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Who knew an item as non-descript as the handkerchief can be so beautiful?! Once promoted under the patronage of the former rulers of the Chamba kingdom, the Chamba Rumaal or the Chamba handkerchief is a traditional accessory with detailed patterns in bright, pleasing colours. It is a rare visual art form representing embroidery done on a hand-spun cloth with an untwisted silken thread, which is greatly inspired by Pahari painting. This craft originated and flourished in the erstwhile state of Chamba in the 17th-18th century CE, when the fascinating art of painting was at its zenith. 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.
The cloth employed for the embroidery was generally unbleached muslin or khaddar. The designs were drawn in outlines with a fine brush by the accomplished Pahari painters. Sometimes, the female embroiders would prefer to draw the patterns and figures themselves. This resulted in two different styles one elegant and fine in craftsmanship and the other one somewhat coarse and bold in treatment.
The tradition gradually made its way out of palace walls and began to be practised by local craft clusters. The Rumals came to be an integral part of weddings, exchanged by the bride and groom’s families as a sign of goodwill.
You can learn more about the Chamba Rumal in this book – Chamba Himalaya: Amazing Land, Unique Culture – by K.R. Bharti.
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