Sujani Kantha Quilt Embroidery Bhojpur Bihar

Sujani is a Bihar tradition of narrative quilt embroidery related to the Kantha tradition of Bengal, in which women recycle worn sari and dhoti cloth by layering and stitching with colourful running stitch patterns to create quilts, covers, and panels depicting rural life scenes, mythology, festivals, and the life-cycle rituals that mark births, marriages, and deaths. The Sujani tradition from Bhojpur and Muzaffarpur districts uses chain stitch, herringbone, and running stitch to create the characteristic narrative vignette panels with flat illustrative style in the primary colours of red, yellow, green, and black. Sujani quilts were traditionally made by women for household ceremonial use and as dowry gifts. NGO organisations including Sujani Mahila Vikas Sanstha in Bhojpur revived Sujani as a livelihood art in the 1980s. Today Sujani embroidery is produced for wall hangings, garments, and home textile for national and export retail. Bihar government has included Sujani under craft development support. The tradition is distinct from Madhubani painting but shares the Bihar women's visual narrative tradition.