Kantha: The Sustainable Embroidery of Bengal

The story of Kantha, a simple traditional hand made embroidery originating from the households of Bengal and Bihar. An ancient stitching technique passed down from mother to daughter, that reuses old cloth which makes it relevant in today's era of sustainability as well.

A work in progress - The Kantha quilt

Kantha is an ancient form of hand-stitch embroidery originating in India. The word Kantha means “rags” in Sanskrit, reflecting a tradition of using discarded clothing or garments to remake old cloth into bed coverings and other household items. Kantha may be spelled and pronounced in various ways: kantha, kaentha, ketha, kheta. Far more beautiful than the original name inspires, Kantha quilts are a vibrant patchwork of layers upon layers of patterned fabrics, bold colours and of course a rich history which is woven together with each stitch, patch and stretch of beautiful fabric.

One of the oldest forms of embroidery originating from India, its origins can be traced back to the pre-Vedic age (prior to 1500 BCE).The ancient practice was first mentioned in a book by Kaviraj 500 years ago. The first factory in India was started at Patna during the year 1920. Dr. Stella Karamrisch writes, that kantha was first manufactured in 1875. Kanthas were produced in Hugli, Patna, Satagon, Jessore, Faridpur, Khulna and other parts of East and West Bengal.

Kantha refers to both the style of running stitch, as well as the finished cloth. It was a craft that was practiced by women of all rural classes, "the rich landlord’s wife making her own elaborate embroidered quilt in her leisure time and the tenant farmer’s wife making her own thrifty coverlet, equal in beauty and skill." It was never commissioned by kings, nor ordered by landed gentry, but passed down in learning and dowry from mother to daughter.

The ladies layer their old saris and hold them together by quilting. Then they embroider them with simple embroidery stitches with yarn un-raveled from the borders. It usually depicted some stories of daily life, folk stories, epics, mythological background, ritualistic motifs, luxurious vegetation with roaming animals etc.

Originally, Kantha was a simple backstitch embroidery used to hold cotton layers in quilts in Bihar and Bengal. The maker is believed to be the “soul” of Kantha as the individual could record their life story in cloth using the colors of everyday life. There are different kinds of Kanthas named according to its utility. Arshilata, Baygon, Durjani, Lep Kantha and Suhani to name a few.

Kantha was invented out of basic necessity and was made of various sizes and layers as per the need, starting with small pieces of cloth for newborn babies, to the light covers for adults to use at night, and to wrap over the shoulders in winter mornings. Ancient Kantha quilts often had ceremonial symbols and animals printed and stitched in their patterns, and were used in births and wedding ceremonies. It is a treasured art of every door where in, the Bengali ladies irrespective of their castes, classes and socio-economic groups, are expertise.

Today, Kantha stitch design fabric is used to ornament different products like Sari, Stole, Dresses, and Jackets and so on. The bed cover and wall hanging of Kanthas were famous world-wide. They have gained a worldwide appreciation for their wonderfully eclectic and unique style of mixed fabric prints and patches combined with all-over hand-stitched. Kantha work is the result of innovative sustainable determination, philosophy, cultural sentiment and holiness.