Parsi Embroidery: An Intercultural Amalgam

With motifs and styles cross borrowed from Iran, China, India and Europe, the craft of Parsi Embroidery tells the story of multicultural history embodying dynamic roots and routes.

In this child’s 'jhabla' or tunic you can see an inter-crossing mythical Iranian bird - the 'Simurgh' as the central motif. With the Simurgh, you can see a pair of peacocks from the Indian tradition along with Persian floral designs creating a vivid 'Gul-e'Bulbul'.

Zoroastrian women carefully guarded their embroidery and craft traditions across history. This bridal shawl found 150 years ago from Iran has embroidery motifs so intricate that a magnifying glass would be required to see them clearly. Parsi Zoroastrian embroidery carries on this tradition, while over the centuries it has amalgamated with Chinese style and symbol, Indian stitches and later European design.

This photograph, courtesy Late Elizabeth Gersivitch of Cambridge, depicts a 19th Century wedding shawl collected from Iran and carefully preserved. The Sun Motif along with a distinct 'Chinar Paisley' is visible here.

Colorful peacocks have been embroidered in this shawl with the sacred 'Ariz', or fish, emblematic of fertility.

'Ariz', or fish embroidered around the Sun in this Zarthushti Bridal shawl.

An embroidery cupboard with shelves containing Chinese lacquer boxes, wicker baskets with tools, and exquisite colors and shades of embroidery thread would be the trademark of a Parsi home up until fifty years ago. A shelf containing embroidery pattern books from all over the world with their intricate impressions traced on paper would be commonplace in classic Parsi households.

Often written instructions were found about color preferences, or initials and dates to indicate for whom and on what occasion, a pattern or a 'khakha' would have been created. This is visible in this design completed by Late Roshan Patel of Hyderabad.

Respect for material creation is a cardinal tenet of the Zoroastrian faith. With this, it celebrates the bounty of nature, in its sacred texts, myths & ceremonies. The 'Spenta’ or ‘bountiful world' to be treated with care finds itself embodied in Parsi Embroidery. This bright red Jhabla (a child's tunic) combines the Rooster from the Zoroastrian tradition with the Divine Fungus from the Chinese symbolic tradition.

The rooster and its crowing every morning is associated with the slaying of the demon of darkness and sacredness ascribed in Zoroastrianism to the archangel 'Yazata Sarosh'. Such associations make it a favored element on children's clothing.

The iconography of 'Humata Hukata Huvarashta' or 'Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds' comes alive in traditional Parsi embroidery. Flowers, birds and animals are often celebrated as emblems of power, purity and protection.

It was in the Tang and Song dynasties (618–1279 CE) that the Persian love of nature, mingled with the skill of the embroidery schools of China across the Silk Route. In this early stage of the intercultural amalgam, after interaction between Persia and China, satin stitch, long and short stitch and the Parsi 'Khakho' or seed pearl stitch, began appearing with Chinese chain stitch. The khakho because of its intricacy resulted in women losing their eyesight, and thus became synonymous with the 'forbidden stitch'.

In this undated 'khakho jhabla', the birds, placed in a Persian Gul-e-Bulbul pattern seem to be seated on an adaptation of the Chinese Divine fungus. The Divine Fungus in Chinese mythology symbolizes protection from the Evil Eye.

The China connection with Persia was an overland trade link, this would change into a sea trade link with the later Indian Parsis. The first Parsi to sail for China was Hirji Jivanji in 1756. For almost 200 years, Parsi traders prospered, trading at Canton, Macao, Hong Kong and Shanghai where the Chinese had begun exporting their embroidery to Europe as early as the 13th century CE.

Legend has it that a Parsi trader in Canton, watching craftsmen embroider a rich textile, requested them to embroider 6 yards of silk as a sari for his wife in India. These first pieces, embroidered on satin have no borders or 'pallavs' and seem like yardage often carrying Taoist and Buddhist personification & symbolism.

Parsi women following Indian tradition, began designing kors or borders to match the inner embroidery. The frontage or the pallav was designed to highlight the design.

This fish gara is an engagement sari made to order in China by Parsi merchants from Western India dealing with Opium, Tea and Textiles. The colours favoured in the Persian tradition were imperial purple and other such shades. As Indian influence developed, the auspicious Indian Kunku red or vermillion became a favourite.

As intercultural amalgam continued, the Indian Ambi and Persian Cypress combined to create powerful motifs for pallavs which included Chinese baskets symbolizing plenty, within their space.

The Imperial presence of Europe brought amalgamation of scallops, bows and ribbons bringing together four cultures in the Parsi sari.

In 2005 -2006 Parzor Foundation along with Textile Designer, Author and Curator - Ashdeen Z. Lilaowala conducted a detailed research project on Zoroastrian Embroidery for the Ministry of Textiles. He traveled through Iran and researched the embroidery of Southern China. Parzor has documented several private Parsi embroidery collections in various cities of India and abroad. As part of Parzor Workshops, Ashdeen conducted four training workshops in Ahmedabad, Navsari, Mumbai and Delhi.

Today his brand ''Ashdeen'' creates Designer Garas for textile enthusiasts across the world. In 'Spenta - Magical Manifestations', as part of The International Everlasting Flame Programme 2016, Ashdeen Z. Lilalowala brought alive a redefined take on classic Parsi Embroidery. Seen in this Sari are the charms of Chinese flora and fauna - clusters of peonies, imperial roses and chrysanthemum blooms intertwined with birds of paradise and elegant flying cranes.

As visible in this Sari, Parsi Embroidery is a work of different hand embroidery techniques that celebrates symbolism, colour and craft.