Kathiyawad means land ruled or protected by Kathi Rajput. Kathi is one of the types of Rajput who ruled present day Saurashtra region of Gujarat. so, anyone who comes from this region are called Kathiyawadi. Kathiawar embroidery has a great influence of neighbouring states and places like Sindh, Punjab and Kutch. Kathiawar and Sindh embroideries are almost identical and have much in common. Kathiawar embroidery is one of the marked techniques of surface embellishment of Kathiawar district of Gujarat state. Here the embroideries of different techniques and styles are noticeable. The embroidery is colorful, elaborate and lavishly done on the choli and ghagharas which is the traditional costume of Kathiawar. Sparking mirrors enhance the stunning beauty of the floral and figurative designs in vibrant colour contrasts. Kathiawar women not only beautified their traditional costume by embroidering in vivid colours but also prepared household articles like Toran and Chakla. The main feature of Kathiawar embroidery is the lavish application of mirrors along with chain stitch, darning stitch, herringbone stitch and interlacing stitch or Sindhi tropa.
Unlike Kutch, where the primary application of embroidery is the bridal trousseau, the Saurashtra embroidery is generally used for household and decorative items. The Toran, which is a decoration for doorways, has tapering pennants hanging from its horizontal edge; these represent mango leaves which are considered auspicious and welcoming. Another object, the Chakla is a square piece of fabric that the bride uses to wrap her dowry articles and later decorates her new home with it. Other such decorative pieces used on the walls and furniture are all heavily embroidered with cotton and silk threads and embellished with mirrors and shells in this part of Gujarat.
Intensely vivid coloured threads are used to create beautiful patterns of Kathi embroidery. Most popularly used thread colours used to create embroidery pattern include scarlet, purple and yellow among others. Not only on fabrics and attires, the Kathi embroidery is also extensively done in ornate wall hangings and door frames. The Kathi embroidery can be classified into two major types - Aditya Fatiya and Patch Work. Multiple colour threads are skillfully stitched to create elegant patterns on a variety of fabrics. One can easily notice lots of appliqué work which is used in Kathi embroidery.
Though the state of Gujarat is famous for a number of other embroideries, the Kathi embroidery can be easily distinguished from other forms and types of embroideries. Most common patterns in Kathi embroidery include animal motifs, flower motifs, peacock motifs and geometrical shapes among others. To make these embroidery patterns look even more beautiful, mirror work is done to fill the central part of the flowers and the eyes of the birds. Kathi embroidery looks best on base cloth like silk and satin. The thread for this embroidery is made from either cotton or silk floss. The floral and animal patterns created through Kathi embroidery mostly related to the Hindu mythology and therefore has a special significance. The base fabric for Kathi embroidery is of dark colour while the thread used can be crimson, violet, golden yellow or white with green in colour. The embroidery uses a special kind of stich pattern termed as herringbone. This special kind of stitch has the capacity to easily fill other stitches used on the fabric. The outline of the designs is done with elongated darn, chain and chain cum interlacing. Blue colour threads are scarcely used in the Kathi embroidery. Thread colours like green and blue are only meant to provide a balance effect to the overall embroidery pattern. Kathi embroidery further has many forms. Most popular forms of the Kathi embroidery are Heer and Gureri. The women also practice appliqué, the art of layering small pieces of fabric cut in various shapes on to a base fabric. Appliqué and reverse appliqué both are also sometimes combined with chain stitch and herringbone stitch embroidery. Ganesha is very often represented through this method on appliquéd friezes to be placed on top of doorways. From episodes in the epics like Ramayana, to animals like elephants, peacocks, parrots, flowers to even modern day to day objects like watches and music players, all feature in the colourful pieces of appliqué. Beaded needlework is also heavily practised in Saurashtra.
There is a legend to explain this phenomenon. Krishna once liked a demon in forest who had enslaved a thousand women hailing from all parts of India, and freed them. They became his gopis playmates and devotees and followed him Dwarka. Each of them brought along her own style of embroidery, all of which took root in this land of Saurashtra, making it a resplendent garden in which all types of needlework flourished. Probably the oldest and certainly the most important is the Kathi embroidery. The story goes that Karna, son of Kunti, brought some cattle breeders known as “Kathi”. Saurashtra is the centre of Kathi embroidery done by the Kathi community.
