Manipur is a jewel of India with its beautiful landscapes and amazing people. The state attracts the population from all over the world with its landscapes, clothing, and jewelry. But there is one more jewel to it than most people know and that is Shamilami embroidery.
Shamilami embroidery is an art of weaving patterns and stitching. Popularly Shamilami embroidery is done on various clothing pieces but the highlighted cloth of them all is the border of a lungi, a wrap worn by women on their lower bodies.
History of Shamilami Embroidery
The embroidery is called Shamilami because of the animal patterns it uses. In Manipuri Shamilami means “wild animal patterned warrior cloth”. A piece of cloth with Shamilami embroidery was given to warriors by the King to acknowledge and appreciate their brave and heroic qualities. It was an honor to receive this piece of clothing and it held a high status in society.
Shamilami embroidery is also acknowledged in some parts of Nagaland. It is known as Naga Angami chaddars in Nagaland because they use Shamilami embroidery work on their shawls.
Akyobi Embroidery
It is a type of Shamilami embroidery which is inspired by a snake. In this embroidery pattern of a snake is embroidered. It is said that a snake was killed by the husband of a goddess. He tried to atone for this act later by making patterns of the gracious and legendary snake that was killed. Akyobi in Manipuri means circular. In this design circles connecting with each other are embroidered. The circles are broken with the use of a motif in the middle.
Hijay Embroidery
Hijay embroidery is done using black, white, and pink color threads. A continuous pattern is embroidered in this design.
Tindogbi Embroidery
This is a design of the indigenous tribe of Manipur. This embroidery is inspired by a silk caterpillar eating leaf.
Maibung Embroidery
This design is inspired by nature. The patterns of natural wood are embroidered in this embroidery.
The richness of Manipur culture astonishes every person visiting it or reading about it. The embroidery is one of a kind making it a wonderful embroidery full of inspired work and stories.