[4] Earliest reported form of this rumal is the one made by Bebe Nanaki, sister of Guru Nanak in the 16th century, which is now preserved in the Gurudwara at Hoshiarpur.

The Victoria Albert Museum, London has a rumal which was gifted to the British in 1883 by Raja Gopal Singh and it has an embroidered scene of the Kurukshetra War of the epic Mahabharta.

Women created highly ornamental patterns using untwined thread made of silk produced in Sialkot (in Pakistan), Amritsar and Ludhiana.

The embroidery technique adopted, called the dohara tanka or double satin stitch, created distinct identical patterns on both faces of the fabric, which were attractive when viewed even from distance of 10 ft and more.

In early 19th century, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled over the Punjab Hill States, Sikh style of painting also influenced the Chamba Rumal.