Over four centuries old, chikankari is believed to be one of the most primeval and traditional forms of embroidery, with its roots sunken deep into Lucknow, the City of Nawabs.

Research has found references of this embroidery dated as far back as the 3rd Century BC. Megasthenes, an Ancient Greek historian, divulged the use of 'flowered muslins' that lack colour and embellishments by Indians. This, however, is not the most popular story of origin. The story of Noor Jahan, wife of Jehangir, the Mughal Emperor, is credited to be the most authentic as it has been fact-checked. 

According to this story, Noor Jahan is responsible for introducing Persian art during the 17th Century. She was rumoured to be a gifted embroiderer and particularly fond of chikankari. Jehangir became partial to the art and established workshops to perfect and uplift it. 

The word itself is derived from the Persian word, 'chakin,' which refers to a cloth that contains intricate and delicate needlework.

After the collapse of the Mughal Empire, artisans who embroidered chikankari migrated all over the world. However, one thing remained the same — Lucknow, which was still the main centre of embroidery.

Creating a chikankari garment essentially has only three steps - block printing, embroidery, and washing.

Block printing is the preliminary step where the chosen design is printed onto the fabric that is cut according to the final garment used to create. The designs are imprinted in hand-made blue ink on the fabric. To complete chikan work, a variety of stitches are put to use by artisans. To be more specific, a combination of around 36 different stitches is used in the embroidery process, which is the second step.

Herringbone stitches are used for shadow work and are done on the back of the fabric so that running stitches form on the front as an outline. Double back stitches are done on the front of the fabric to give the illusion of herringbone stitches at the back. Running stitches are meant to trace the motif on the fabric's front and are done on the right side. Stem stitches make stems on the fabric, and chain stitches enhance floral motifs. Both satin and fishbone stitches aid as a filler for the inside of the motifs.

 Jaali work, also known as pulled thread work, involves making small holes by pulling apart the weft and warp threads. The outcome of this work is a beautifully lattice fabric that looks like the window panes of royal palaces in India. 

Other stitches used in chikankari embroidery include the detached eyelet stitch, murri, Phanda stitch, Romanian stitch, detached chain stitch, couched running stitch, buttonhole stitch, shadow stitch, and several more. The embroidery itself can take up to ten days or longer to complete depending on the intricacy of the designs.

Garments with the alluring chikankari embroidery can be bought from designers like Vandana Sethi, Heena Kochhar, Soniya G, Tarun Tahiliani, Vaishali Agarwal, Dolly J, Gaurav Katta, 

Dhruv Vaish, Sawan Gandhi, Farha Sayed, Sonali Gupta, and many more on Pernia's Pop-Up Shop.