The word Phulkari literally means flower-craft or ‘floweing work’ and it certainly creates a flowery surface through the process of embroidery. It connotes a particular form of needle-craft practiced in the Punjab region by the peasant women for decorating their shawls, veils, etc. The principal centres for this art were Rohtak, Gurgaon, Hissar, Karnal and adjacent areas of Delhi in the east and Peshawar, Sialkoot, Rawalpindi and Hazara in the west (now in Pakistan). The Phulkari was initially a home-craft and were made only for use within the family. It was only in the later part of the nineteenth century, in times of famines and hardships that the phulkaris were put to sale to the collectors of embroidery.

The social-ritual significance attached to the Phulkari art added new dimensions to it and elevated a mere art-form to a philosophy. This accounts for its pursuance with great devotion, perseverance and passion. Embroidery thus was perpetuated and formed a part of social rituals and no ceremony was perfect unless the auspicious Phulkari, embroidered shawls were worn by the women.