Patola double-ikat silk saree from Patan, Gujarat — a textile of the Indian royal courts

The Royal Courts of India: Every Kingdom Had a Cloth

June 28, 2026 Khinkhwab Team

India was never one court. It was dozens — and each one had a cloth. Learn the courts and the map of Indian textiles suddenly stops being a list and starts being a story about power, marriage, climate and pride.

✨ Fun fact: The Nizam of Hyderabad was, for a time, reckoned the richest man on earth. The Gaekwads of Baroda owned a carpet embroidered with something like two million pearls. And yet the object a queen actually chose to be remembered by was, more often than not, a saree.

Mughal court durbar scene emperor receiving nobles 17th century Metropolitan Museum — Mughal court scene, 17th century. Metropolitan Museum of Art (Public Domain). Every garment visible — the *jama*, the *patka*, the turban — was a statement of rank. Cloth was the record of power.

The Mughals — Delhi, Agra, Lahore

The centre of gravity. Imperial karkhanas, the khil’at as an instrument of government, kamkhwab by the bolt, and the flowering plant that becomes the buti on your saree. Theirs is the court from which the Banarasi ultimately descends.

Awadh — Lucknow, and the art of understatement

The Nawabs of Awadh made splendour quiet. Lucknow’s signature is chikankari — white thread on white muslin, so subtle only someone who knew could tell what it cost. Alongside it, heavy zardozi in gold.

The Rajput courts — Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur

Desert answers: bandhani’s thousand knots and leheriya’s diagonal waves, the gold-foil glitter of gota patti.

Bandhani tie-dye textile from Rajasthan — Bandhani — tied knot by knot, then dyed. A desert court’s answer to pattern.

Gujarat — Patan, Ahmedabad, and the export machine

Ahmedabad ran one of Akbar’s great karkhanas; Patan produced patola, so precious it was exported to Indonesia and treated there as sacred cloth; Kutch gave us ajrakh.

Patola double-ikat sari from Patan Gujarat — Patola from Patan — both warp *and* weft tied and dyed before weaving. Kings gave these away. So did the Dutch East India Company.

The Deccan, Kashmir, Bengal, South India, Maharashtra

The Deccan’s kalamkari was so good Europe banned it. Kashmir’s kani shawl sent a motif round the world. Bengal wove muslin so fine it was called woven air. Kanchipuram borrowed its borders from temple gopurams. Maharashtra gave us Paithani — the peacock saree, tapestry-woven in pure gold.

Handwoven Banarasi Katan Silk Kinkhab Meenakari Saree in Butter Yellow — Khinkhwab — Katan Silk Kinkhab Meenakari Saree in Butter Yellow — Khinkhwab. And Banaras — where every court came to buy. The gold of all India’s thrones, woven into one saree.

The thread we love

Every one of these courts is gone. Every one of these cloths is still being woven. That is because the weavers outlasted the kings, which is generally how it goes. Explore our Brocade Fabric collection.

Frequently asked questions

Which Indian court is associated with which textile?

Mughals with kamkhwab and muslin; Awadh with chikankari and zardozi; Rajput courts with bandhani, leheriya, gota; Gujarat with patola and ajrakh; Deccan with kalamkari; Kashmir with pashmina; Bengal with muslin, jamdani, baluchari; South with Kanjeevaram; Maharashtra with Paithani — and all of them with Banaras, where they came to buy.