About

• Zardozi embroidery is beautiful metal embroidery, which involves making elaborate designs, using gold and silver threads.
• Sometimes they are studded with pearls and precious stones.
• They are once used to embellish the attire of the Kings and the royals in India.
• However, today, craftsmen make use of a combination of copper wire, with a golden or silver polish, and a silk thread. 
• This is because there is hardly any availability of gold/silver on such a large scale as before.

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History of Zardozi Embroidery in India

• The word ‘Zardozi’ is made up of two Persian terms, Zar meaning gold and Dozi meaning embroidery.
• A Persian embroidery form, Zardosi attained its summit in the 17th century, under the patronage of Mughal Emperor Akbar.
• Under the rule of Aurangzeb, the royal patronage stopped and this led to the decline of the craft.
• However, the style of metal embroidery has been  in existence in India from the time of the Rig Veda.
• There are numerous instances mentioning the use of zari embroidery as ornamentation on the attire of gods.

Main Centers of Zardozi Embroidery

• Zardosi embroidery work is mainly a specialty of Lucknow, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Delhi, Agra, Kashmir, Mumbai, Ajmer and Chennai.

Why in News?

The zardozi craftpersons of Bhopal suffer economic hardships due to loss of business over lockdown and also disruptions in supply of raw materials like artificial beads and gemstones from China.