Bohri Community Beadwork: Heritage Craft of Mehsana

The Bohri (Bohra) Muslim community of Mehsana district has preserved a tradition of intricate beadwork and embroidery used in ceremonial textiles and household articles. Bohri beadwork uses seed beads, glass beads, and metallic beads in densely packed geometric patterns on velvet or silk ground. Traditional applications include janamaz (prayer mats), topi (embroidered caps), and takiya (pillow covers). Designs are handed down within families, with mothers teaching daughters the specific colour sequences and filling techniques. The Bohri embroidery tradition is connected to the community's commercial history: as merchants, the Bohris had access to imported beads from Venice, Czechoslovakia, and Japan that influenced their craft materials. Contemporary Bohri craftswomen are adapting traditional designs for lifestyle products, wall art, and jewellery. Craft development programmes in Mehsana help Bohri women access design institutions and export markets.