Patronised by the royalty of Himachal Pradesh, the Chamba Rumal is a fine display of Himalayan embroidery and crafts traditions.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.

You might also like: How a Conservationist's Love for Chittara Art Led Her to Empower the Community Behind the Art Form
Chamba Rumals are typically made in square or rectangular fabric of varying sizes. The base art, characterised by intricate lines, is traditionally drawn by miniature art experts. Once the art is complete, the embroidery—usually undertaken by women—is meticulously executed on the fabric. The earliest example of the embroidery incidentally can be found in Punjab — Bebe Nanki, sister of the Sikh spiritual leader Guru Nanak, reportedly embroidered one in the 16th century and the item was preserved in the state’s Hoshiarpur shrine. Another handkerchief made its way to Britain in 1883 when Raja Gopal Singh presented a Chamba Rumal to the British, embroidered with a scene from the Mahabharata, which was later added to the collection of London’s Victoria & Albert museum.
In the 17th century, the Chamba Rumal embroidery was done by the queens and royal ladies of Chamba for wedding dowries, important gifts and ceremonial coverings.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.

He writes, “The picture on both sides of the fabric is almost the same...The drawing is done in outline with fine charcoal or brush. The embroidery is done in a variety of colours by a double satin stitch carried forward and backward alternately. Both sides of cloth are stitched simultaneously so that the space on both sides is filled up making the design on both sides look equally effective and similar in content. That is why this technique is called dorukha (two-faced).”The motifs on these handkerchiefs have traditionally drawn from indigenous tales, including the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The figures of Krishna and his accompanying Gopis are leitmotifs in this embroidery tradition, and the subject also draws from the Bhagvad Puranas, nature and the lives of the local community members. Practiced actively till early 20th century, declining patronage from royal quarters led to the art slowly dying in the second half of the decade. Even as local artisans like National Award winner Maheshi Devi, Lalita Vakil, Chhimbi Devi and others have won laurels for their embroidery, the Chamba Rumal faded from public consciousness, even making way for cheap and inauthentic imitations.
In recent decades, revival efforts by NGOs and government bodies have turned the spotlight on the little-known art form again.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.

You might also like: Meet the Gujarat Artisans Behind Emma Watson's Costumes in the New Beauty and the Beast Movie
In recent times, one of the greatest impetuses to the art came in 2007 when the Chamba Rumal was accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) patent by the Geographical Indications Registry. It helped to curb the sale of inauthentic items and also brought the art form back into the spotlight. At the 2017 Republic Day parade, Himachal Pradesh showcased a tableau for the first time in four years, showcasing a massive installation of the Chamba Rumal designed by Prof Him Chatterjee, head of Himachal Pradesh University’s visual art and painting department. The greatest challenge faced by the Chamba Rumal embroiderers today is keeping the craft flourishing in a new age. Their strides towards revival may be small and measured, but the region’s dedicated karigars and revivalists have ensured that the embroidery tradition, often known as needle wonder, is being passed to future generations.