Arts & Crafts of India
The first thing that startles most visitors to India is the sheer abundance of color. Just look around you – the many idols of gods and goddesses, the clothes, the trucks and all the knick-knacks in the dozens of shops you see at Delhi’s Janpath are a riot of color.
¤ Skilled Artisans
All this is the work of thousands of unsung, unappreciated artisans and crafts persons who make magic with their very hands. They are the ones who make those fabulous tie-and-dye skirts, those fantastically embroidered Gujarati cholis, that lacquered furniture and that beautifully studded silver jewellery. India may be a land of farmers but it is equally a land of artisans.
Unfortunately, Indian arts and crafts have been teetering on the edge of extinction for a long time. Demand for indigenous arts and crafts nose-dived with the setting up of large-scale industry in India. After all, in a poor country like India, machine-made saris – to give you but one example – are cheaper and therefore more affordable than handloom saris. The list is endless. This has left artisans with little choice but to abandon their age-old professions and become common laborers, factory workers or government clerks. In either case, the loss has been of ours.
Thankfully, efforts have been made by both government and non-government agencies to keep our art and craft tradition alive and kicking. Here then is an overview of the major arts and crafts of India.
Especially fascinating for foreigners is the printing of cloth with carved wooden blocks. Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Jodhpur and Bikaner in Rajasthan are the strongholds of this craft. The floral motifs favored by the printers of Bagru and Sanganer (Around Jaipur) are Persian in origin, though Sanganeri designs are more sophisticated. They usually have a white or pale background decorated with colorful twigs or sprays. The not-so-fine Bagru prints were initially meant for peasants and had a light brown background.
¤ Method of Printing
Rajasthan has a long and distinguished tradition of printing with finely carved wooden blocks. What you might have already seen in Delhi’s Rajasthali or Fabindia is merely the tip of the iceberg. Head for Bagru and Sanganer, not far from Jaipur, to see for yourself how cloth is printed by hand.
This method, though labourious, is actually quite simple and merely calls for precision. The cloth is laid out flat on a table or bench and a freshly dipped block is hand pressed on to the fabric to form a continuous, interlocking pattern. The block carries dye if the original colour of the cloth has to be preserved.
If the cloth has to be dyed, the block is used to apply an impermeable resist – a material such as clay, resin or wax – to demarcate the pattern that is not to be coloured. Later, when the cloth is dyed, the pattern emerges in reverse. Traditonally, block-printing relied on the use of natural dyes and pigments, but now synthetic dyes have gained currency as they are cheaper. If you belong to the green brigade, stick to eco-friendly naturally dyed cloth.
2.Blue Pottery
¤ The Art of Blue Pottery
The use of blue glaze on pottery made from Multani mitti, or Fuller’s earth, is essentially an imported technique, first developed by enterprising Mongol artisans who combined Chinese glazing technology with Persian decorative arts. This technique travelled south to India with early Muslim potentates in the 14th century. During its infancy, it was strictly used to make tiles to decorate mosques, tombs and palaces in Central Asia.
¤ The Art Gradually Flourished In India
Later, the Mughals began using them in India, in a bid to mimic their beloved structures from beyond the mountains in Samarkand.
Gradually the blue glaze technique broke free of its status as an architectural accessory, and Kashmiri potters took to it with a vengeance.
From there, the technique rolled down to the plains of Delhi and in the 17th century wound its way to Jaipur. The rulers of Jaipur were exceptionally partial to blue-glazed ware, and many a cool marble hall in Rambagh Palace has as its centrepiece a bubbling fountain lined with ravishing blue tiles. These tiles were also used extensively in the building of the splendid city of Jaipur but surprisingly, they disappeared soon after.
¤ The Foremost Art of Tile Making
The revival of tile-making began in the late 19th century, and Jaipur became the centre of a thriving new industry producing blueware. The traditional Persian designs have now been adapted to please a more sophisticated clientele. Apart from the predictable urns, jars, pots and vases, you’ll now find tea sets, cups and saucers, plates and glasses, jugs, ashtrays and even napkin rings. You can spot blue pottery being made at Sanganer, not far from Jaipur, and also within the city at Kripal Kumbh, Shiva Marg.
The colour palette is restricted to blue derived from the oxide of cobalt, green from the oxide of copper and white, though other non-conventional colours such as yellow and brown have jumped into the fray too.
3.Indian Embroidery
Traditionally, however, embroidery has been the forte of the housewife Let’s take you through the various loops Indian embroiders usually work into cloth.
¤ Mirrorwork
The women of Rajasthan and Gujarat traditionally carry embroidered torans (frieze), dowry bags, shawls, cholis (blouses) and dupattas as part of their dowry. This work can be identified by its use of tiny mirrors with colorful threads that shape floral and figurative designs. Its shiny brilliance makes it a hot favorite with tourists.
¤ Zardozi
Zari is gold, and zardozi embroidery is the glitteringly ornate, heavily encrusted gold thread work practiced in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir and Delhi. Of course, the days of using real gold and silver thread are now history. What you can get, however, is synthetic or ‘tested’ zari embroidery. Metal ingots are melted and pressed through perforated steel sheets, to be converted into wires. They are then hammered to the required thinness. Plain wire is called badla, and when wound round a thread, it is called kasav. Smaller spangles are called sitara, and tiny dots made of badla are called mukaish.
¤ Gota and Kinari
Gota and Kinari:- Akin to applique, gota work involves placing woven gold cloth onto other fabric to create different surface textures. Kinari, or edging, as the word suggests, is the fringed or tasselled border decoration. This art is predominantly practiced by Muslim craftsmen.
¤ Phulkari
Phulkari:- Embroidered extensively in Haryana and Punjab, the phulkari shawl is a spectacular piece of clothing. Birds, flowers and human figures are normally embroidered on red or orange khaddar (coarse cotton cloth made of handspun yarn). The design is fed into the cloth from the reverse side using darning needles and one thread at a time, leaving a long stitch below to form the basic pattern. The embroidery is usually done with silk or satin thread, in both a vertical and horizontal pattern so that when the phulkari is finally ready, the play of light on its shiny surface lends it breathtaking beauty.
¤ Bagh
Bagh:- The bagh is an offshoot of phulkari and almost always follows a geometric pattern, with green as the basic color. Green is probably predominant because Muslims have traditionally been doing bagh work. Although lacking in technical finesse, it makes up for the loss by a variety of colorful motifs. Simply everything goes into the design – elephants, houses, crops, the sun, the moon, gardens and even kites.
¤ Chamba Rumals
Chamba Rumals:- The red and orange richly embroidered silk scarves of Chamba are simply beautiful. They often depict scenes from the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Raaslila of Radha and Krishna. The embroidery is done in silk yarn on tussar (silk) or fine cotton. The ground is usually white or cream, but the embroidery threads (usually red and orange) are in striking contrast.
¤ Chikankari
Chikankari Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh is the hotbed of white thread embroidery on white or colored cotton. Intricate and complex, this work is similar to what is commonly known as shadow work. The beauty of the embroidery comes through on fine muslin cloth, where you can see the stitches forming lace-like patterns on the underside.
¤ Kantha
Kantha Bihar and Bengal are known for their simple embroidery called kantha which is nothing more than patterns traced in a running stitch with short gaps. Floral, animal and bird motifs embroidered on both cotton and silk are extremely popular.
¤ Crewel
Crewel:- Kashmir is known for phirans (woolen kurtas) and namdahs (woolen rugs) with big floral embroidery in cheerful colours. Crewel embroidery is the same as chain stitch, is usually done with an awl (a small pointed tool for making holes) and is worked from underneath the fabric rather than above.
¤ Banjara
Banjara:- The embroidery of the lamada gypsy tribe of Andhra Pradesh, banjara is a mix of applique with mirrors and beadwork. Bright red, yellow, black and white colored cloth is laid in bands and joined with a white criss-cross stitch.
¤ Kasuti
Kasuti:- Dharwar (Karnataka) is home to kasuti, a delicate single thread embroidery done on handloom saris. Motifs consist of temples, peacocks, elephants, flowering trees and geometric forms spread across the sari.
4.Glass Work
Brightly colored lac bangles are a gay and inexpensive buy in Delhi and Rajasthan. In the pink city of Jaipur, lac trinkets are a common sight in every bazaar.
Though Rajasthan is particularly regarded as the home of shellac work, Delhi isn’t too far behind. Especially when it comes to brightly coloured lac bangles. Do check out these dazzling bangles, often studded with glass gems, spirals of base-metal wire, foil and spangles amid a wavy striping of other colors. They make inexpensive but unusual presents for friends back home.
5.Golden Nakkashi
Also well known are the goldsmiths who do minakari (coloured inlay work in gold or silver), metal and wood crafters.
This art form, ancient art of Golden Nakkashi came to India from Iran via the Mughals, and later assimilated itself into Indian culture.
The city is also reputed for its textile printing, camel hide kupis (containers) and lamps, and you will even find table lamps shaped in the form of an ostrich egg. The Urmul Trust, a voluntary organisation is trying to revive some of these traditional arts.
6.Jewellery & Ornaments
In India, a woman is traditionally gifted jewellery at the time of her wedding. The jewellery is from both her parents and her in-laws. The logic is simple. Apart from the obvious purpose of ornamentation, the jewellery is her safeguard against the proverbial rainy day. Bereft of an income of her own, she can trade in her jewellery as and when the need arises.
But this is not to say that the Indian woman does not like her ornaments well-crafted. Every market in India has its own share of gold and silversmiths. While gold jewellery is pretty much a favourite with the rich and the affluent, village belles swear by silver.
¤ Gems
Gems Many palmists and astrologers tell you precisely the clarity and carat required to ward off the evil eye or reverse a spell of ill-luck. Some of the good buys here are emeralds, sapphires, rubies, garnets, amethysts, corals and turquoise. The craft of cutting and polishing stones to achieve the most gleaming facets has been honed to perfection by the artisans of Jaipur and Calcutta.
¤ Gold
Gold- The women of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra are great sticklers for gold. This shiny metal is considered auspicious, not to mention a status symbol. Even the humblest bride down south has some gold in her trousseau.
Handcrafted gold jewellery is still very much the norm though machine-made trinkets are fast catching on. The major difference between the jewellery of north and south India is in the detail, delicacy and motifs. While north Indians think small is beautiful, south Indians certainly believe otherwise.
¤ Kundan
Kundan:- Delhi, Jaipur and Udaipur are famous for the age-old technique of setting gems in gold called Kundan. It is the Mughal-inspired art of setting precious stones like diamonds, emeralds and rubies in gold and silver. Gems are bedded in a surround of gold leaf rather than secured by a rim or claw.
¤ Meenakari
Meenakari Enameling or meenakari was originally meant to protect gold, which in its pure state is so soft and malleable that it can easily wear away. However, the technique soon came to be used for all sorts of objet d’arts. Now before you ask, enameling is a champleve technique, which in simple English means that a recess is hollowed out in the surface of gold or silver to take in a mineral. For example, cobalt oxide, which gives a blue color, is then fired into the depression so as to leave a thin line separating the segments of color. The patterns are usually floral and colored in red, green and blue and can be seen on small jewellery and kumkum boxes.
¤ Silver Jewellery
Silver The various kinds of adornments in silver are: tikka or the spherical pendant for the forehead; dangling earrings called jhumkas; hansli or the choker; nath or the nose ring which may be attached with a chain to the adjacent jhumka; a girdle or taqri for the waist; a series of bracelets called kadas; payals or anklets with tiny bells on them; and finally the chakti or toe rings of the married women. Also men of Rajasthan commonly wear chokers, earrings and bracelets too.
The designs are a lovely blend of Hindu and Islamic styles, as are the karigars (craftsmen) who may be Hindu or Muslim. Silver jewellery with ornate tribal designs is a big hit too. A relatively new addition to the repertoire is silver studded with semi-precious stones. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal and Ladakh are the most happening centers of silver jewellery.
¤ Threads, Beads & Cowries
Threads, Beads & CowriesThe intricate and artistic twisting of thread is itself seen as an embellishment by the tribal communities of India. They often weave cotton thread into a broad band as a textured or patterned base, then loop through buttons, beads, metallic droplets or whatever catches their fancy. Beads, shells, cowries and feathers are simple but amazingly creative means to adorn the body beautiful. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and the northeastern states of Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram top the list of makers of such jewellery.
¤ Bangles
Bangles add grace to the feminin beauty. Indian has an ample treasure of exquisite,colorful bangles, that does not match anything. Shellac Bangles Brightly colored lac bangles are a gay and inexpensive buy in Delhi and Rajasthan. In the pink city of Jaipur, lac trinkets are a common sight in every bazaar. Check out the dazzling bangles, often studded with glass gems, spirals of base-metal wire amid a wavy striping of other colors.
7.Leather Work
Leather is also used for bookbinding and Alwar is well reputed for this craft that flourished in the 19th century under Maharaja Banni Singh. Bikaner is again famous for its kupis or camel-hide water bottles.
¤ Leather Work in Bikaner
Bikaner is also well known for the goldsmiths who do minakari (coloured inlay work in gold or silver), metal and wood crafters. Bikaner is especially famous for its minakari on camel hide, and golden minakari in the palaces of Bikaner. This art form came to India from Iran via the Mughals, and later assimilated itself into Indian culture. It was Raja Rai Singh, then ruler of Bikaner, who brought minakari to the city and accorded it royal patronage. Also reputed for its textile printing, camel hide kupis (containers) and lamps, and you will even find table lamps shaped in the form of an ostrich egg.
¤ Delhi Leather Craftsmanship
Delhi was also an important centre of leatherwork during the Mughal period, Traditional leather jootis and slippers, which were sometimes ornamented with pearls, gold and silver were the piece de resistance. Embroidered bags, shoes were other popular items.
8.Metal Work
¤ Tribal Metal Craftsmanship
The tribs of Madhya Pradesh make delightfully quirky figures of tribal deities, animals, swings and trishuls (tridents, a symbol of the Hindu deity Shiva) by the dhokra or lost-wax process (see Arts & Crafts of Madhya Pradesh for details). In their simplicity, the artisans work swiftly, spontaneously and without the encumbrance of a pre-meditated design. In sharp contrast emerges the more refined and studied work of master craftsmen who first cast the image and then chisel, file and polish it carefully.
But this is not the end of metal craft. Now comes the tricky and delicate task of decorating metal surfaces. Here are some of the techniques you are likely to spot while buying metal ware.
¤ Bidri
Bidri Named after the town it is practiced in Bidar (in Karnataka), Bidri work is often used to spice up the appearance of bowls, boxes, vases and caskets. Silver and brass are inlaid upon an alloy of zinc and copper which is blackened by dipping the object into a solution of copper sulphate. It is the contrast between the black surface and the shiny inlay that makes the object look dramatic.
¤ Meenakari
Meenakari Enamelling or meenakari was originally meant to protect gold, which in its pure state is so soft and malleable that it can easily wear away. However, the technique soon came to be used for all sorts of objet d’arts. Now before you ask, enameling is a champleve technique, which in simple English means that a recess is hollowed out in the surface of gold or silver to take in a mineral. For example, cobalt oxide, which gives a blue color, is then fired into the depression so as to leave a thin line separating the segments of color. The patterns are usually floral and colored in red, green and blue and can be seen on small jewellery and kumkum boxes.
¤ Tarkashi
Tarkashi The charming technique of laying fine brass or copper wire into carefully chiseled grooves in a metal or wooden surface. The patterns, an amalgam of Rajput and Mughal styles, are floral, leaf and creeper. They are engraved in the surface of the wood and then the metal wire is melted and poured into these.
¤ Thewa
Thewa Pratapgarh in Rajasthan is famous for its brilliant and intricate gold leaf work on red or green glass. The gold leaf is embedded in a cake of shellac, which is cut in the required design. The patterned gold leaf is then placed on the heated glass panel so that the gold fuses with it. Silver foil is often placed under the glass to give it a richer, more glowing look. Patterns may vary from floral to figurative.
9.Jaipur Miniature Paintings
¤ An Exquisite Blend of Mughal and Indigenous Indian Styles
A host of schools of miniature painting thrive in Rajasthan and, to a certain extent, they are a quaint mixture of Mughal and indigenous Indian styles. The Indian style dates back to the Jain manuscripts of western India, now preserved in the temples of Rajasthan and Gujarat. These manuscripts are inscribed on palm leaves and are illustrated with stylized miniatures, elements of which are obvious in the miniatures of today. If you examine these miniatures from the 11th century, you’ll find that the human forms are far from proportionate as the figures were squeezed in to fit the long, narrow format of the leaves. Fortunately with the coming of paper in the 12th century (thanks to the Arab traders), the miniatures were freed from this constraint.
Anyway, the long and short of it was that this style merged happily with the opulent Mughal court style and several distinct schools of Rajasthan miniatures were born: the Mewar or Udaipur school, the Bundi school, the Kishangarh school, the Bikaner school, the Jaipur school and the Alwar school. It seems that every little Rajput fiefdom worth its name encouraged its own unique style.
The Jaipur school, largely due to Jaipur’s friendly alliances with the Mughals and the patronage of Akbar in the 16th century, remained rooted in the Mughal style though the artists pushed the boundaries back to include tales from Hindu epics and the escapades of Lord Krishna. Over a period, the Jaipur school evolved a distinctive Rajasthani style which retained the Mughal penchant for restrained colour and a sense of place in the background.
¤ Jaipur Artists Embellished With Their Unique Skills
In the back streets of the Pink City, you’ll find Brahmin artists working on a variety of materials from handmade paper and boards of wood to ivory and marble.
Most of them still use natural colours derived from insects, shells, minerals, vegetable matter as well as silver and gold. Using the finest squirrel hairbrushes, it takes a miniaturist weeks to complete a commission. Their lack of originality – most of them merely replicate the work of their forefathers – is more than compensated for by their breathtakingly precise and detailed workmanship.
Sadly, some of the more sales oriented artists have now switched to cheaper chemical colours to satisfy the demand of tourists.
Miniature paintings were once made on a base of ivory but that’s all in the past. The use of ivory has been banned now in the interests of our wildlife. So don’t get conned into buying an ivory painting or artefact.
10.Paper Crafts
¤ An Age-Old Art
The paper making industry in the Kagazi Mohulla area of Sanganer (Around Jaipur) uses up the waste cotton and silk rags from the block printing industry.
The artists in the village are used to enthusiastic visitors and their questions, so those interested in the craft are welcome to ask the craftspersons all about it.
The craftspersons are the descendents of those who, for generations, have been making paper for the Mughals and Rajputs.
Then came the British, and with them the age of mill-made paper. Thus the craft received a big blow in the 18th century. But the dedicated craftspersons of Sanganer stuck to their artistic profession in spite of dire poverty.
¤ Expertise Artisans
Salim Kagazi happens to be of one such family whose Handmade Paper and Board Industries on Gramudyog Road is a flourishing concern. A. L. Paper House is another big name for paper and paper products. So get yourself loads of this handmade paper, for you'll never get anything like them anywhere.
¤ The Crafts Made Out of Paper
There’s a lot you can do with paper and Delhiites have been doing it for a long period of time.
Kites : You might have seen kites but there’s a whole lot more on offer. Starting with kites then, you can find them in the patang (kite) market in Lal Kuan bazaar in Old Delhi. These colourful, feather-light kites come in all shapes and sizes – and so they should, after all, flying kites is an important national pastime.
Tazia : is the next most popular paper craft. A commemorative paper structure, it consists of coloured bits of paper pasted on a bamboo frame and carried in the Moharram procession (mourning to mark the martyrdom of the Prophet’s son). Tazias are used for a happy purpose too during the Phoolwalon ki Sair held every September.
Effigy-making : Another papercraft that takes a lot of doing is effigy-making. Effigy-makers have it really good when the Hindu festival of Dusshera comes round. Huge effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkarna and Meghnad (the three bad guys from epic Ramayana) are laboriously *****ed and then burnt on Dusshera to uphold the victory of truth and justice.
11.Terracotta
Potters pottering about on their wheel and fashioning all kinds of pitchers and earthenware are a common sight in India. While pottery for daily use – like gharas (water pots), surahis (pitchers), diyas (lamps) and gamlas (flower pots) – is made all over India, certain areas specialize in a particular type. There are different types of pottery you are likely to see in shops.
¤ Destination Famous For Terracotta Art
Perhaps the most common form of pottery in India, terracotta pops up in almost every state. Votive figures of elephants, serpents, birds and horses are made in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and the Jhabua and Bastar regions of Madhya Pradesh. Quite similar to these are the horses of Darbhanga in Bihar which are painted in bright rainbow colors once they are made. Another place known for its magnificent, six-metre high terracotta horses is Tamil Nadu.
Terracotta panels and storage jars painted white and decorated with tiny mirrors are common in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Molela in Rajasthan excels in sculpted terracotta plaques and icons of Rajput heroes and Hindu deities.
Orissa and Madhya Pradesh have a charming tradition of decorative roof top tiles, made partly by hand moulding and partly on the wheel. These tiles, shaped like half tubes, have perched on top of them figures of elephants, monkeys, bears, reptiles, gods and goddesses and are considered a status symbol among the rural people.
The terracotta pottery of Madhya Pradesh is simply remarkable, especially that practiced by the tribals of Bastar. Traditional statues of elephants, serpents, birds and horses from Bastar are incomparable in their simplicity and are offered to the local deity as an offering in lieu of sacrifice. The Bhils of Jhabua and adjacent Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat also trust in animal offerings made from clay. Their potters mould distinctive clay horses, camels, elephants, tigers and bullocks that are then offered to a village deity or to a revered animal itself such as the tiger. Set down in the sacred grove that always lies in a secluded spot near the settlement, the terracotta animals are clustered together in a jumble of new and old, all eventually disintegrating and returning to the earth in their turn.
Sarguja, Raipur and Raigarh have a charming tradition of decorative roof top tiles, made partly by hand moulding and partly on the wheel. These tiles, shaped like half tubes, have perched on top of them figures of elephants, monkeys, bears, reptiles, gods and goddesses and are considered a status symbol among the rural people.
12.Tribal Arts
The Pre-historic paintings in the cave shelters of Bhimbetka and Pachmarhi are simple designs showing scenes of hunting, farming and dancing against mottled rock and were initially done in black or earth colors. The palette soon expanded to include white, red, yellow, blue and green. This progression can clearly be seen in the wall art of Bhimbetka.
The tradition of painting living spaces continued well into the 20th century till it was finally overtaken by the Western practice of painting walls a boring old pastel. Art slowly began to jump off the walls and on to palm leaves, wood blocks, cloth and ivory. As you read up more about painting in India, you’ll find that it was entirely dependent on religious and royal patronage. This is perhaps why ‘art’ became a big thing only during the reign of the Mughals. The Delhi Sultanate was too philistine to understand anything but the language of the sword. They probably thought heads impaled on spears were the best exhibit money could buy.
¤ The kinds of paintings you are likely to encounter in India are
Alpana (Bengal), Kolam (South India), Rangoli (Maharashtra), Osa (Orissa), Aripana (Bihar), Sona Rakhna (Uttar Pradesh), Sathiya (Gujarat) are all names for auspicious, multi-colored floor decorations made by Hindus all over the country. Usually drawn at the doorway of a home, they can be geometric or floral and are done afresh every morning.
13.Wall Paintings
¤ Deity- Wall Paintings
The Rathwa Bhils of MP and eastern Gujarat commonly install a deity in the form of a ritual wall painting within the home. Outside the sacred enclosure other paintings depict incidents from daily life, usually featuring horses.
The Bhils and Bhilala tribes of Madhya Pradesh paint myths related to creation called pithora paintings. Horses, elephants, tigers, birds, gods, men and objects of daily life are painted in bright multicoloured hues.
Mughal miniature paintings also figure as a footnote in MP because the Persians of the court of Malwa were enthusiastic patrons.
¤ Mandana
Auspicious wall paintings of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, mandanas are meant to protect the home and hearth as well as to welcome gods into the house. Mud and cow dung are usually plastered on the walls which are then painted white. The women of the house paint symbols like the swastika, the sun or the tree of life in black and red. Auspicious diagrams are drawn on the floor with rice paste, coloured powder, flower petals or grains of rice, often with symbolic motifs set within floral and geometric patterns.
¤ Madhubani
Traditionally painted on walls and floors by the women of Bihar to invoke divine protection, the humble Madhubani has come a long way. Scenes from Hindu epics, fertility symbols, auspicious birds and beasts are daubed on walls with the paste of newly harvested rice. In recent times, however, Madhubani artists have been selling their work commercially by putting paper, pen and colors to good use. Full of intense energy and bright colors, they are extremely popular with foreign tourists.
¤ Warli Paintings
These are the tribal paintings of Maharashtra and are traditionally done in the homes of the Warlis. Painted white on mud walls, they are pretty close to prehistoric cave paintings in execution and usually depict sowing and harvesting scenes. Originally made with rice paste, they were turned into a marketable commodity when the India Handicrafts and Handlooms Board provided the poor Warlis with brown paper and white paint.
14.Woodcarving
Woodwork goes back a long time. Brihatsamhita, an early 6th century text by Varahmihira, holds forth about the sanctity of wood, specifying the type and use of trees. Certain trees are suitable for icons while others would probably be better used in houses and buildings.
¤ Exquisite Woodcarvings in India
In the good old days of kings and nawabs, woodcarving was essentially seen as an adjunct to architecture. Any palace or haveli worth its name had to have incredibly carved doors, windows and jalis (lattice work). The Mysore Palace and the havelis of Old Delhi, Kashmir and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan are a good example of such work. In recent times architectural commissions have dwindled to nothing. Consequently, artisans have turned their hand to more commercially viable options like artifacts, wooden plaques and furniture for urban homes. Master craftsmen can, however, still be found in the states of Kashmir, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
Kashmir:- Elaborately worked walnut lamps, boxes, table tops and screens.
Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh:- Furniture, decorative items and utensils made from white ****i wood and the heavily grained brown shisham.
Rajasthan: - Carved and painted horse, elephants and parrots.
Karnataka: - Sandalwood and rosewood boxes and caskets and statues of every imaginable figure of the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Christian faiths.
Andhra Pradesh : - Images of Lord Venkateswara.
Gujarat, Delhi, Mysore (Karnataka), Hoshiarpur (Punjab) : - Inlay work using colored woods, horn and even plastic.
Jaipur (Rajasthan) & Manipuri (Uttar Pradesh) :- Inlay work known as tarkashi using burnished copper or brass wire which is set in the wood to create geometric or floral patterns.
15.Bandhani or Tie and Dye
The people of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh make up with the brilliancy of their clothes for what the terrain lacks in color. Cotton or silk cloth is tied into sections to exclude the dye to achieve a two-color effect. For a more intricate design, different sections are tied at every stage of dyeing and a variety of colors used. Thereafter, the fabric opens out into amazing designs: dots, circles, squares, waves and stripes.
¤ Tie and Dye Technique
As the name suggests, the technique of Tie and Dye involves two stages: tying sections of a length of cloth (silk or cotton) and then dunking it into vats of colour. The rainbow-tinged turbans of the Rajputs and the odhnis of their women are shaded by this method of resist dyeing. Your visit to Jaipur won’t be complete without a trip to the nearby towns of Bagru and Sanganer, where you can observe the Chhipa community of dyers at work.
¤ The Main Color Used
The main colours used in Bandhani are yellow, green, red and black. It is essentially a household craft supervised by the head of the family. The fabric is skillfully knotted by the women, while the portfolio of dyeing rests with the men. The women often grow a long nail on the little finger of the left hand, or wear a ring with a little blunt spike on it, with which they push the cloth upwards to form a tiny peak.
The Jaipur dyer rarely works with more than two dye baths while the additional colours are spot dyed, which makes the process much easier. Thereafter, the fabric opens out into amazing designs in kaleidoscopic colours: dots, circles, squares, waves and stripes.
¤ The Laheriya or Ripple Effect On Fabric
The laheriya or the ripple effect is achieved by a variation of this technique. Lengths of permeable muslin are rolled diagonally from one corner to the opposite, bound tightly at intervals and then dyed. The ties are then undone and the process repeated by diagonally rolling the adjacent corner toward the opposite and repeating the process. Both Jaipur and Jodhpur are major centres of laheriya. Jaipur in particular, thanks to its status as the state capital, has girt its loins to meet the extensive demands of both the domestic and export markets.
Tie and dye cloth is never too expensive but be warned that the colours always run. So if you’ve bought silk, it’s safer to get it dry-cleaned.
16.Beads, Threads & Cowries
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and the northeastern states of Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram top the list of makers of such jewellery.
Find more about the magnificent bead jewelleriers embellished with diverse variety of beads like glass beads, gold beads, bone beads, crystal beads and gemstone beads.
17.Cane and Bamboo Work
¤ Basket and Mat Weaving
Across the length and breadth of the country, basket and mat weaving depends solely on what grows locally. Tamil Nadu has bamboo, coconut, date and palm leaves, Rajasthan has reeds, Ladakh has willow, Bihar has the local grass called sikki, and Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have the sarkanda grass. Villagers often make fodder containers, fish baskets, trinket boxes, modhas (stools), chattais (mats) and grain-threshing trays for themselves while the domestic surplus finds its way to the local haat (weekly village market)
18.Carpets and Dhurries
Carpet weaving is an important trade for the merchants of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kashmir. You can also pick up Tibetan carpets with Buddhist motifs in Himachal Pradesh. Both woolen and silk carpets make excellent buys.
¤ Dhurries
Dhurrie, the poor man’s carpet, is suddenly in vogue all over the world. Earlier relegated to being an underlay for expensive carpets or sandwiched between the wooden frame and mattresses of a bed, it now occupies place of pride in many crystal-flaunting drawing rooms. These flat woven cotton rugs are made on primitive ground looms in the villages of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (Agra and Fatehpur-Sikri), Coimbatore and Salem.
¤ Rugs
The people of Himachal and Kashmir weave the wool and hair of sheep and goat into traditional rugs called namdas (heavy rugs). Usually cream in color, Namdas are made with beaten wool and are later embroidered in bright colors.
¤ Carpet Weaving
Carpet weaving came into prominence during the Mughal era, when Akbar brought Persian weavers to India. The main centres of carpet-making were Srinagar, Lahore, Amritsar, Sind, Multan, and Allahabad. Delhi however was a centre for the production of Herati carpets (designed after the style of those made in Herat, Afghanistan) at one time. Known for their harmonious colours, the design of these carpets was kind of standard. The border was usually a broad band separated from the centre and edged on the outer side by one or two narrow bands filled with bold and conventional flower designs.
19.Folk Toys or Puppets
Unfortunately, puppet theatre in India is under serious threat from television and cinema, and it may soon be curtains for this animated style of amusement.
You may not find too many puppeteers these days, but what you will find is that these well-crafted marionettes are up for sale and look quite sensational in urban homes. You can take your pick from wooden, clay or rag puppets made in Rajasthan, West Bengal and Kerala.
20.Shawls
Shawl weaving flourished in Kashmir under the patronage of the Mughals. These are the shawls India is best known for though other kinds are made in states like Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, Assam, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
¤ Pashmina
The sinfully warm and delectably fine pashmina shawl is made in Himachal and Kashmir. Greatly sought after by tourists, these expensive shawls are made from the fine hair of pashmina goats. Pashm is the wool of capra hircus, an Asian species of mountain goat. The fine fleece used to make these shawls is that which grows beneath the rough outer hair. Did you know that the finest hair comes from the underbelly and is shed with the onset of summer? The pashmina shawl usually comes in subtle shades of cream, beige, brown and grey, depending on the natural color of the fleece. They may be dyed to produce brighter colors or livened up with embroidery.
¤ Shahtoosh
The shahtoosh is even more delicate than the pashmina. It is so fine and soft that it passes through a ring quite easily. Wrapping oneself in a shahtoosh has to be one of the most warmly sensual experiences in the world. However, the making and sale of shatoosh shawls is now banned in India.
¤ Jamawar
The art of weaving jamawar or tapestry shawls rolled into India from Turkistan in the 15th century. Having kept the Mughals in great comfort, these shawls came to be wrapped around European beauties back in the 18th century. Woven in shades of cream, brown and grey interspersed with colored threads to form floral patterns, the best jamawars are now made in Basohli, Himachal Pradesh.
¤ Kullu Shawls
Kullu is famous for its vibrantly colored shawls with striking geometrical patterns. Though rather coarse in comparison with pashmina, Kullu shawls are an excellent buy as they look beautiful and come cheap.
¤ Dhabla
The people of Rajasthan and Gujarat weave the rough, thick dhabla in black, brown or off white with striped borders in black, red and ochre.
21.Textiles
What sets Indian fabrics apart is excellent workmanship, colors and durability. Here’s a quick round up of the best-known textile weaves and prints of India.
¤ Batik
A resist process in which the fabric is painted with molten wax and then dyed in cold dyes, Batik is done on a large scale in Madhya Pradesh. Multi-colored batik saris, dupattas and bed sheets are popular for their contrasting color schemes.
¤ Ikats
A complex and rather meticulous process which involves the repeated dyeing of the warp and weft threads before the cloth is woven. Both Andhra Pradesh and Orissa are major centers of ikat weaving in silk and cotton. Don’t get confused if somebody tells you that what you call ikat is actually patola – they are one and the same thing.
¤ Paithanis
Named after the place of their origin (Paithan in Maharashtra), Paithani saris use silk-patterned brocade work instead of metal.
¤ Chanderi
The gossamer thin Chanderi sari has been woven in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, for centuries. The greater part of the town’s population works at producing the Chanderi fabric known for its traditional motifs, intricately woven borders and fragile pastel colors.
¤ Maheshwari
The Maheshwari was introduced by Rani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Madhya Pradesh and has been traditionally woven for more than 200 years. A blend of cotton and silk, the body of the sari may be plain, checked or striped. The pallu, or the end section which falls behind over the shoulder, is splendid with five stripes (three colored and two white) while the reversible borders have floral designs.
¤ Jamdani
Jamdani cottons, traditionally woven in Tanda, Uttar Pradesh, are lightweight patterned cloths that essentially rely on tapestry technique. Weft patterns of paisley and floral sprigs appear to merge with and float within the cloth. Colored or metal threads are commonly used to make these lovely saris.
¤ Kota
Fine white, off-white or cream colored cloth is woven in Kota, Rajasthan and Palaghat and Trivandrum in Kerala. Essentially cotton, it comes in soft checks, with or without gold thread and borders and is later printed or dyed at other centers.
22.Weaving
Ancient texts speak of Madhya Pradesh as a famous centre of weaving between 7th century and 2nd century BC. Among the finest textures of northern India are the Maheshwari and Chanderi saris. Weavers settled in Maheshwar from Surat, Burhanpur and Banaras, at the insistence of Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, who supported the growth of handloom weaving. The Maheshwari sari is gossamer thin - a delicate blend of silk and cotton yarn - made in tiny checks or stripes with a coloured border.
¤ Chanderi
The Chanderi, widely woven in Guna, is also extremely fine but has a more intricately woven border (with motifs) than the Maheshwari. The weavers in both Chanderi and Maheshwar are Muslims, while Hindus take on the trading. As with most handlooms and handicrafts of India, weaving these saris is mostly a family affair.
Chanderi is renowned for its most exquisite product: the gossamer thin Chanderi sari that has been woven here for centuries. The greater part of the town’s population is part of the weaver community and work at producing the Chanderi fabric known for its traditional motifs and fragile pastel colours. Over the years Chanderi saris have undergone many changes. The handspun yarn, which gave the fabric its gossamer quality, has been replaced by imported silk in the warp and by mill-made cotton thread or unboiled silk in the weft. The latter makes for more sheen but reduces durability as the rough silk cuts through the warp easily. This substitution has led to deterioration in the quality.
¤ Tussar silk
Tussar silk woven by the Devangan community of Madhya Pradesh is known by its Sanskrit name kosa. Raigarh and Champa are important centres for tussar silk saris and fabrics.
¤ Doria
saris can be found only in Kota, but the people who originally weaved them were not from here. In fact, a certain Kota ruler discovered them during one of his military campaigns in the south. Sometime in the 17th century the Rao was in Mysore with his army fighting wars and trying to increase his kingdom when he bumped into weavers of the doria cloth. This cotton and silk fabric intricately woven with colourful floral motifs caught his fancy, and he brought its makers to Kota. Interestingly, doria weaving has now died in Mysore and flourishes only in Kota. The finished fabric is also known as Kota Masuria (from the word Mysore) as a tribute to its original ancestry.
23.Applique Work
It is believed that appliqué work made its way into western India either from Europe or Arabia in the Middle East through trade contacts.
¤ Gujarat Applique Work
oftentimes carried out on red cotton cloth against a white background, the appliqué work of Gujarat is primarily used on festive occasions, when rituals are performed, or to trap animals. Locally referred to as the ‘katab’, the word is probably a distorted form of the English words ‘cut-up’. The decorative appliqués vary from a range of stylised birds and elephants, to several geometric patterns.
¤ The Creation of Applique Art
In the19th century, the Kathis, an agro-pastoral community of the Kathiawar region of Gujarat and their Muslim associates, the Molesalaams, or the landowning community are known to have produced intricate appliqué work. Some of the surviving specimens show a wide representation of stylised human and animal figures in cotton and silk cloths, bandhani (tie and dye), or patola cloth.
In the neighbouring state of Rajasthan, the Oswal Banias have a similar tradition of stitching large appliqué canopies with a range of panels or squares in different colour combinations, for marriages. The Rajputs, Satwaras and various other cattle-breeding communities also produce similar appliqué art to enhance the beauty of their chandarvo (canopies), dharaniyo (quit covers), amongst other things.
¤ Orissa Applique Work of Art
In Orissa, appliqué work is an inseparable part of the temple tradition, and its main centre of production is in and around Pippli, a small town near Bhubaneswar. Traditionally, the appliqué work of Orissa is used as canopies during the annual Chariot Festival at Puri to protect the chariots of Lord Jagannath (in this context, the Lord of the Universe), Balabhadra and Subhadra (Lord Jagannath’s brother and sister, respectively; together the three constitute the Hindu Holy Trinity of Puri). The Chariot Festival of Puri, also known as the Rath Yatra marks the annual spiritual journey of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra to the Masusi Maa Temple (temple of the maternal aunt). The journey, which attracts devotees from all over the country, begins on the 2nd day of the shukla- paksh (brighter half) of the Hindu month of Asadha (July-August).
In recent decades, the appliqués of Orissa in the form of beautiful animals, birds, flowers, leaves and other decorative motifs have been used as household lampshades, garden umbrellas and even handbags.
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