Blessed Family Phulkari/Bagh

The word "phulkari" literally means flower-work. In a very poetic way, the word itself has lent its idea to the nomenclature of this genre of textile. If one considers the blank cotton (khaddar) cloth as a plot of land, and silk flowers are embroidered on it, it is called a phulkari. When the same cloth is completely filled with flowers and vistas, with no ground left blank, it becomes a garden, or bagh. Hence, beautiful flowers adorn the cloth, such as marigolds (gendha) and sunflowers (surajmukhi), or the produce of their beloved kitchen garden, such as cauliflower (gobi), chilli (mircha), and wheat (ghehun).

The Bagh about 100 years old is safely kept in our house in California USA

This is the blessed Bagh which was presented by our Nana ji, L Kanwar Bhan Khanna, and first worn by S Hari Narayan Singh at the time of his Sehra Bandhi in 1945. 

Family foto in 1945 of wedding of S Hari Narain Singh with Smt Har Kaur when this Bagh was used as Blessings of Waheguru.

The partition happened in 1947, and fortunately, this Bagh came along with very few other household things my Nani ji, Kesar Bai, brought.

So, at the time of the wedding of her grandson Sh Harish Khanna in 1953, Nani ji wrapped that blessed cloth of the family at the time of his Sehrabandhi. 

My dad and mom were very keen to get the blessings and my Nani ji passed on the traditional family Bagh to my Dad. Nani ji herself  placed on my shoulders with blessings on September 10, 1972, at the time of Sehrabandhi in Jangpura Ext New Delhi. When it came time for Shiv’s wedding, the same blessed cloth was wrapped on him at the time of his wedding on December 25, 1999.

On my wedding Day 1972

This precious piece of cotton cloth, woven with silken thread making a beautiful garden of flowers, has become ceremonial in my family. It is a proven piece of blessings that brings lots of fortune, togetherness, and happy expansion of families. 

I look forward to bestow this piece of blessed cloth on the occasion of the wedding of our grandson Gobind. All those in the family who are interested may borrow it for their weddings in their own branch of the family.