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An old Chamba rumal (museum collection)
Culture

The needlewomen of Chamba

Culture

The needlewomen of Chamba

Chamba rumal embroidery looks the same on both sides. Very few people can still do it.

An old Chamba rumal (museum collection)
An old Chamba rumal (museum collection) · Photo: Los Angeles County Museum of Art

A Chamba rumal is a square of fine cloth embroidered so that the picture is the same on the front and the back. Traditionally it covered gifts at weddings.

A single rumal can take a month. A handful of women in Chamba still teach it, in a room above the market where the light is good in the afternoon.

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