Aahir Embroidery

Aahir embroidery, is a flowing, curvilinear style, that uses motifs such as peacocks, parrots, scorpions, elephants, the milk maid and flowers. The outlines of the design are done in a chain stitch called 'sankali, filled in with a herringbone stitch called 'vana'. Mirrors, called 'abhla' are used frequently. The outermost detailed stitch is called 'kanta' because of its resemblance to the commonly found babool tree, The 'bakhiya' stitch is a detail stitch which looks like ants walking in a row and the 'dana' stitch can appear anywhere on the design, just like 'grains thrown on a map'. Designs are drawn freehand and transferred to the cloth by stencil. Contemporary Aahir artisans have added to this style, using signature elements such as a frequent use of teardrop shapes. Aahir women are the most prolific of Shrujan artisans and have been proactive in sharing their skills with non embroidery communities.