the dorukha tanka technique which has remained consistent over time. In this technique, a double satin stitch is done simultaneously on the back and front so that there is no wrong side. It starts from one end, after the outlines are filled using long and short satin stitches in various directions to produce the desired effect. The double satin stitch also brings out the sheen of the embroidery. Bandi tanka (stem stitch) is used to outline figures and floral borders.
The threads manufactured now are different from those in the past when threads were dyed with majith (madder) for red colour, indigo for blue, molasses for brown, naspal (bark of the tree) for light brown, kusumba for orange, kesoophool for yellow, kai (moss) for green and iron scrap for black colour; alum was used on them as mordant to make the colours permanent. Today, embroiderers often use untwisted silk and synthetic silk threads, apart from newer natural processes taught at training centres in Chamba. As the right kinds of thread for the delicate art of Chamba rumal making is scarce these days, artists stock them up from places such as Delhi and Chamba whenever they chance upon threads of their preference.
Local flora and fauna are recurring motifs in Chamba Rumal. There are different kinds of floral patterns where one sees. The drooping cypress trees are inspired by the Pahari-Mughal art banana trees; the barrenness and blossoming of trees reflect the moods and emotions of characters, especially when a rumal illustrates a story. Various birds and animal motifs are made to depict moods while weaving the tales of Radha-Krishna, Rama-Sita, Raagmala or Ashtanayika. Elements like peacock, chakor, duck, parrot and swan help bring out various moods of the lover, and elephants and horses mean courtly grandiose; motifs can also be symbolic such as in the Ashtanayika motif (Female figure 8-panelled) where the snake at the nayika’s feet symbolises danger, wilting flowers show her viraha (sorrow) and the blooming flora interacts with the hope of union she feels. Motifs of musical instruments form important symbols in the depiction of Raagmala, Raasmandala, Rukmini Haran, and festivals like the Minjar Mela Jalus. Be it a rumal set in a story from the court or a local story based on the life of the common people, we see an abundance of dholak, dholakia (dholak player), tanpura, veena, khartala (percussion instrument), sitar, and more such musical instruments in embroidery.
After Independence when the princely states were integrated with the state of India, the Chamba rumal craft tradition went through a major crisis due to loss of patronage. The art faced a decline in the last century and the rumals became inferior in design and artistic skill; many practitioners also started finding it difficult to continue as rumal makers. The efforts of Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay, the driving force behind the revival of Indian handicrafts and theatre post-Independence, facilitated the revival of the Chamba Rumal, and the first centre dedicated to Chamba rumal making was set up in Chamba, with Maheshi Devi as its head. The centre trained women and even provided them with a stipend; famous Chamba Rumal artists like Rajinder Nayyar, Lalita Vakil, Suraj Begum were all associated with it. However, in the 1980s–90s, the art of rumal making in Chamba faced another stumbling block as Chattopadhyay’s government-run centre closed. There were next to no similar avenues, and with the last of them a centre set up by artist Kamala Nayyar, which lasted just a year.[8] This time, the revival was ushered in by Delhi Crafts Council in 1996 through initiatives for conservation of Chamba rumals, and studies on the art form from available artefacts at museums and private collections. With the help of the surviving artists from Chamba, the initiative brought a new generation of artists together. A training centre, CHARU (abbreviation of Chamba rumal) was opened on April 3, 2002, at Chamba, coinciding with Kamaladeviji’s birthday. The centre also carried out new experiments with regard to fabrics and new ways to naturally dye threads. Award-winning senior artists like Masto Devi train students today at the CHARU centre. This initiative encouraged the art further and, today, several young artists in Chamba are starting to pursue Chamba embroidery professionally. In 2009 Lalita Vakil was given the Shilp Guru award for her ability and skill in Chamba embroidery.
