Kasuti is a well-known surface embellishment of Karnataka since 15th century, which one of the traditional and oldest form of embroidery found in India. The history of Kasuti dates back to the Chalukya period though it gained popularity at the period of Mysore Kingdom. Kasuti embroidery speaks about the people of Karnataka, their rituals, traditions, customs and professions.
The word Kasuti comprised of Kannada meaning 'Kai' means hand and 'Suti' is cotton thread, i.e. Kasuti is handwork of cotton thread in Karnataka language. Kasuti embroidery was famous in many places especially in the districts of Bijapur, Dharwar, Belgaum, Miraj, Sangli and Jamkhandi.
It was in the period of Maharaja of Mysore, who gave lot of support and encroachment to artesian to showcase their hand skill especially at time of Dashera, which was a pride and prestigious event celebrated every year. As people from worldwide were invited to showcase their talent, it was also in deed an open forum for exchange of skill and knowledge in all the process of art and craft forms. May be this is an evidence where Kasuti resembles the embroidery of Austria, Hungary and Spain. The women courtiers in the Mysore Kingdom were expected to be adept in 64 arts, with Kasuti being one of them.
Kasuti was a part and parcel of life in olden days, and also it became custom that the bride had to possess a black silk sari, called Chandrakali sari with Kasuti embroidery work done on it. Traditionally it was a custom to give gifts if Kasuti embroidered garments to the relatives when a child is born in the family. The mother used to train her daughter this art from an early age. It is considered a traditional art and passed from generation to generation. Other than the traditional saree, there are major five garments on which the embroidery is done are kunchi (bonnet and cape combined), lenga (skirt), seragu (pallav of a sari), kusuba (bodice), and kulai (bonnet). Usually Kasuti embroidery was done earlier on khans which is used as blouse pieces and Irkal sarees.
The motifs used in Kasuti are from temple architecture, raths and palanquins, bird motifs such as parrot, the peacock, the swan and the squirrel are common, the gopurams and deepamala of South India and lotus flower are the most favourite. Animal motifs used are the sacred bull, the elephant and the deer. The other designs used in Kasuti embroidery are cattle, cradle, flower pot and Tulsi katte.
The most popular colour combination used are orange, green and crimson or purple, green, orange and red, the brighter shades of these being preferred. The Kasuti embroidery is employed using silk threads earlier are from the tassels pendant from the pallu, now it is been replaced by cotton and silk threads.
The stitches of kasuti are Gavanti, Murgi, Negi and Menthi. Usually the stitches are employed in the pattern of Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal form through counting warp and weft yarns to make motif look uniform and similar at both side of the fabric. The motifs have to be completed as the stitching line comes back to fill in the blank spaces.
Kasuti has always been a domestic art which is now gained popularity globally because of the exquisite hand work, colour combination and intricate designs which machines have not yet been able to produce. Now Kasuti work has grown beyond its traditional boundaries to be used in other dress materials like the Mysore silk saree. It is now done on any type of fabric used for curtains, cushion covers and many other household articles of handwoven cloth.
Article by,
Mrs. Radhika T
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Fashion and Apparel Design
Nitte School of Fashion Technology and Interior Design
Email: info.nsftid@nitte.edu.in
