Kasuti is a traditional form of folk embroidery practised in the state of Karnataka, India.[An exhibition of Kasuti work is reported by ] Kasuti work which is very intricate sometimes involves putting up to 5,000 stitches by hand and is traditionally made on dresswear like Ilkal saree sarees, Choli/Kuppasa(Khana) and Achkan. The Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation (KHDC) holds a geographical indications (GI) protection for Kasuti embroidery which provides intellectual property rights on Kasuti to KHDC.[History of Kasuti is mentioned by ]
History
The history of Kasuti dates back to the
Chalukya period.
The name
Kasuti is derived from the words
Kai (meaning hand) and
Suti/suttu (meaning wrap/weave), indicating an activity that is done using cotton and hands.
[The origin of Kasuti is discussed by ] The women courtiers in the
Mysore Kingdom in the 17th century were expected to be adept in 64 arts, with Kasuti being one of them.
The Kasuti embroidery features folk designs influenced by rangoli patterns of
Karnataka. In Karnataka
Sari embroidered with Kasuti were expected to be a part of the bridal trousseau of which one saree made of black silk with Kasuti embroidery called
Chandrakali saree was of premier importance.
Kasuti work
Kasuti work involves embroidering very intricate patterns like
gopura,
chariot,
palanquin, lamps and
. Locally available materials are used for Kasuti. The work is laborious and involves counting of each thread on the cloth. The patterns are stitched without using knots to ensure that both sides of the cloth look alike.
[A detailed description of Kasuti work is provided by ] Different varieties of stitches are employed to obtain the desired pattern. Four types of the stitches employed are
Gavanthi,
Murgi,
Negi and
Menthi.
[A brief description of Kasuti is provided by ] Gavanthi is a double running stitch used for marking vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines,
Murgi is a zig-zag stitch,
Negi is a running stitch and
Menthi is a cross stitch resembling fenugreek seeds.
Current scenario
Kasuti work has grown beyond its traditional boundaries to be used in other dress materials like the
Mysore silk saree.
[Mysore silk sarees using Kasuti work is mentioned by
] A Kasuti centre was set up in
Hubli,
Karnataka by the Department of Social Welfare, Government of
Karnataka to encourage the Kasuti culture and also provide a single roof for the
rural women to showcase their craft.
However Kasuti work is suffering from poor patronage with not many people willing to take the craft seriously; an indication of which is the closure of the
Karnataka Kasuti classes by the JSS college in
Dharwad.
See also
Notes
External links
