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1. JOURNEY OF INDIAN
HANDICRAFTS
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2. INDIAN HANDICRAFTS
If the Indian map were depicted by its handicraft
clusters, it would be a vibrant diamond, housing
pockets of handicrafts along its length and breadth.
The Indian handicraft map would feature deep
zaffre Jaipur pottery in Rajasthan, burnished Bastar
metal art in Chhatisgarh and russet wooden toys in
Sawantwadi, Maharashtra. Tinkling Kutch metal
bells would form the rivers of Gujarat and ivory
marble would sit atop mountains in Uttar Pradesh.

3. KATHPUTLI OR WOODEN PUPPETS
FROM RAJASTHAN
• As you traverse the craft-flecked landscape that
covers the country, you’ll witness a grand spectacle
of vivid color and magnificent designs. Rajasthan, for
instance, has harbored and nurtured centuries-old
crafts within its folds. Kathputli is one such craft.
Originating from the words kath, meaning ‘wood’
and putli, meaning ‘lifeless doll’. Kathputli is the art of
storytelling with handmade puppets.
• Kathputli art was started by the Putli Bhat community
more than a thousand years ago. It has been used in
Rajasthani ballads, folk dances, and village fairs. It has
given India prominence by virtue of it being one of
the oldest puppetry forms in the world.

4. MEENAKARI WORK FROM RAJASTHAN
• Rajasthan is also known for the exquisite craft of
Meenakari, an ancient form of metal
ornamentation. Colored minerals in an array of
dazzling shades are fused to metals carved in
intricate designs. Originally, it is a technique
devised by the Iranians. Indian craftsmen
acquired the skill from the Mongols who spread
the craft to the Indian subcontinent. It is also
known as enamel work.
• Meenakari is derived from the Persian word
Mina, meaning Azure. Its products include
lampshades, jars, mats, tiles and flower pots.
However, it remains most popular in jewelry. Red
and Green are the more popular colors of
Minakari in India. However, in Varanasi Mina
Work is done in Pink color as well.

5. JAIPUR BLUE POTTERY
• If we had to color Jaipur on the map,
it would be an iridescent blue, for its
brilliant Blue Pottery, a traditional
glazing style that uses bright blue
dyes to adorn pottery. Contrary to
popular opinion, Blue Pottery did not
originate in Jaipur. In fact, it did not
even originate in India. It was
invented by Mongol artisans, whose
techniques traveled to India in the
fourteenth century, only to be further
developed by the Mughals.
• Another town famous for ceramics
and pottery – Khurja in Western UP.

6. DOKRA OR BASTAR ART FROM BASTAR
• There is no doubt that the Indian craft
map would sparkle especially brightly
around Chhatisgarh. After all, it is
home to the Bastar metal art form, a
style that transforms hot molten iron
into radiant shapes, using a process
called lost wax casting. After
meticulously creating molds with clay
and beeswax, hot liquid metal is
poured in. This after cooling, takes the
shape of its clay shell. Bastar gets its
name from the Bastar district. This art
form is found across tribal regions of
India like Bengal, Andhra, Telangana
and of course Chhattisgarh.

7. KUTCH METAL BELLS FROM GUJARAT
• The Kutch Metal Bells is an Indian handicraft
that goes back over a thousand years. The
making of Kutch Metal Bells requires a balance
of hard labor and precision at the same time. A
sheet of scrap metal is cut by the artisan and
then bent into shape using a hammer, the
artisan hammers away till the desired shape is
achieved. A dome is then (which is also entirely
made by hand) attached to the bent scrap
metal sheet giving it the shape of a bell. The
bell is then coated with copper powder and is
pasted together with mud before being heated
in a brick furnace. Once out of the furnace (and
not hot!) a wooden piece is attached to the
center of the bell that gives it a very distinctive
and melodious sound.

8. AJRAKH PRINTS FROM AJRAKHPUR
GUJARAT
• Just a few kilometers from where Kutch Metal Bells
are made lies Ajrakhpur. Home to some of the finest
and oldest textile printing in the world – Ajrakh. An
interesting story surrounds the origin of the name
of this particular craft. The story goes that once
there was a king who needed a new bedsheet
• The story goes that once there was a king who
needed a new bedsheet every day and would never
repeat them once used. A printer sent the king a
bedsheet using the traditional craft of hand block
printing. The next day the king’s staff was to remove
the bedsheet as per routine, however, the king was
so impressed by the bedsheet that he ordered his
staff to keep it for one more day or ‘aaj rakh’ –
giving the craft its name. Ajrakh hand block prints
are world renowned today. The work of some of the
artisans we work with is also featured at the V&W
Museum in London.

9. WARLI ART FROM MAHARASHTRA
• One art form that has gained visibility over the
years is Warli. There is evidence that the Warli
tribe, which resides on the coastal belt straddling
Maharashtra and Gujarat, began practicing this
art around 3000 BCE.
• This earthy, folksy art form uses triangles,
squares and circles to create elaborate drawings,
with each shape exuding an organic symbolism.
The tribe believes that the triangle is used to
represent mountains and treetops, the circle
stands for the planets in the sky and the square
speaks of human contributions to the universe.

10. TARKASHI FROM UTTAR PRADESH
• The word Tarkashi, implies the careful inlay of
brass, copper or silver wire in wood, forming a
soft filigree. The core word is taar or wire. The
districts of Saharanpur, Nagina, Bijnor, and
Mainpuri form the cornerstone of
• The districts of Saharanpur, Nagina, Bijnor, and
Mainpuri form the cornerstone of Tarkashi in the
country. The artisans there will tell you that this
Indian handicraft originated in the late nineteenth
century. As a tool to carve khadauns or wooden
footwear, for pious Hindu priests who considered
leather unholy. Now, however, Tarkashi techniques
are used to create home décor items like table
tops, trays, and coasters.

11. INDIAN HANDICRAFT – TIME TO BRING
THEM HOME
• As you near the end of your journey, folding your map and tucking it away into
your memories, you’ll realize that you’ve covered a very small part of the Indian
handicraft landscape. As global acclimatization leads some to believe that
handicrafts are a lost art. There are still others who continue to back these
promising cottage industries. India Kala endeavors to spread traditional art forms
by connecting artisans to the larger community. The same crafts that have formed
the landscape of India’s handcrafted heritage are relentlessly reinventing
themselves to fit into modern homes. It is time, we embraced them. Let’s invite
them in; let’s bring a little more India, home.
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