Lehngā

An exhibition showcasing a traditional skirt

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Straight cut lehnga in satin with zardozi butis (1900/1935) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope

Lehnga across the land

by Saman Habib

Straight cut lehnga in satin with zardozi butis (1900/1935) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope

Among the memories of my growing up years is of my grandmother and mother handling and admiring these exquisite lehngā-kurtā-dupaṭṭās of brocade, himroo, Chinese embroidered silk, and even khadi with lace, zardōzī and mukaish embellishments mainly done in Surat. I was given a couple of lehngās as a girl and wore these for wedding functions, where most others wore ġarārās. When I too married a man with roots in Lucknow, I got to wear my grandmother’s wedding attire.

Newlyweds in Lucknow, Bakshi Studio, Hazratganj (1963) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope

My mother-in-law, a Lucknow girl, had been married in a lehngā too with a picture of that time taken at Bakshi Studio, Hazratganj.
 

Banarasi silk brocade lehnga with traditional banat and gota border (1900/1935) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope

A lehngā is a long skirt gathered at the waist. A closer look at the old Gujarat and Awadh lehngā styles reveals a difference. Both have a straight construction, but the former gathers at the waist when one pulls the izārband (drawstring) while the latter is gathered at the waist and stitched to a narrow belt.

Banarasi purple silk brocade lehnga with odhni (1900/1935) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope

Both these differ from the kalīdār lehngā with bias-cut panels, more common in Rajasthan and among the rajwadas of Awadh. Traditional Awadhi lehngās of the 20th century are mainly in Banarsi silk brocade, silk weave or satin. Most have a gōṭā and/or zardōzī border placed a little above the hem. These were paired with cōlīs/angiyās and later with blouses and short kurtās, with the dupaṭṭā worn in a half-sarī style.

Banarasi silk brocade lehnga with traditional banat and gota border (1900/1935) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope

The skilled kārigars of Lucknow made banat (zardō work on a ribbon made with coloured silk pieces) and ā combinations and one sometimes finds identical trimmings attached to the hem of a lehngā or the dhanak of a ġarārā/farshī pyjāmā of the same period.

A collection of lehngās from Lucknow...

Lehnga in banarsi silk weave with gota border and a contrasting blue satin edge (1950/1975) by UnknownLucknow Bioscope

Valentina Trivedi in her mother's lehngā of banarsi silk with gōṭā border and a contrasting blue satin edge.

Deep blue satin lehnga with intricate zardozi border, Unknown, 1950/1975, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Banarsi brocade lehnga with zardozi border, Unknown, 1950/1975, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Heavy  borders in floral motifs and paisley patterns contrast with the plain elegance of the lehngās

Kalidar lehnga of banarsi brocade with green border in gota-patti work, Unknown, 1970/1979, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Kalidar lehnga with zardozi work, Unknown, 2000/2020, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Gōṭā-paṭṭi on green contrasts well with yellow brocade on the left. Elaborate drawstrings hold up the heavily embellished  lehngā on the right.

Lehnga with gota and coloured silk chatapati border, Unknown, 2000/2020, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Lehnga in banarsi silk weave with gota border and a contrasting blue satin edge, Unknown, 1950/1975, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Lehnga of banarsi brocade (poth) with banat and gota border, Unknown, 1940/1949, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Touches of Lucknawi elegance, caṭāpaṭī, gōṭā , and banat add to the timeless appeal of the lehngās.

Scroll down to see cōlīs (blouses) and dupaṭṭas (stoles) paired with lehngās....

Satin choli/angiya embellished with gota murmura bel, Unknown, 1900/1935, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Back of satin choli/angiya embellished with gota murmura bel, Unknown, 1900/1935, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Cōlīs /angiyas with embellishments along the seams and edges, to be fastened with drawstrings.

Satin choli/angiya with zardozi, Unknown, 1900/1935, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Back of satin choli/angiya with zardozi, Unknown, 1900/1935, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Cōlīs /angiyas with embellishments along the seams and edges, to be fastened with drawstrings.

Bhavna Singh in a banarsi kora silk dupatta with a woven jaal in gold and coloured silk, Unknown, 1930/1939, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Fine banarsi silk weave odhni, Unknown, 1900/1935, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Bhavna Singh donning a Banarsi kora silk dupatta showcasing a woven jaal in gold and colored silk, alongside a fine Banarsi silk weave odhni, both showing the  exquisite craftsmanship from the early to mid-20th century. 

A banarsi silk dupatta with butis and border, Unknown, 1940/1949, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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Fine silk banarsi dupatta with butis and classic paisley koni, Unknown, 1920/1929, From the collection of: Lucknow Bioscope
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The above dupaas from the Lucknow Bioscope collection showcase the rich hues and the opulence of Awadh.

Lehngās continue to be the most popular attire at weddings and celebrations. A variety of crafts such as zardōzī, cikankāri and mukaish are used to embellish lehngā sets, thus providing work to craftspersons and helping sustain livelihoods.  

Credits: Story

Curation: Noor Khan & Saman Habib
Photography: Ayan Bose, Tasveer Hasan
Team: Mariyam Imran, Saman Habib, Noor Khan
Text, Editing and Translation: Saman Habib, Noor Khan, Sabiha Anwar, Isha Priya Singh, Waseem Ahmed,Stuti Mishra, Divya Joshi
Gracious Contribution by:
Bhavna Singh & Digvijay N Singh
Bina Agarwal
Kamal Misra
Late Anuradha Srivastava
Ragini Pandey Misra
Shipra Misra
Valentina Trivedi
Vasundhara Singh

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.