In Chikankari, Ulti Bakhiya is the famous technique widely recognized as "shadow work." As the name ulti (meaning reverse or upside-down) suggests, the artisan works entirely on the back side of sheer or semi-transparent fabrics like fine cotton, georgette, or chiffon. The threads are stitched back and forth in a tight, crisscrossing pattern to completely fill a motif, such as a leaf or petal. On the front, this dense network of thread shows through the sheer material as a delicate, opaque shadow, while the tiny points where the needle catches the fabric create a neat, continuous outline of microscopic stitches. This beautiful, subtle interplay of shadow and delicate framing is one of the most iconic and beloved hallmarks of traditional Lucknowi embroidery.
Ulti Bakhiya
