Handmade in India by Mapin Publishing

Handmade in India Crafts of India

Editors: Aditi Ranjan |

M P Ranjan

Crafts of India Handmade in India

The Indian way of life is replete with products made with the help of simple, indigenous tools by craftspeople who belong within a strong fabric of tradition, aesthetic and artistry. The range of Indian handicrafts is as diverse as the country’s cultural diversity.

A source book of handicrafts, Handmade in India is a unique compendium of Indian crafts. It is a resource of the craft repertoire that reﬂects the diversity of the country, its cultural milieu and the relationships that nurture creativity and ingenuity. This encyclopaedic publication maps the crafts of the country, and captures the traditions that have enriched the day-to-day lives of Indian people while being a source of livelihood for generations of craftspeople. Handmade in India probes into all aspects of handicrafts—historical, social and cultural inﬂuences on crafts, design and craft processes, traditional and new markets, products and tools—unravelling a wealth of knowledge.

The ﬁrst of its kind ever attempted, this publication with stunning photographs will be a tremendous resource for product and textile designers, artists, architects, interior designers, collectors, development professionals and connoisseurs alike. It will be of immense value for facilitating worldwide participation in the planning and development of the handicraft sector in India. It will also be a useful reference for libraries interested in Indian crafts and culture, and organizations and agencies that work for and with the crafts sector in India.

Handmade in India is based on extensive field work and research, and maps out the regional craft clusters identified across the country on the basis of prevailing craft-work patterns. It is closely woven with images to reveal the array of crafts in India. Some of these are renowned, like the pinjrakari and khatumband wood work of Kashmir, blue pottery of Jaipur, chikankari embroidery of Lucknow, the kannadi or metal mirrors from Aranmula, chappals or footwear from Kolhapur, and the bamboo craft of Assam. Other, lesser known, crafts like the paabu or stitched boots from Ladakh, jadupatua paintings from Jharkhand, the making of Kathakali and Theyyam headgear, khadi or tinsel printing in Ahmedabad have also been described in striking detail. The close study of various crafts makes it possible to discern subtle, sometimes unusual, differences in the same craft practiced by distinct regions or communities—like tie-resistdyeing which is called bandhani in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, and bandhej in Rajasthan. The first of its kind ever attempted, this publication with stunning photographs will be a tremendous resource for product and textile designers, artists, architects, interior designers, collectors, development professionals and connoisseurs alike. It will be of immense value for facilitating worldwide participation in the planning and development of the handicraft sector in India. It will also be a useful reference for libraries interested in Indian crafts and culture, and organizations and agencies that work for and with the crafts sector in India.

With over 3500 colour photographs and 140 maps

HANDMADE IN INDIA

Crafts of India HANDMADE IN INDIA

EDITORS

Aditi Ranjan, M P Ranjan

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DESIGN (NID), AHMEDABAD

Published by Council of Handicraft Development Corporations (COHANDS), New Delhi

Office of the Development Commissioner Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles

MAPIN PUBLISHING

Reprinted in 2024

First published in India in 2007 by: Council of Handicraft Development Corporations (COHANDS), New Delhi

Printed and produced by: Mapin Publishing Pvt. Ltd

706 Kaivanna, Panchvati, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad-380006 India

T | 91-79-4022 8228

E | mapin@mapinpub.com www.mapinpub com

Conceived, researched, edited and designed by:

National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad

All rights reserved under international copyright conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the Council of Handicraft Development Corporations (COHANDS), New Delhi.

Project funded by

Office of the Development Commissioner Handicrafts, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India

ISBN: 978-81-88204-57-1

LCCN: 2005929526

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

Editors: Aditi Ranjan, M P Ranjan

Designers: Zenobia Zamindar, Girish Arora

Printed in Malaysia

Cover photo by Ramu Aravindan.

An artisan finishing diyas, terracotta lamps, made for rural and urban markets for festivals, in Nawrangpur district, Orissa.

Back cover photo by Deepak J Mathew.

Carved and painted wooden toys of Kondapalli, depicting various craft processes, occupations and household activities. The toys resemble the 19th century Company paintings of vocations and craftspersons at work in India.

Front flap photo by Sandeep Sangaru. Kashmiri craftsman refining a high value walnut wood carving in Srinagar.

Back flap photo by Purvi Mehta.

Detail of a dowry bag appliquéd and embroidered by a Rabari woman in Kachchh, Gujarat.

Page 1: photo by Jogi Panghaal.

Detail of a contemporary cotton kantha, quilted and embroidered textile made by craftspersons in West Bengal.

Pages 2 & 3: photo by Farah Deba.

Detail of the carved and painted wood work inside a prayer hall in Thiksey Monastery, Ladakh.

Statutory notes on Map of India on page 006:

The external boundaries and coastlines of India agree with the Record/Master Copy certified by Survey of India

The responsibility for the correctness of internal details rests with the publisher.

The territorial waters of India extend into the sea to a distance of twelve nautical miles measured from the appropriate base line.

The administrative headquarters of Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab are at Chandigarh.

The interstate boundaries between Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya shown on this map are as interpreted from the North-Eastern Areas (reorganisation) Act 1971, but have to be verified.

Administrative boundaries of J&K (Union Territory) and Ladakh (Union Territory) shown here are yet to be authenticated by concerned state authorities.

Newly formed districts of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are yet to be authenticated by concerned state authorities.

006 Map of India

007 List of Crafts

010 How to Use the Book

012 Dedication Messages:

013 Prime Minister

014 Minister of Textiles

015 Secretary (Textiles)

016 Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) Foreword

017 Preface

018 Introduction

024-5 ZONE 1 : N/—NORTH

026 Jammu and Kashmir

048 Himachal Pradesh

062 Punjab

073 Chandigarh

074 Haryana

080 Rajasthan

124 Delhi

130-1 ZONE 2 : C/—CENTRE

132 Uttar Pradesh

168 Uttaranchal

178-9 ZONE 3 : E/—EAST

180 Bihar

194 Jharkhand

204 Orissa

236 Sikkim

240 West Bengal

266-7 ZONE 4 : S/—SOUTH

268 Andhra Pradesh

298 Tamil Nadu

336 Pondicherry

340 Kerala

362 Karnataka

390-1 ZONE 5 : W/—WEST

392 Goa

402 Dadra and Nagar Haveli

406 Daman and Diu

408 Gujarat

442 Maharashtra

458 Madhya Pradesh

480 Chhattisgarh

492-3 ZONE 6 : NE/—NORTHEAST

494 Assam

504 Arunachal Pradesh

514 Nagaland

520 Manipur

526 Mizoram

532 Tripura

540 Meghalaya

545 Sponsors

546 Technical Glossary

551 Annotated Bibliography of Archival Documents

556 Bibliography

558 Acknowledgements

561 Acknowledgements: Museums and Collections

562

Credits

564 Craft Categories

567 Index of Places

572 Index of Subjects

UTTARAKHAND

TELANGANA

ANDHRA PRADESH

ODISHA

LADAKH

DAMAN AND DIU DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

PUDUCHERRY

Puducherry

NORTH : N/

List of Crafts

1.0 JAMMU AND KASHMIR N/JK 026 Kashmir N/JK 028

1.1 Papier-mâché N/JK 029

1.2 Kaleen – knotted carpets N/JK 030

030

1.3 Kashidakari – Kashmiri embroidery N/JK 032

032

033

1.4 Namda – felted rugs N/JK 033

033

1.5 Gabba – embroidered rugs N/JK 033

1.6 Walnut wood carving N/JK 034

wood carving N/JK 034

1.7 Pinjrakari and khatumband –wood work N/JK 035

1.8 Wicker work N/JK 035

1.9 Copper ware N/JK 036 Jammu N/JK 037 Ladakh N/JK 038

1.10 Thangka painting N/JK 039

1.11 Ritual cloth installations N/JK 040

1.12 Khabdan – pile carpets N/JK 041

1.13 Tsug-dul and tsug-gdan –woollen pile rugs N/JK 042

1.14 Challi – woollen textiles N/JK 043

1.15 Hand-spinning N/JK 043

1.16 Paabu – stitched boots N/JK 044

1.17 Thigma – tie-resist-dyeing N/JK 044

1.18 Metal work N/JK 045

1.19 Wood carving N/JK 046

1.20 Painted wood N/JK 047

1.21 Basketry N/JK 047

2.0 HIMACHAL PRADESH N/HP 048 Chamba N/HP 050

2.22 Lost wax metal casting N/HP 050

2.23 Silver jewellery N/HP 051

2.24 Chamba rumal N/HP 052

2.25 Chamba painting N/HP 053

2.26 Embroidery on leather N/HP 053 Kangra N/HP 054

2.27 Thangka painting N/HP 055

2.28 Dras-drub-ma – appliqué thangka N/HP 055

2.29 Metal work N/HP 056

2.30 Wood work of Dharamsala N/HP 057 Kullu N/HP 058

2.31 Basketry N/HP 059

2.32 Doll making N/HP 059

2.33 Thattar ka kaam – sheet metal work N/HP 060

2.34 Knitted socks N/HP 060

2.35 Pula chappal – grass footwear N/HP 061

2.36 Kullu shawls N/HP 061

3.0 PUNJAB N/PB 062 Amritsar N/PB 064

3.37 Khunda – bamboo staves N/PB 064

3.38 Galeecha – knotted carpets N/PB 065 Hoshiarpur N/PB 066

3.39 Carved and turned wood work N/PB 066

3.40 Panja dhurrie N/PB 067

3.41 Wood inlay of Hoshiarpur N/PB 068

3.42 Wood and lac turnery N/PB 068 Patiala N/PB 069

3.43 Phulkari and bagh – embroidered textiles N/PB 070

3.44 Nala – drawstrings N/PB 072

3.45 Tilla jutti – traditional footwear N/PB 072

3.1 CHANDIGARH (Union territory) N/CH 073

4.0 HARYANA N/HR 074 Haryana N/HR 076

4.46 Palm leaf work N/HR 076

4.47 Sarkanda work N/HR 077

4.48 Brass ware N/HR 078

4.49 Jutti – leather footwear N/HR 078

4.50 Surahi – pottery N/HR 079

5.0 RAJASTHAN N/RJ 080 Jaipur N/RJ 082

5.51 Blue pottery of Jaipur N/RJ 083

5.52 Kundan jadai – gem setting N/RJ 084

5.53 Meenakari – enamel work N/RJ 084

5.54 Lac ware N/RJ 085

5.55 Razai – quilt making N/RJ 085

5.56 Bandhej and leheriya – tie-resist dyeing N/RJ 086

5.57 Block making N/RJ 088

5.58 Block printing of Bagru and Sanganer N/RJ 089

5.59 Mojari – leather footwear N/RJ 090

5.60 Handmade paper N/RJ 091

5.61 Felt products N/RJ 091

5.62 Bahi – clothbound books N/RJ 091

5.63 Sanjhi – paper stencils N/RJ 092

5.64 Terracotta of Sawai Madhopur N/RJ 092

5.65 Stone work N/RJ 093

5.66 Katputli – puppets N/RJ 094

5.67 Wood and lac turnery N/RJ 094

5.68 Gota work N/RJ 095

5.69 Tarkashi – metal inlay in wood N/RJ 095 Ajmer N/RJ 096

5.70 Phad painting N/RJ 097

5.69 Tarkashi – metal inlay in wood N/RJ 095 Ajmer N/RJ 096 5.70 Phad painting N/RJ 097

5.71 Miniature painting on wood N/RJ 097

5.72 Leather work N/RJ 098

Khonsa

Ziro

Bomdila Itanagar

List of Crafts

Gorakhpur C/UP 156

7.142 Black pottery of Nizamabad C/UP 157

7.143 Terracotta and pottery C/UP 157 Varanasi C/UP 158

7.144 Wood and lac turnery C/UP 159

7.145 Repoussé C/UP 159

7.146 Wood carving C/UP 160

7.147 Carpets and dhurries C/UP 161

7.148 Meenakari – enamel work C/UP 162

7.149 Block printing C/UP 163

7.150 Zardozi – gold embroidery C/UP 163 Allahabad C/UP 164

7.151 Moonj basketry C/UP 165

7.152 Papier-mâché C/UP 166

7.153 Shazar stone jewellery C/UP 167

7.154 Date palm craft C/UP 167

8.0 UTTARANCHAL C/UT 168 Almora C/UT 170

8.155 Aipan – ritual floor painting C/UT 171

8.156 Ringaal basketry C/UT 172

8.157 Nettle fibre craft C/UT 173

8.158 Likhai – wood carving C/UT 173

8.159 Copper ware C/UT 174 Dehradun C/UT 175 8.160 Rambaans – natural fibre craft C/UT 176 8.161 Lantana furniture C/UT 176

8.162 Tibetan carpets C/UT 177

EAST : E/

9.0 BIHAR E/BR 180 Madhubani E/BR 182 9.163 Terracotta E/BR 183 9.164 Madhubani painting E/BR 184 9.165 Sujuni embroidery E/BR 186 9.166 Sikki craft E/BR 187 9.167 Papier-mâché E/BR 188 9.168 Lac bangles E/BR 188 Patna E/BR 189 9.169 Stone carving E/BR 190 9.170 Wooden toys E/BR 190 9.171 Khatwa – appliqué E/BR 191 Bhagalpur E/BR 192 9.172 Tribal jewellery E/BR 193 9.173 Jute work E/BR 193

10.0 JHARKHAND E/JH 194 Ranchi E/JH 196 10.174 Bamboo work E/JH 197 10.175 Dhokra – lost wax metal casting E/JH 198 10.176 Musical instruments E/JH 199 10.177 Tribal jewellery E/JH 200 10.178 Wall painting of Hazaribagh E/JH 201 Dumka E/JH 202 10.179 Jadupatua painting E/JH 203 10.180 Black terracotta E/JH 203

11.0 ORISSA E/OR 204 Ganjam E/OR 206 11.181 Ganjappa cards E/OR 207 11.182 Flexible fish – brass and wood E/OR 208 11.183 Brass and bell metal ware E/OR 208 11.184 Cowdung toys E/OR 209 11.185 Coconut shell carving E/OR 209 11.186 Betel nut carving E/OR 209 Bhubaneshwar E/OR 210 11.187 Talapatra khodai – palm leaf engraving E/OR 210 11.188 Pathar kama – stone work E/OR 211 11.189 Papier-mâché E/OR 211 Puri E/OR 212 11.190 Patachitra – painting E/OR 213

Pipili appliqué E/OR 214

Shola pith craft E/OR 214 11.193 Seashell craft E/OR 215 11.194 Coir craft E/OR 215 11.195

Cuttack E/OR 225

11.203 Chandi tarkashi – silver filigree E/OR 226

11.204 Stone carving E/OR 226

11.205 Sikki craft E/OR 227 11.206 Katki chappal – leather footwear E/OR 227

11.207 Brass and bell metal ware E/OR 228 11.208 Katho kama – wood carving E/OR 228 Koraput E/OR 229

11.209 Kotpad sari E/OR 230

11.210 Dongaria scarf – kapra gonda E/OR 230

11.211 Dhokra – lost wax metal casting E/OR 231 11.212 Tribal ornaments E/OR 231 11.213 Bamboo craft

234

11.217 Dhokra – lost wax metal casting E/OR 235

12.0 SIKKIM E/SK 236

12.218 Ku – Buddhist figurines E/SK 238 12.219 Choktse – tables E/SK 239

13.0 WEST BENGAL E/WB 240 Darjeeling E/WB 242

13.220 Wood carving E/WB 243

13.221 Beaten silver engraving E/WB 243

13.222 Hill painting E/WB 244

13.223 Carpet weaving E/WB 244

13.224 Konglan – stitched boots E/WB 245

13.225 Terracotta E/WB 246

13.226 Cane furniture E/WB 246 Cooch Behar E/WB 247

13.227 Sheetalpati – reed mats E/WB 248

13.228 Gambhira masks E/WB 248 Murshidabad E/WB 249

13.229 Shola pith craft E/WB 250

13.230 Metal ware E/WB 251 Birbhum E/WB 252

13.231 Leather craft E/WB 253

13.232 Terracotta jewellery E/WB 253

13.233 Kantha – patched cloth embroidery E/WB 254

13.234 Wooden toys E/WB 255

13.235 Sherpai – measuring bowls E/WB 255

13.236 Dhokra – lost wax metal casting E/WB 256

13.237 Clay work of Krishnanagar E/WB 256 Bankura E/WB 257

13.238 Terracotta of Bankura E/WB 258

13.239 Patachitra – scroll painting E/WB 259

13.240 Ganjifa cards E/WB 259

13.241 Conch shell carving E/WB 260

13.242 Coconut shell carving E/WB 260

13.243 Wood carving E/WB 261

13.244 Stone carving E/WB 261

13.245 Maslond – grass mats E/WB 262

13.246 Chhau mask E/WB 263

13.247 Lac-coated toys E/WB 263 Kolkata E/WB 264

13.248 Beaten silver work E/WB 265

SOUTH

: S/

14.0 ANDHRA PRADESH S/AP 268 Hyderabad S/AP 270

14.249 Bidri ware S/AP 271

14.250 Paagdu bandhu – yarn tie-resistdyeing S/AP 272

14.251 Banjara embroidery S/AP 273

14.252 Lac bangles S/AP 273 Warangal S/AP 274

14.253 Dhurrie weaving S/AP 275

14.254 Painted scrolls of Cheriyal S/AP 276

14.255 Nirmal painting S/AP 277

14.256 Lace making S/AP 278

14.257 Silver filigree S/AP 278

14.258 Dhokra – lost wax metal casting S/AP 279

14.259 Sheet metal work S/AP 279 Visakhapatnam S/AP 280

14.260 Wood and lac turnery of Etikoppaka S/AP 281

14.261 Veena – string instrument S/AP 281

14.262 Jute craft S/AP 282

14.263 Metal work S/AP 282 Machilipatnam S/AP 283

14.264 Block printing S/AP 284

14.265 Telia

17.337 Natural fibre crafts S/KE 351

17.338 Laminated wood work and inlay S/KE 351 Thrissur S/KE 352

17.339 Pooram crafts S/KE 353

17.340 Bronze casting S/KE 354

17.341 Wood carving S/KE 355

17.342 Cane and bamboo craft S/KE 355

17.343 Kora mat weaving S/KE 356

17.344 Screw pine craft S/KE 356 Kannur S/KE 357

17.345 Bronze casting S/KE 358

17.346 Ship building S/KE 359

17.347 Kathakali and Theyyam headgear S/KE 360

17.348 Nettur petti – jewellery boxes S/KE 361

17.349 Symmetric wood stringing S/KE 361

18.0 KARNATAKA S/KA 362 Bangalore S/KA 364

18.350 Metal casting S/KA 365

18.351 Stone carving S/KA 365

18.352 Wood carving S/KA 366

18.353 Wood and lac turnery of Channapatna S/KA 367 Mysore S/KA 368

18.354 Sandalwood carving S/KA 369

18.355 Rosewood inlay S/KA 370

18.356 Soapstone carving S/KA 370

18.357 Mysore painting S/KA 371

18.358 Ganjifa cards S/KA 371

18.359 Metal casting S/KA 372

18.360 Sheet metal embossing S/KA 372

18.361 Terracotta S/KA 373

18.362 Tibetan carpets S/KA 373 Mangalore S/KA 374

18.363 Stone carving S/KA 375

18.364 Rosewood carving S/KA 375

18.365 Terracotta and pottery S/KA 376

18.366 Bhoota figures S/KA 377

18.367 Yakshagana costume making S/KA 377

18.368 Bronze casting S/KA 378

18.369 Areca palm leaf craft S/KA 379

18.370 Mooda – rice packaging S/KA 379 Bellary S/KA 380

18.371 Terracotta and pottery S/KA 380

18.372 Banjara embroidery S/KA 381

18.373 Sheet metal embossing S/KA 381

Bijapur S/KA 382

18.373 Sheet metal embossing S/KA 381 Bijapur S/KA 382

18.374 Surpur painting S/KA 383

18.375 Bidri ware S/KA 383

18.376 Sheet metal work S/KA 384

18.377 Banjara embroidery and quilts S/KA 385

18.378 Wood carving S/KA 385 Belgaum S/KA 386

18.379 Gold jewellery and silver ware S/KA 387

18.380 Navalgund dhurrie S/KA 388

18.381 Kasuti embroidery S/KA 389

WEST : W/

19.0 GOA W/GA 392 Goa W/GA 394

19.382 Kashta kari – wood carving W/GA 395

19.383 Crochet and lace work W/GA 396

19.384 Menawati – candle making W/GA 396

19.385 Otim kaam – brass ware W/GA 397

19.386 Boat making W/GA 398

19.387 Terracotta W/GA 398

19.388 Coconut based crafts W/GA 399

19.389 Dhaatu kaam – copper ware W/GA 400

19.390 Shimpla hast kala – seashell craft W/GA 400

19.391 Maniche kaam – bamboo craft W/GA 401

19.392 Fibre craft W/GA 401

20.0 DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI W/DNH 402 (Union territory)

20.393 Bamboo fish traps W/DNH 404

20.394 Bamboo baskets W/DNH 404

20.395 Terracotta and pottery W/DNH 405

20.396 Fishing nets W/DNH 405

21.0 DAMAN AND DIU (Union territory) W/DD 406

21.397 Crochet and lace work W/DD 407

21.398 Tortosie shell and ivory carving W/DD 407

22.0 GUJARAT W/GJ 408 Kachchh W/GJ 410

22.399 Clay relief work W/GJ 411

22.400 Painted terracotta W/GJ 411

22.401 Kachchhi embroidery W/GJ 412

22.402 Rogan painting W/GJ 413

22.403 Bandhani – tie-resist-dyeing W/GJ 414

22.404 Appliqué W/GJ 416

22.405 Namda – felted rugs W/GJ 417

22.406 Leather work W/GJ 417

22.407 Wood and lac turnery W/GJ 418

22.408 Wood carving W/GJ 418

22.409 Ajrakh printing W/GJ 419

22.410 Silver work W/GJ 420

22.411 Bell making W/GJ 420 Rajkot W/GJ 421

22.412 Bullock cart making W/GJ 422

22.413 Wood with metal embossing W/GJ 422

22.414 Pathar kaam/Sompura kaam –stone carving W/GJ 423 Ahmedabad W/GJ 424

22.415 Kite making W/GJ 425

22.416 Block making

W/GJ 425

22.416 Block making W/GJ 425

22.417 Mata ni pachedi – ritual cloth painting

22.418 Patola weaving

W/GJ 426

22.418 Patola weaving W/GJ 427

W/GJ 427

22.419 Mashru weaving

W/GJ 427

22.419 Mashru weaving W/GJ 427

22.420 Ari embroidery

W/GJ 428

22.420 Ari embroidery W/GJ 428

22.421 Bohra caps

22.422 Wood carving

22.423 Silver ornaments

W/GJ 428

W/GJ 429

Betul W/MP 472

24.468 Dhokra – lost wax metal casting W/MP 473 Gwalior W/MP 474

24.469 Stone carving W/MP 475 Mandla W/MP 476

24.470 Stone carving W/MP 477

24.471 Wood carving W/MP 477

24.470 Stone carving W/MP 477 24.471 Wood carving W/MP 477

24.472 Terracotta and pottery W/MP 478

24.473 Gond chitrakala – tribal

24.473 Gond chitrakala – tribal painting W/MP 479

25.0 CHHATTISGARH W/CT 480 Sarguja and Raigarh W/CT

W/GJ 430 Vadodara

22.423 Silver ornaments W/GJ 430 Vadodara W/GJ 431

W/GJ 431

22.424 Sankheda furniture W/GJ 432

22.425 Pithora painting W/GJ 433

22.426 Silver ornaments W/GJ 434

22.427 Agate stone work W/GJ 435

22.428 Bead work

W/GJ 435

22.428 Bead work W/GJ 435

22.429 Terracotta and pottery W/GJ 436

22.430 Brass and copper ware W/GJ 437 Surat W/GJ 438

22.431 Marquetry W/GJ 439

22.432 Mask making W/GJ 439

22.433 Patku weaving W/GJ 440

22.434 Sujuni weaving

W/GJ 440

22.434 Sujuni weaving W/GJ 440

22.435 Vaaskaam – bamboo crafts W/GJ 441

22.436 Devru – embossed metal W/GJ 441

23.0 MAHARASHTRA W/MH 442 Kolhapur W/MH 444

23.437 Kolhapuri chappal – leather footwear W/MH 445

23.438 Ganjifa cards W/MH 446

23.439 Wooden toys W/MH 446

23.440 Chandi che kaam – silver ware W/MH 447

23.441 Sitar – string instrument W/MH 447 Pune W/MH 448

23.442 Terracotta and pottery W/MH 449

23.443 Tambaat kaam – copper and brass ware W/MH 450

23.444 Uthavache kaam – metal embossing W/MH 450

23.445 Bidri ware W/MH 451

23.446 Metal dies and metal casting W/MH 451

23.447 Dhurrie weaving W/MH 452

23.448 Ambadi – sisal craft W/MH 452

23.449 Taal, jhanjh, ghanta – brass musical instruments W/MH 453

23.450 Banjara embroidery W/MH 453 Mumbai W/MH 454

23.451 Warli painting W/MH 455

23.452 Terracotta and pottery W/MH 456

23.453 Bamboo work W/MH 456

23.454 Patua kaam – jewellery stringing work W/MH 457

23.455 Stringing of flowers W/MH 457

24.0 MADHYA PRADESH W/MP 458 Jhabua W/MP 460

24.456 Wood carving W/MP 461

24.457 Pithora painting W/MP 462

24.458 Terracotta and pottery W/MP 462 Indore W/MP 463

24.459 Block printing of Bagh W/MP 464

24.460 Bandhani – tie-resist-dyeing W/MP 465

24.461 Leather toys W/MP 465 Ujjain W/MP 466

24.462 Wood carving W/MP 467

24.463 Papier-mâché W/MP 468

24.464 Bohra caps W/MP 468 Bhopal W/MP 469

24.465 Zardozi – gold embroidery W/MP 470

24.466 Jute craft W/MP 470

24.467 Wood and lac turnery W/MP 471

How to Use the Book

This volume of Handmade in India is encyclopaedic in nature and the mass of information has been organized in a manner that shows, at a glance, the relationships between the different categories of information. This regional mapping of the crafts presents information by dividing the country in three levels— zone, state, metacluster.

Zones

The division of India into six geographical parts follows the administrative zones adopted by the Office of the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts [DC (H)], India to reach development initiatives of the Government of India to the far-flung clusters in each zone or region. Therefore, in the book, India is divided into six zones: North, Centre, East, South, West and Northeast. These six zones are separated in the book by section dividers, each with a map of the zone and a list of states and metacluster regions in that zone. A section is assigned to each zone. Pages are allocated to each state within a zone, according to the volume of information. Each state section in turn is subdivided into metacluster sections. Each metacluster region includes the particular production clusters located therein. The organization of the texts, image and navigational keywords used for the state pages, metacluster pages and craft pages is described further.

State

The organization of the various elements on the ‘state spread’ follows a common system across the book. Each state and union territory of India is introduced to the reader through a brief proﬁle of the state, its geography, natural resources and socio-cultural setting. All these factors

ZONES / STATES

Table of Zones and States:

Zone 1: N/—NORTH Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Delhi.

Zone 2: C/—CENTRE Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal.

Zone 3: E/—EAST Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Sikkim and West Bengal.

Zone 4: S/—SOUTH Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Kerala and Karnataka.

Zone 5: W/—WEST Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Zone 6: NE/—NORTHEAST Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya.

have a bearing on the craft traditions of each region. Also located on this page is a map of the state showing the names of the metaclusters identified and included, along with names of the major cities or towns. Images distributed over the double page spread contain evocative expressions of typical landscapes, flora and fauna and people of the region. These pictures are supported by individual captions that describe some significant aspects of the state. The margins include a list of keywords contained under the following major headings—Crafts, Landmarks, Physical Features (major rivers and geographic identifiers), Biodiversity, Languages, Attire, Festivals and Cuisine. The page number of each state page can be found in the Table of Contents at the front of the book.

Metaclusters

The states are divided into‘metaclusters,’ a grouping which is created for the purpose of this publication to give a quick reference to the crafts of each state. A metacluster is a geographical unit of smaller clusters in which ﬁeld research was conducted. They comprise one or more districts and follow district boundaries. The bases for demarcating metaclusters were either geographical or in some cases even cultural proximity of districts. Some metaclusters have emerged from the concentration of crafts in a region. The metaclusters are identiﬁed in all cases by a district name. For instance, Metacluster Jammu takes its name from Jammu district.

Following are exceptions to metacluster names—Metacluster Kashmir lies in Srinagar district; likewise, Metacluster Bhubaneshwar lies in Khurda district; Metacluster Machilipatnam is in Krishna district and Metacluster Mangalore is

in Dakshina Kannada district. States of Chandigarh, Haryana, Goa, Delhi, Sikkim and Meghalaya have metaclusters by the same name as the state, as the size of the states and scale of craft activity allows for such rationalization. Union territories of Pondicherry, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli also have metaclusters by the same name as the states.

The symbol indicates a metacluster region. Metaclusters occur sequentially within a state. The single page layout used for each metacluster has images that provide an exemplary view of the metacluster and include local craftsmen in typical settings as seen in each region. The image captions provide additional information while the main body of text gives an overview of the signiﬁcant features and the cultural history of each metacluster. This page also carries lists of keywords in the margins or in tables, which include the following: List of Subclusters covered in the study (which are marked on the Map), and a list of crafts that appear in the pages that immediately follow. Further, a table of resources lists Crafts, Raw materials and signiﬁcant Sources in an easy to review matrix. Basic access information is included at the end of the main text to facilitate travel to the region.

Crafts

The ‘crafts pages’ lie between metacluster pages. Individual crafts are displayed in accordance with their relevance and impact on the region’s economy, tradition and historicity. Each craft is titled wherever possible with the vernacular name of the craft. There is a description of the craft with deﬁnitions, context of making and using, and a summary of unique features

that help identify the particular craft expression with reference to its context in the particular metacluster where it is found. The same craft practiced elsewhere would have some different features. The pictures show selected objects that are typical of the craft described. There is a list of keywords under the following headings: names of production clusters of the craft, names of typical products made and names of tools and devices used in the craft. Keywords provided in the margin are followed throughout the book. They are also elaborated in Crafts Resource Directory of the series Handmade in India and organized as a master index with relevant information.

End matter and appendices

This section contains a technical glossary and bibliographic information, including an annotated bibliography of the unpublished craft documentation collection of the National Institute of Design, which is housed in the Knowledge Management Centre of the institute. The book has a comprehensive index to facilitate readers to locate infromation. An extensive list of people and institutions that have been acknowledged for their contribution to this volume has also been included.

SAMPLE Zone 3: E/—EAST Showing the states that comprise it.

The States comprising a Zone are divided into regions known as ‘Metaclusters’. Metaclusters comprise one or more districts and follow district boundaries.

MAYURBHANJ –District of Mayurbhanj

MAYURBHANJ

Mayurbhanj district

Bargarh district Sambalpur district

Sonepur district

Dhenkanal district

Jajpur district

Jharkhand

Phulbani district

Nawrangpur district

Rayagada district

Koraput district

KORAPUT: Districts of Nawrangpur, Kalahandi, Koraput, Rayagada and Phulbani.

Cuttack district

Khurda district

Ganjam district

GANJAM

Gajapati district

BHUBANESHWAR CUTTACK

PURI Puri district

BHUBANESHWAR (in Khurda district), takes its name from the city of Bhubaneshwar, which is the state capital.

SAMPLE STATE SPREAD

NB: Vernacular Terms

Not all vernacular terms are explained in this volume. But will be elucidated in the ‘Vernacular Glossary’ in Crafts Resource Directory

Rathayatra

Holi

Chandan Yatra

Snana Yatra

Bali Yatra

Number of Districts and Craftpersons1* in the state.

State Name

Number of Districts and Craftpersons1* in the state. State Name

Vernacular Term described in detail.

Craft List of the state in the state colour.

The State Text gives a brief social and cultural overview of the state that serves to explain its craft context.

Map of the State shows metaclusters , major cities, towns and rivers. State Locator Map shows the location of the state within India.

Page Number includes Zone/State Name Abbreviation.

1* Number of districts are as per the latest figures available from the Survey of India map references and the estimated population for the craftpersons in the State is obtained from the 2000 Census of the Ministry of Textiles. In case of Union territories or newly formed States, like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, the craftspersons population is either unavailable or clubbed with the states from which they were carved out.

SAMPLE METACLUSTER PAGE

Metacluster Locator Map shows the location of the metacluster within the state.

Icon indicates Metacluster.

Keywords contained under the headings: Subclusters of the metacluster. Crafts included in the metacluster.

Table of Resources: Matrix of Crafts, Raw Materials and Sources.

Access information for reaching the metacluster.

Image Numbering

[3] or if more than one in a set [3, 3a, 3b].

Image Numbering [3] or if more than one in a set [3, 3a, 3b].

Number above, below or on side of image.

Keywords on the State Page contained under the headings : Physical Features, Biodiversity, Landmarks, Languages, Festivals, Attire, Cuisine.

2* Map Legend appears alongwith the Scale at which the map appears. All maps have been verified and approved by the Survey of India. Only the maps on the State spread indicate a Scale; the maps on the Metacluster pages are not accorded a scale, as each region is enlarged in proportion to the space required to show all the craft clusters present.

Metacluster Map shows all the Craft clusters in the metacluster.

SAMPLE CRAFT PAGE

Craft

Name

Craft Name

State Colour Tab

Running Head consists of the zone/state/metacluster and appears on all craft pages.

Description of the craft with definitions, contexts of making and using, and a summary of unique features that help identify the particular craft expression with the metacluster in which it is found.

Keywords contained under the headings: Production Clusters, Products and Tools.

NB: Production Clusters only indicate the craft villages, towns or cities actually visited by the research teams.

Tool Box, with icon appears on most craft pages, as per the field research generated. Where possible, tools have been identified and named.

Map of the State shows metaclusters , major cities, towns and rivers. State Locator Map shows the location of the state within India.

Rathayatra Holi

Chandan Yatra

Snana Yatra

Bali Yatra

2* Map Legend

Thepotisagod.Thewinnowing fanisagod.Thestoneinthe streetisagod.Thecombisa god.Thebowstringisalsoa god.Thebushelisagodandthe spoutedcupisagod.

Basavanna(1106-1167A.D.)

Prime Minister Messages I

The handicrafts of India represent our rich cultural tradition. They embody our heritage of creativity, aesthetics and craftsmanship. At a more substantial level, the handicraft tradition has sustained generations of people in our country. As a highly decentralized activity, the handicrafts industry is a shining example of using local resources and local initiatives.

Through the ages, our handicrafts have fascinated the world. The beauty of these products and the skill and ingenuity they represent have few parallels anywhere in the world. They have set a benchmark of quality and excellence that is quintessentially Indian. The skills of our craftsmen reﬂected in our handicrafts became living symbols of our self-reliance and thereby inspired our freedom ﬁghters to demand self rule. Since Independence, the Government of India has made a concerted effort to sustain the craft sector. In the process, a credible infrastructure of support has been put in place to augment the ability of craftspersons and to face growing challenges confronted by them. In the present era, it is essential for this industry to meet the challenges of globalization through innovation and upgradation of skills. The Government will continue to play a supportive role in this effort.

I also wish to commend this effort to systematically document our handicraft heritage. This handbook adds to the corpus of literature that deals with the viability and sustainability of the crafts sector in a world that remains in quest of unique offerings such as are produced by traditional craftspersons.

I extend greetings to all those associated with this publication and wish it all success.

Manmohan Singh

New Delhi

August 31, 2005

New Delhi August 31, 2005

Minister of Textiles

This documentation of India’s handicraft tradition and resource maps is a vehicle for bringing the world to craftsmen’s doorsteps in an age of rapid communication and global change. Numerous well-wishers and business partners from all over the world seek Indian craftsmen and their craftsmanship. The Ministry of Textiles and the Government of India are committed to provide the necessary support and encouragement that is needed to develop the handicraft sector of our country, since it is the source of high quality livelihoods for many of our people, particularly in the remote regions of our country.

Today the rural and urban crafts continue to make a hefty contribution to the economy of the country as they did in the past. In many cases this has been a hidden contribution since these did not necessarily get reﬂected in the visible part of our economy. For centuries, the rural artisans have been providing for the needs of local farmers and other rural inhabitants in the form of locally made products and services. The village melas or fairs and the weekly bazaars are full of locally produced crafts that are now admired across the world. With the advent of machine produced goods, many of our traditional artisans have had to face intense competition from a growing industrial sector. However, the inventiveness of the Indian craftsman and the various efforts at development that has been invested over the years in human resource development and in product innovation and promotion, has strengthened their ability to face this competition with a great degree of success.

Our crafts infrastructure and the market network that has been built with the active participation of the government, local bodies, NGOs and a vast network of our trade and service providers has helped the Indian crafts sector reinvent itself to face the world of tomorrow. This publication is one more effort in the direction towards our craftsmen achieving selfreliance and conﬁdence to showcase their skills in order to attract users and craft lovers from all over the world to a new partnership that will take Indian crafts to the rest of the world.

Shri Shankersinh Vaghela Minister of Textiles Government of India

Secretary (Textiles)

The Development Commissioner of Handicrafts has taken on a timely initiative to map and make available fairly comprehensive information about the vast range of handicrafts that provide livelihood and creative satisfaction to thousands of craftsmen in our country. The handicrafts traditions that have been continued undisturbed over the centuries have to face the realities of rapid change brought about by the inexorable forces of communication and globalization. Today they face many discontinuities and from the traditional role of providing all the artifacts of village life. Many crafts have over the years transformed themselves to becoming high citadels of skill through the active patronage of the state, local culture and religion. Hand skills and the handmade object have always had a special place in the minds of the initiated but many more have been drawn away by the glamour and glitter of industrially produced goods in a rapidly changing world order. Crafts are the lifeblood of a vibrant country. In our context this is the link that holds together the creative fabric of India.

That the handicrafts are a viable means of production in India is not in doubt but the global change needs to be responded in kind, through the production of knowledge which can both preserve what is of value and make it available to the world at large. Our craftspeople who are being celebrated in the pages of this book, in three volumes, need this support to make their skills and knowledge accessible to the creative and sensitive consumers in search of the sublime and the spirit that is India. It is in these crafts and in the artifacts of our culture that the spirit of India resides. These volumes will preserve their knowledge for posterity and make available new avenues of access to the world of creative producers who can beat a path to the doorsteps of these craftsmen who hold the reﬁned skills and knowledge of millennia.

As people living in India, we have all been exposed to our crafts heritage from our childhood and in all regions of India the young have had these unique experiences and encounters with the local crafts that ingrained in them the material and spiritual sensibilities of the region and its culture. The traditional crafts manifest themselves in the temple architecture of the region as well as in the ubiquitous household products crafted with ingenuity from local materials and skills. Today, when we live and work in our metros, all of us in India, know that we have lost something dear, but it is the presence of some ﬁnely crafted objects in our ritual and festive occasions that bring back these valuable qualities to mind very sharply and in a clearly delineated fashion. From being mere curios on our shelves, the handicrafts of India must reinvent themselves to be the cherished objects that are in harmony with the needs and aspirations of future citizens of the world. It is only then that we can be sure of the renewal of interest and a sustainable future for the livelihoods and prosperity of the multi-million strong craftsmen community in India.

Shri R Poornalingam Secretary (Textiles)

Foreword Development Commissioner

(Handicrafts)

The Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) was set up for the socio-economic upliftment of handicrafts artisans and for the promotion and development of the handicraft sector within the country. This ofﬁce has been striving to achieve qualitative improvement in production, increase in productivity of artisans for the augmentation of their income both at the individual and group level, creation of more employment opportunities to achieve a higher standard of living for craftpersons, and for the higher export of handicrafts from the country including preservation of our rich cultural and craft heritage.

The growth of the sector is being facilitated in a balanced manner to help six million craftpersons located in over 530 regional clusters identified in this publication. Our staff and officers at headquarters and field offices across the country are committed to provide various services for the development and growth of this sector in an efficient and transparent manner to achieve the goals. As is evident, the sector is multi-polar, with an enormous amount of diversity in cultural manifestation, traditions, raw materials, techniques and applications that represent various regions and districts of India. The complexity of managing the sector and providing services at the doorsteps of craftpersons requires in-depth knowledge and a deep insight of their traditions, needs and aspirations. Due to the well distributed infrastructure of Regional Offices, Design and Technical Development Centres, Marketing and Service Extension Centres, this office has been able to provide support to craftpersons. A national network of trainers, master craftpersons and Shilp Gurus, are our important partners in carrying forward the craft traditions and its values to a much larger base of performing artisans.

I am sure that this documentation of the Indian craft heritage with geo-speciﬁc locations, materials and processes will be a tool for creating awareness about the craft traditions of India, all over the world. This book will not only facilitate importers and exporters of handicrafts to identify craft concentration areas for sourcing their requirements but will also help scholars in carrying out research in the area of their interest. It will further be of help to artisans seeking to protect their craft traditions and designs under GIA or IPR Acts and help policy makers in designing appropriate strategies for the development of this sector.

The National Institute of Design (NID) team, which worked systematically with dedication and zeal, deserves full credit and appreciation for bringing out this landmark publication. I hope this publication will not only be interesting to the reader but will also be able to generate awareness amongst them, which will take Indian handicrafts to a new height in the global arena.

Sanjay Agarwal, IAS Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) & Ex-Ofﬁcio Joint Secretary

The Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Government of India was established with the mandate of serving and strengthening one of the most signiﬁcant segments of the non-agricultural sector of the Indian economy—the handicraft sector—focusing on employment generation and providing sustainable livelihood. Handicraft or craft as is commonly understood is primarily an occupational art, which requires some skills and creativity to think, imagine, and visualize in order to produce an artistic and cultural object. These cultural and ethnographic objects represent traditional art and craft and local technologies practiced by the indigenes of a locality portraying their cultural values. The objects or the process involving their manufacturing is a knowledgerepository and representative of the era and period during which they were originally created or used as cultural elements and as a means of augmenting socio-economic returns for improving their standards of living.

Globalization, open markets and changing economic borders and barriers have signiﬁcantly altered the perspective and vision with which handicrafts is viewed today. Traditional know-how has regained its signiﬁcance as a base for knowledge which can be utilized for the welfare of all. In this era of knowledge and debate on ownership and protection of intellectual property rights gaining momentum, it has become imperative to mine, assimilate, document the vast knowledge, collected and collated by the Department over the years and present it in a manner where it would become useful for further research, point of reference for trade, knowledge base for designers and a database for policy makers.

This document is also meant to pave the way for legislative or legal framework in providing the rural, semi-urban communities, their due share of economic returns and recognition by way of different mechanisms available currently or will become available in the near future, where the intellectual property is collectively shared by the indigenes who have practiced and proliferated the knowledge over centuries.

Tinoo Joshi Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) Government of India

Preface

Traditional crafts are innovations of yesterday. Crafts define not only the cultural moorings but also the search for economic sustenance. The craftsmen derive their inspiration, innate wisdom and skills not from books but from nature and their surroundings. Crafts reflect the immense creativity of ordinary people and their quest for self-expression and fulfillment. Just as human evolution, crafts also evolve over time by mixing and churning infl uences and events. A country’s creative history is decipherable from the metal, pottery, textiles, and scores of other crafts, which were prevalent in its different regions. India is seen by the discerning not just as a country but as one that produced a rich civilization. Despite the ruptures of history, invasions and foreign occupation, Indian crafts continued to lead the way in many respects. The innovativeness and creative expressions in textiles, stones and jewellery have captured the imagination of the world.

The vicissitudes of history and the tides of time have not robbed the enchanting diversity, rich landscape and beauty of Indian crafts. The aesthetics of India, reﬂected through the crafts and its forms, shapes and its colour palette are almost like the cuisines of India reﬂecting the great diversity and tastes. The multitude of hues and forms seen in the shandys and the melas of India tell the stories of hundreds of crafts that belong to a vast country with 18 major and 1600 minor languages and dialects, 6 major religions, 6 major ethnic groups, 52 major tribes, 6400 castes and subcastes, 29 major festivals and over 1 billion people, 50 per cent of them in rural areas, spread over coast lines, valleys, hills, mountains, deserts, backwaters, forests and even inhospitable terrain. It is not easy to grasp the breadth and depth of Indian craft. There are more than 23 million craftsmen engaged in different craft sectors and it is estimated that there are over 360 craft clusters in India.

‘Living’ culture and ‘evolving’ crafts are required to preserve both culture and crafts. The laudable endeavour by the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) to present, in a directory, authentic information and visual images of handicrafts from every nook and corner of India is a herculean endeavour. The National Institute of Design has been studying and sustaining craft related design interventions for over four decades as part of its education, outreach and services. This is perhaps the reason that the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) decided to engage NID in preparing this magnum opus on the world of handicrafts. NID’s mandate for searching indigenous solutions and an Indian idiom in design have often led to linking yesterday’s innovations with today’s. Thus for NID, this task, though arduous, has also been very edifying and fulﬁlling.

The team at NID, consisting of many ﬁeld researchers, editors, designers, and copy writers, have all passed through moments of despair and delight. After toiling hard and struggling with resources and time over nearly three years, the dedicated team led by Mrs Aditi Ranjan our senior faculty member has succeeded in celebrating crafts in a publication which has both the magic of hands and creative spirit of the unsung heroes of crafts. As Aldous Huxley said, “Culture is like the sum of special knowledge that accumulates in any large united family and is a common property of all its members.” We can replace the word ‘culture’ in this case with ‘craft’ and in the context of the book, it would be just right.

Handmade in India represents the sum of the special knowledge from India’s united family and it captures vividly the intellectual property which has created wealth for generations and which will continue creating it and multiplying it in the times to come. Many of the crafts clusters have the potential of linking the product range from a geographical indication and branding perspective under the WTO regime. In the emerging arena of world competition led by the frameworks of WTO, this book will be a repository of heritage and inspiration for all those seeking wealth, from India as well as from all parts of the world. In a globalizing and increasingly digital world, which is searching for emotional and cultural connections, crafts can bring forth harmony. In the emerging knowledge economy, crafts and folklore will form the foundations for the nation’s wealth, especially in countries like India, which has a magniﬁcent heritage and a glorious future. I am truly delighted to present this book to the readers on behalf of the National Institute of Design, to provide inspiration and sustenance to the generations ahead.

Dr. Darlie O. Koshy Executive Director, NID Ahmedabad

Introduction

Handmade in India is a tribute to the Indian craftsperson. His or her uncanny understanding of materials is combined with mastery of the tools, techniques and processes that have evolved over the centuries through social and cultural interactions. Today this craft continuum constitutes an enormous resource that can be harnessed for the future development of our society.

This volume provides a geographic organization of craft di stribution across the length and breadth of the country and shows how craft permeates even the remotest corner of India. In this introduction we have tried to summarize the enormity of craft variety and the significant role that it plays in the day-to-day lives of both rural and urban people.

The panorama of Indian crafts is a patchwork quilt of many hues and shades of meaning, reflective of interactions with social, economic, cultural and religious forces. And the craft world is full of contrasts, a universe of utility products and sacred objects, articles for ritual use and ephemeral festival crafts, representing many levels of refinement—from the simplest to the most technically advanced. Likewise there are many perceptions of the term ‘craftsman,’ ranging from a manual labourer to a worker of high artistic excellence. Craft, then, is situated in a complex milieu, a dense matrix of many strands and elements. To understand this, our study undertook many months of fieldwork and research. Throughout, our research was guided by the conviction that the context informs the structure, language and form of crafts.

The aim of this three-volume publication is to showcase the creative potential of Indian craftspersons and make available a directory of resources—skills, materials, capabilities and products. The products embody the craftsperson’s understanding that is structural, conceptual and aesthetic, just as cr aft is also an interrelation between function, form, material, process and meaning. The directory unveils the product not only as an end but also as a seed for new possibilities and directions, a creative potential and palette of resources. The crafts of India are at the threshold of massive change and it is hoped that this publication will help capture the many facets of the current scenario and promote a better understanding of the milieu, issues and resources that it offers for designers and layman alike to influence economic change at the grassroots level.

The range and diversity of Indian crafts is staggering. To understand this diversity one would need to look at numerous dimensions that include all the historical processes that shaped the transformations of our society over time. Social and cultural diversity has multiplied particular forms of artefacts, each shaped by a multitude of forces leading to the vast canvas of variety that can be witnessed today. Modernity tends to have universal forms that homogenize cultures across continents that are seen as an outcome of communication and globalization. On the other hand, the prolific variety was a result of each regional or sub-regional group asserting its own identity in the objects and cultural expressions. Therefore the vast array of artefacts, implements, built environments, ornaments, clothing, headgear and personal body decorations all showed the deep need for holding on to their unique identity as distinct from that of their neighbours.

India is a land of immense variety, a land of vast biodiversity and climatic zones from the sea-level coastal settlements to the extreme habitats built on top of lofty snow-covered mountains. Similarly regions of very heavy rainfall and abundant vegetation are contrasted with dry deserts, each with appropriately evolved housing and other built forms that find a resonance with the particular climatic zone in which it has evolved. Much can be learnt from the manner in which local communities have invented solutions to tackle the diversity of climates. These solutions are both a creative response for survival and celebration alike—the bamboo rainshields of Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya are worn by farmers as headgear while the palm leaf sunshades of Andhra Pradesh are carried as umbrellas by shepherds or used as shelters in open-air weekly markets. The jhappi, bamboo rainshield of Assam, is decorated with red appliquéd forms and transformed into a votive offering that symbolizes a good harvest. These creative community responses represent the triumph of the human spirit over the forces of nature. Community responses mark many craft developments, initiated when sensitive craftsmen

Wrought iron figure, Udaipur, Rajasthan.

Tribal clay figure, Nonihat, Jharkhand. Hand formed and painted cowdung toy, Parla Khemundi, Orissa.

Painted clay and cowdung female figure, Puhphutara, Chhattisgarh.

Carved and painted puppet, Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Realistic clay figure, village woman, Krishnanagar, West Bengal.

Carved wooden chariot decoration, Papanasam,Tamil Nadu.

Votive terracotta, Nawrangpur, Orissa.

and their clientele interact in the bazaars and at points of exchange. These interactions have a collective impact on the form of the craft offering that no single craftsman could have produced, a perfect fit with the environment and with the social mores that the community aspires to. The climate helps determine the nature of material availability, in some places in abundance and in others as an extremely scarce commodity, which in turn influences the value attributed to that material in the given context. We see examples of non-precious materials treated like royalty in zones of scarcity, sometimes preserved for many generations to mature before it is put to use. On the other hand the response to abundance could be seen in the free abandon with which materials are crafted into objects of function or celebration.

Stories unfold in material with the skillful wielding of tools and application of intellect and the product is a mirror of the society that produces it. It is uncanny how we can see traces and signs of culture frozen in stone or clay and metal and wood, all of which echo the roots of a particular cultural system that produces or uses the craft object. The belief systems that determine that form could be from the r eligious source or from some body of ancient folk wisdom. Thus, the huge terracotta Ayyanar horses stand as watchful village guardians in Tamil Nadu and are revered by the community at large. The temple, the mosque, the church and the tribal gods have all contributed to the shaping of artifacts of worship and the votive offerings that are part of the rites of passage in so many communities in India. Birth and death, marriage and adolescence are all occasions for community joy or sorrow, and these create the context for the release of creative energies and the demand for the highest degree of skill that the craftsperson can bring to the occasion. There is a variety of expressions: some are elaborated with decorative motifs and surface ornamentation and in some others a pristine sense of peace with the material and sublime proportion that evokes soft feelings even when the object is made of metal, like in the massive cast charakku, vessel, from Kerala. As a secular nation India has been liberal in the interpretation of religion and this has in turn created a multitude of expressions that respond to the philosophy of the particular religion that is represented and served by the crafts. The simplicity of the Jain turned wood paatra, utensils, and the elaborate and ornate meenakari, enamelled metal ware container, from the Islamic north stand in stark contrast, each reflecting the ethos of the community and the purpose that it serves— one to collect alms and the other to offer gifts to a guest of honour. In the hills of Nagaland the baskets, headgear and other accessories of the wearer tell us about his or her world view and the community to which they belong, and these objects are signs of their identity, carried with a pride of belonging that unfolds a universe of meaning to the initiated. Tattoos on the body and forehead markings too are signs of belonging that speak volumes about the aspirations and status of the wearer.

India has been at the crossroads of civilization for over 5,000 years and in some parts of the country time has stood still while in others it has churned at an incredible pace of change while absorbing threads of other cultures and imbibing the essence of these. The various waves of interactions from the Northwest and the subtle trade interactions with the South and the East have brought in new ideas and practices, skills and applications. Within the country too block printers have migrated in search of water sources suitable for their craft, or people have fled from their settlements in the face of many pressures, manmade or natural. These internal migrations and trade transactions took skills from one location and planted them in new and alien settings, assuming subtle new hues of the chosen location, creating another variation. The bandhani textiles of Gujarat find new expression in the sungadi of faraway Madurai, to single out just one of the many threads that stand out in this long list of transformations. The arrival of the Mughals brought in the fine Iranian artistry in metal, silk and carpet weaving. The coming of the British and the Portuguese in South India introduced the carved wooden traditions of the West and these are integrated in the churches and houses of the coastal settlements. In addition, the hot humid climate called for a sensible design of shaded

Wrought iron and brass tribal figure, Kondagaon, Chhattisgarh.

Replicas of Chola bronzes, lost wax casting, Swamimalai, Tamil Nadu.

Bronze idol of Shiva, lost wax casting, Swamimalai, Tamil Nadu.

Dhokra cast, brass tribal figure, Jigidih, Orissa.

Wrought iron Bison Horn Maria figures, Kondagaon, Chhattisgarh.

verandahs and the response was the unique form of settlement types found in Goa, Pondicherry, coastal Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The craft landscape is made up of numerous types of applications: from the vernacular objects of daily use that are rough-hewn from local materials to the celebrated objects of symbolic value that are used on special occasions and for religious functions. In some cases the same object may be used in different settings but in each case the value assigned to the object is substantially different. The lota, or brass container for liquids, is one such multi-purpose and multivalent object that can be at home in the kitchen, the bathroom and the prayer room and in each case be held in a different spiritual or physical plane, each reflecting the state of the object in the particular context. Objects are thus imbued with value and spirit, which are respected by all users in that society. New categories have emerged that respond to trade and professional needs of the craftsmen and now designers have joined hands to create new objects for new markets that provide economic value to the community of makers and satisfaction to a whole new community of users, some in distant lands. The commercial and the spiritual are both crafted with great pride and care by sensitive hands that use centuries of tradition to inform current practice.

The forms and treatment of objects of everyday use differ widely from objects of celebration or worship. While the one is almost devoid of any ornamentation, it should not be seen as less cared for or less venerated. The observation of the process of making and of its use in the household setting as well as closer examination of the object will reveal the subtle lines that have been left to stand as testimony of the process or the marks of the tool, none of which may be considered functionally necessary. The sanabul from Manipur and the terracotta pots from many parts of India deliberately bear the mark of the hands and tools as signs of process. These marks have subtle meaning: as a means of expression, as an interplay of structure with form, and material with process, and of the culture with the process of signification. The gradient of elaboration is incremental: from the plain and honest craftsmanship to many degrees of elaboration of both form and surface decoration that attempts to elevate the object from mere functionality to a higher status.

The range and manner of using materials reflect the enormous ingenuity of the local mind in discovering appropriate applications. Some are processed through many iterations while others are used raw, in response to an immediate need. Bamboo culm cut off with a sharp blade is an instant container to store water or cook rice, and banana leaf plates are cut, trimmed or stitched to form disposable biodegradable containers. The same bamboo may be processed through many stages of splitting and weaving to produce a dowry gift fit for a queen in Nagaland and the leaf too may be processed into a durable fibre that is crafted into bags or pouches for storing valuables. Thus the materials and techniques respond to a variety of needs, some immediate and of less value while some may be of great value involving either elaborate processing or the spiritual upliftment through the production of myths and votive meaning in response to particular contexts. The range of materials is matched by a bewildering array of fine tools, many fashioned with great care and knowledge by the craftspersons themselves, imbibed through many years of evolutionary community learning called traditional wisdom. Tools and processes are diverse to include earth, water, fire and air, elements that transform materials in many ways, each extracted from a pool of knowledge that is fast disappearing with the so-called advance of modernity. Traditional wisdom needs preservation and needs to be nurtured and used to unfold new values in a contemporary setting. Each culture has much to offer and India is full of such precious nuggets of traditional wisdom that can be applied to local uses or even global exchange.

Indian handicrafts are a storehouse of classical motifs and patterns that have evolved over centuries, many of which have been passed on from trading cultures over eons of interaction. The motifs and patterns once absorbed by a culture get disseminated across a variety of media, from stone to wood, to metal to cloth; from weaving to print and from painting to inlay; each technique bringing to the pattern its unique signature, an amalgam of material and tool limitation. The floral motifs and the creeper, the bel, can find as many expressions as there are materials and contexts to be served as witnessed in the huge variety in the expression of popular motifs such as the keri or aam, the stylized mango, depending

Hand formed terracotta, Thongjao, Manipur. Thrown and painted ceremonial terracotta, Darbhanga, Bihar.

Brass sheet formed pot used by ascetics, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Heat flattened bamboo cheese container, Bomdila, Arunachal Pradesh.

Turned wood bowls for Jain monks, Pipad, Rajasthan.

Terracotta vessel, patachitra painted, Parla Khemundi, Orissa.

on the language that it is being expressed in. The human form too has been depicted in great variety. The upright man or woman has been represented in a host of actions. The r ough and ready whittled shapes of the Naga warrior contrast strongly with the elegant statuettes of the Chola bronzes while the wrought iron tribesman from Chhattisgarh differs from the expressive occupational toys from Kondapalli in Andhra Pradesh. Moreover, when a human form enters the sanctum of the temple it takes on a whole new sacred meaning and significance.

Several crafts are a form of pure service and the craftsman plays the role of facilitator of some critical function of form giving or repair. The mochi or cobbler and the potter, the tile maker and the carpenter fall into the category of those who work to serve the community with their skills and knowledge. In the age of mass consumption, it may be a good idea to bring back some of the values of this service to ensure that our products are recycled and repaired rather than used and thrown away long before their active life is over. Craft and the use of craftsmanship could bring in new values for a sustainable future and a new attitude towards the proper use and abuse of materials in the coming years.

Craft objects come in a vast array of product categories, each in tune with its purpose. The selection of wood for the keel of a boat or for the main post of a small local dwelling would show a deep understanding of material properties and the shapes that are found in nature, the wood being appropriately bent or with that presence of a branch fork to support the beams in each case of application. The products would range from the production of miniature animals and dolls for play to animal harnesses and objects for functional use in daily life. Yet other categories are the gifts for numerous occasions such as festivals and marriages as well as religious offerings at the temple or for honouring a leader in the community or to celebrate the arrival of a child. These objects carry signs of their purpose and are specially treated for the particular occasion. Containers, baskets, tools, implements, domestic products and objects of agricultural use represent great concern for efficiency and convenience while objects of celebration have a vast repertoire of decorative processes to make the offering visibly valuable.

Just as there are categories of objects, we find categories of craftspersons and many levels of craftsmanship. In the Northeast where local materials are transformed on a daily basis in the service of day-to-day life, bamboo is fashioned into a variety of baskets and objects. Most of the population is familiar with the craft process and the people exhi bit a very high degree of creativity in their ability to transform materials. This is not to say that professional craftspersons do not exist in these regions. They do and they are involved in the making of many specialized products that are traded through the local bazaars. Other members of the craft economy of village and urban India include the small and large entrepreneurs. They keep the wheels of trade in continuous motion and the more ambitious ones, such as the exporters, help build bridges between distant lands and cultures. From time immemorial these itinerant traders have given an extended life to Indian handicrafts by making them available in distant lands through establishing active trade routes.

Traditional and modern settings exist for showcasing the craft heritage across India. The bazaar is the closest to the maker while new forms of exhibitions and trade fairs promoted by the government and non-governmental bodies represent the new formats for contemporary action. Religious festivals and regional events or seasonal festivities encourage trade in handcrafted objects from far and near. The annual Jagannath festival in Puri, Orissa, sees a plethora of stone and wood carvings, cloth paintings and appliqué work for pilgrims to the temple; and the enormous cattle fair at Pushkar, Rajasthan, floods the township with local crafts. This is now becoming a valuable source of heritage tourism.

The craft heritage continues to evolve in modern times and the objects too are finding new and contemporary expression while the old and the traditional is still valued for the refinement that they represent. That the crafts understand and respond to the variety demanded by its clientele can be seen in the profusion of jewellery, clothing, footwear and hand held accessories that are used as part of our daily costume. The great variety and styles of surface and structural treatment

Moulded and painted papier-mâché, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.

Turned and polished agate bowl, Khambhat, Gujarat.

Moonj grass basket for storing valuables, coiling technique, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Dowry basket, palm leaf and painted strips, Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu.

Bamboo basketry, Garo hills, Meghalaya.

show a creative ability of the craftsman to respond to a human need for identity and differentiation. The Kolhapuri chappal, leather footwear, is one such product that comes to mind where with just one material, leather, a great many structural and formal variations are achieved by the use of simple and complex methods of assembly, all satisfying an appreciative but demanding user. Each region responds with its own offering of variety within a functional category as seen in the diversity of baskets from bamboo in the northeast of India and in the vast range of palm leaf constructions from coastal Tamil Nadu and Orissa.

Even today there are places in India where almost everyone is still a craftsperson, able to transform material to fashion expressions of creativity. Tamil women use the art of kolam as a daily ritual of cleaning and decorating the entrance to their home while in much of rural India the houses are surfaced regularly with a coat of wet mud and cowdung that leaves gentle marks of the hand as it sweeps the surface. Wall paintings and decorations are an everyday art in many parts of the country and each uses fascinating local variants to tell stories or to capture symbols of fertility and good will. The Warli and Madhubani painting are two prominent examples of everyday art that is part of the living culture of the land.

India is still creative in its villages, with the young exposed to the art of making and transforming materials and spaces by the act of creation on a daily basis. The living craf ts in the rural hinterlands have been contributing enormously. Unfortunately our formal education systems lack the richness of craft experiences with the emphasis on textual and numerical education systems. It is here that crafts hold real promise for the rediscovery of the therapeutic qualities of craftsmanship that can be appreciated and adopted by the entire population. Craftsmanship brings with it an understanding of quality and refinement, and the sensitivity that is gained through this work culture will help introduce our youth to a whole philosophy of values that crafts embody. We will need to transcend the caste barriers that have brought artificial divisions between thinking, writing and doing. Therefore crafts in education will introduce a new dimension. We hope that this book and its companion volumes will help sensitize and shape the character of our youth, through an immersion in the act of craftsmanship.

Crafts are an effective vehicle for self-development and for sustainable employment generation for much of our population living in difficult economic conditions. In the search for development strategies of our rural and urban centres through employment, the government has used crafts with great effect over the past 50 years. The setting up of the Handloom and Handicrafts Boards and the establishment of the Office of the Development Commissioner of Handicrafts has created the avenue through which the support of the government intention can reach all corners of the country in an effective manner. The support in training and in providing seed capital to help establish numerous local entrepreneurs in the crafts sector has been a full time task, which has met with great su ccess. The thriving export climate for handcrafted goods from India is a confirmation of the success of these initiatives.

Government policies over the years have helped support a vibrant local and export industry, an enormous employment base. The scope for entrepreneurship and wealth generation across 516 production clusters are graphically mapped in

Bell metal casting, ritual vessel, Imphal, Manipur.

Brass, heat forged serving vessel, Jhajpur, Orissa.

Brass cooking utensil, sheet formed with cast handles, Dhenkanal, Orissa.

Bell metal casting, ritual vessel, Jhajpur, Orissa.

Dhokra, lost wax casting, grain measure, Ranchi, Jharkhand.

Bell metal cast large cooking vessel, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Silver with bronze, embossed and engraved sheet formed box, Kalimpong, West Bengal.

this vo lume. Each metacluster has local issues that are addressed by the state in which they are located and each has produced their champions either as local NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) or state-supported systems that are easy to access. Many local bodies and cooperatives are supported by the policy regime and a network of agencies is strengthening this through support schemes that reach those who need it most.

Numerous promotional schemes and policy initiatives have been taken by the agencies of the Government of India and of the various state governments. Over the years, these have had a salutary impact on the performance of the crafts sector as a whole and in many remote and inaccessible places these have been the only form of sustained support.

The national and regional programmes of recognition of exce llence have identified a very large number of craftspersons and craft promotion agencies that have demonstrated high levels of quality and service. The national Master Craftsman award is coveted by many craftspersons and those recognized by the award join the roster of celebrated individuals who act as role models for the community and foster the pursuit of excellence. Recently the government has instituted the Shilp Guru awards, which are given to master teachers who are empowered and encouraged to pass on their skills and knowledge to other young and potential candidates from their field of work. Such initiatives create new ways for the dissemination of craft knowledge accessible traditionally only to family members.

Many craftspersons are professional s and belong to traditions that had the advantage of early market orientation. In their work is visible a classical order and expression that has been cultivated and well-honed. Equally important is the spontaneous and exuberant expression of the ‘amateur’ craftsperson whose clay and papier-mâché toys are a delight. Their entry into the market is a new experience that can give them cultural empowerment. Throughout our history, crafts were customized to the needs of the local and distant client. There was a close interaction between the maker, the object and the client or user. Difficult and inhospitable terrains taught the craftsperson to be resourceful, respect scarcity and the resulting economy of material and form rely on ingenuity. Local materials were celebrated. Trade routes and cultural exchanges added new layers to this understanding and sensibility. Transmission of skills from father to son and mother to daughter were apprenticeship based. As rites of passage their fulfillment was synonymous with learning ‘life skills.’ In the changing contexts of a global market-driven economy and ideology, traditional crafts offer sustainable practices that need to be revisited and imbibed. Craft development needs a paradigm shift from promoting the karigar, traditional craftsperson, to karigari, quality of craftsmanship, since whoever imbibes this quality becomes the craftsperson in perpetuity.

Aditi Ranjan & M P Ranjan Editors Ahmedabad

Copper spitoon, sheet formed and embossed, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Bidri wash basin, copper and zinc alloy with silver inlay, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh.

Copper container, cast, embossed, chased and pierced work, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.

Brass sheet formed water pot, Dhenkanal, Orissa.

Bell metal casting, serving vessel, Patrapur, Orissa. , Blltlti

JAISALMER

LADAKH

KASHMIR

Srinagar

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

JAMMU

AMRITSAR

HOSHIARPUR

Chandigarh

CHAMBA

KULLU KANGRA

HIMACHAL PRADESH AL PR

Shimla

DELHI

BIKANER

RAJASTHAAN A

JODHPUR

Jaipur

JAIPUR

AJMER

UDAIPUR

HARYANA PATIALA

PUNJAB

HARYANA

01 JAMMU AND KASHMIR

MC KASHMIR (N/JK 028)

MC JAMMU (N/JK 037)

MC LADAKH (N/JK 038)

HIMACHAL PRADESH

MC CHAMBA (N/HP 050)

MC KANGRA (N/HP 054)

MC KULLU (N/HP 058)

03 PUNJAB

MC AMRITSAR (N/PB 064)

MC HOSHIARPUR (N/PB 066)

MC PATIALA (N/PB 069) 03.1 CHANDIGARH (N/CH 073) 04 HARYANA

MC HARYANA (N/HR 076)

MC JAIPUR (N/RJ 082)

MC AJMER (N/RJ 096)

MC BIKANER (N/RJ 099)

MC JODHPUR (N/RJ 105)

MC JAISALMER (N/RJ 114)

MC UDAIPUR (N/RJ 117)

MC DELHI (N/DL 124)

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

1 Connected by seven bridges, the old quarter of Srinagar city sprawls along the banks of the River Jhelum.

CRAFTS ~ JAMMU AND KASHMIR

Papier-mâché

Kaleen – knotted carpets

Kashidakari – Kashmiri

embroidery

Namda – felted rugs

Gabba – embroidered rugs

Kani shawls

Woollen textiles

Walnut wood carving

Pinjrakari – latticed wood work

Khatumband –wood work

Wicker work

Reed mats

Copper ware

Glazed pottery

Basohli painting

Dogri embroidery

Metal casting

Sheet metal work

Chikri wood work

Embroidered footwear

Block printing

Thangka paintings

Ritual cloth installations

Khabdan – pile carpets

Tsug-dul – woollen pile blankets

Tsug-gdan – woollen pile rugs

Challi – handwoven textiles

Hand-spinning

Thigma – tie-resistdyeing

Paabu – stitched boots

Metal work

Jewellery

Wood carving

Painted wood

Chipkiang baskets

Musical instruments

Mask making

2 A man wearing a pheran, the loose overcoat, commonly worn by Kashmiri men and women alike.

3 A mihrab, the arched doorway, of a house in Jammu.

4 The papier-mâché panelled entrance to Srinagar’s Shah Hamadan Mosque.

Physical Features

Mountain ranges: Trans-Himalayas, Karakoram, Ladakh, Zanskar, Pir Panjal, Shivalik

Major rivers: Jhelum, Chenab, Gilgit, Tawi, Indus, Shyok, Zanskar

Major lakes: Wular, Dal, Tso Moriri, Pangong Tso

Biodiversity

Flora: Walnut, Poplar, Chinar, Deodar, Willow reed, Pamposh, Iris, Almond,

Fauna:

Tulip, Chipkiang grass

Sheep, Goat, Yak, Ibex

The snow-capped mountains of Kargil, Ladakh.

A pashmina goat.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir consists of three geographical zones— Jammu, a land encompassing plains, mountains and foothills; Kashmir, a mosaic of forests, orchards, rice fields, lakes and waterways; and the high altitude desert of Ladakh, its harsh austerity punctuated by green riversides and cloudless blue skies. Each of these regions possesses a distinct culture that is reflective of its climatic conditions as well as its particular history. Jammu, once the kingdom of the Dogra rulers, is a largely Hindu re gion renowned for its numerous shrines and courtly miniature paintings. Kashmir’s motley artistic and literary traditio ns are the legacy of political domination by rulers of various religious predilections— the Mauryans, Kushanas, Karakotas, Tibetans, Persians, Mughals, Sikhs and finally, the Dogra rulers of Jammu—and interaction with the trading communities who passed through it. Kashmir has been a historical centre for the scholarship and teaching of Buddhism, Vedic culture, Sanskrit, Shaivism,

Islam, Sufism and Sikhism. It has also been the focus of varied art patronage and consequently it has amalgamated Turkish, Persian and Mughal influences to create its own art idiom. Due to its scarcity of resources and the presence of nomadic communities, Ladakh has evolved craft pr actices that are informed both by the formative influences of Central Asian, Chinese and Tibetan cultures as well as by the climatic conditions in which it is situated. Simultaneously, Ladakh also contains another cultu ral matrix foster ed by its predominantly Buddhist population and the patronage by its ancient monasteries. The art forms that belong to this realm are thus closely related to the spatial and ritualistic requirements of the religion.

Inset Found in Buddhist temples and homes, the mandala, sacred circle, symbolizes the spiritual embodiment of the Buddha and diagrammatically represents the calling in and realization of the spiritual force within the contemplator.

5 The village of Hemis, home to the largest monastery in Ladakh.

6 A fresco at the Hemis Monastery depicting a guardian deity. The panelled wood work above the fresco is painted to simulate the pleated ritual cloth installations used in the monasteries.

7 A painted wooden mask, worn by monks during monastic ceremonial dances.

8 A Drok-pa woman wearing the typical headdress adorned with flowers. This small agricultural community of Ladakh is believed to be of Indo-Aryan origin and practices a form of Buddhism that is akin to Bon-chos, the animistic pre-Buddhist religion of Ladakh.

9 Votive offerings inscribed with prayers, locally known as mani, jewel stones.

10 This 8 m (26 feet) high statue of Maitreya Buddha or the future Buddha, carved into the hillside at Karchay Kharvill, is one of the four similar sculptures in the Kargil region.

Landmarks

Dal Lake

Vaishno Devi

Shalimar Garden

Shah Hamadan Mosque

Leh Palace

Hemis Monastery

Alchi Monastery

Hot springs – Panamik

Mubarak Mandi Palace –Dogra Art Museum

Attire

Pheran – loose overgarment

Goncha – overcoat

Stutung – sleeveless coat

Bokh – sheepskin wrap

Skerekh – belt

Gonad – hat

Perakh – female

ceremonial headgear

For monks: Shamtam – lower garment

Zangos – shawl

Cuisine

Girdas – wheat bread

Wazwan – mutton dishes

Yakhni – meat dish

Gostabah – meatballs

Tsampa – barley ﬂour

Chang – fermented barley drink

Khamiri roti – yeast bread

Gurgur chai – salt tea

Kahwa – tea

Languages

Kashmiri

Dogri

Kishtwari

Gujari

Punjabi

Ladakhi

Urdu

Festivals

Shushur Sankrant

Losar – Ladakhi New Year

Hemis Festival

Ladakh Festival, Leh and Kargil

Lohri

Bahu Mela

Mansar Food and Craft

Mela

Milad-ul-Nabi, Srinagar

Jhelum

Baramula

Srinagar

Anantnag

Crafts of KASHMIR

Papier-mâché

Kaleen – knotted carpets

Kashidakari – Kashmiri embroidery

Namda – felted rugs

Gabba – embroidered rugs

Walnut wood carving

Pinjrakari – latticed wood work

Khatumband –wood work

Wicker work

Copper ware

Subclusters of KASHMIR

Srinagar district

Anantnag district

Baramula district

Craft

Carpet weaving

Namda

Gabba

Kashidakari: Ari

Kashidakari: Sozni

Copper repoussé work

Khatumband and pinjrakari

Walnut wood carving

Wicker work

Papier-mâché

RESOURCES

Raw Materials

Silk, Wool

Wool ﬁbres, Cotton ﬁbres

Woollen blankets

Pashmina and raffal

shawls

Gold or silver zari –tilla, Silk thread

Copper sheets

Wood – deodar, pine

Wood – dun or akhrot

Willow

Paper pulp

An ari embroiderer at work; the reed mat, hookah and kangri, (a wicker container for smouldering coals) near him, are ubiquitious elements of the local material culture.

Sources

Karnataka, Kashmir

Srinagar

Srinagar, Leh

Surat

Srinagar

Kashmir Valley

1 A namda craftsman beating wool fibres with a wicker punja

2 A naqqash at a papier-mâché workshop in Srinagar, painting a moulded form.

3 A craftsman at one of several wood carving workshops in Fateh Kadal, Srinagar.

Nestled amid the high mountains of the Shivalik and Pir Panjal ranges lies the verdant valley of Kashmir. In the 3rd century BC, the Mauryan emperor Ashoka sent Buddhist missi onaries to the region and it is they who established Srinagar (literally ‘The Happy City of Beauty and Knowledge’), the current capital of the state. The Karakota dynasty consolidated their power in the region during the 7th century, thus bringing Kashmir under Hindu dominion. Kashmir’s location on the Silk Route of Central Asia ensured a steady stream of artistic and cultural interaction with various trading communities—Persian, Chinese and Mediterranean—who passed through it. This influx of stylistic influences is apparent in the syncretism of Kashmiri art; it derives from sources as varied as the serenity of the Gandhara sculptures and the stylization of the Persian court. The Persian influence was further highlighted during the rule of Zain-ulAbadin, a local prince who was forced into exile in Persia by Timur in 1398. The prince returned to his homeland in 1423 accompanied by various skilled craftsmen who introduced and developed the crafts we associate today with Kashmir. The foreign craft traditions fused together with the indigenous craft practices and forged an artistic vocabulary reflective of the environment they were produced in. For example, the chinar (oriental plane) , sarav (cypress), dachh (vine), sosan (iris), pamposh (lotus), sumbul (hyacinth), yambarzal (narcissus) and the dainposh (pomegranate) motifs recur throughout the range of crafts, thus lending a uniquely Kashmiri character to the products they adorn. Under the Mughal emperor Jehangir, the crafts of Kashmir, especially that of carpet weaving, received generous patronage. The Mughal influence may also be seen in the gardens of Srinagar, their summer capital, and in the carpets which reflect the geometrical layout of these ‘Gardens of Paradise’ that are based on the Persian Chahar Bagh design.

ACCESS

Srinagar is connected by road, rail and air with the states of Punjab, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Poplar trees on the outskirts of Srinagar.

Dal Lake

Papier-mâché

The craft, known by the French term papier-mâché (literally paper pulp), is locally known as kar-e-kalamdani , pen case work, after its traditional Iranian name. Papier-mâché was practiced as a form of decoration executed on the wooden panels of walls and wooden furniture and was eventually adapted to paper moulds as well. Trays, small boxes and book covers were made for royal patrons and members of their courts. The two major processes involved in the craft are sakthsazi (mould making) and naqqashi (painting). The naqqash renders the surface in intricate floral patterns or highly stylized scenes of hunts and battles. In the case of floral motifs, the painting may be executed entirely in gold or silver. The local term for gold or silver work is son tehreer. The motifs are derived from the profusion of local flora; some of the frequently used images are the bumtchuthposh (apple blossoms), dainposh (pomegranate), kongposh (saffron flowers) and yambarzal (narcissus).

Inset A papier-mâché container painted in a multi-hued floral pattern.

1 The papier-mâché ornamented ceiling of the Madina Sahab Mosque.

2 Detail of an intricately painted floral pattern.

3 A papier-mâché box, the detail revealing its highly ornamental surface.

4 Painted papier-mâché furniture.

5, 6 A folding screen, and a detail; the composition revealing the similarity to the medallion with chothai pattern seen in the kaleen, carpet.

7 Detail showing the gold painted surface known as son tehreer.

Production Clusters

Badgam district

Anantnag district

Kupwara district

Baramula district: Delina Wagoora

Pulwama district: Gangoo

Suttusoo

Srinagar district:

Srinagar city: Arwat

Sufa Kadal Lal Chowk

Doni Pora

Shamaswari

Syed Pora

Products

Boxes, Toys

Jewellery box

Lamps, Pen cases

Wall decoration

Powder containers

Mirror cases

Christmas decorations

Flower vases, Kettles

Trays and plates

Samovar – ﬂuted kettle

Tools

File, Rasp, Hacksaw

Sandpaper

Burnishing stone

Paintbrushes

Kaleen— knotted carpets

Production Clusters

Baramula district

Anantnag district

Badgam district

Kupwara district

Pulwama district

Doda district

Udhampur district

Kathua district

Poonch district

Srinagar district:

Srinagar city:

Sehyar, Umar Colony, Nowab Bazaar, Anchar, Nava Kadal, Rainawari, Fateh Kadal, Dal Areas

Products

Silk carpets

Woollen carpets

Tools

Kaleen vaan – vertical loom

Khur – sickle-shaped

blade

Panja – beater

Dukari – scissors

The Kaleen are intricately hand-knotted silk or woollen carpets woven on a vertical loom through a process of wrapping a supplementary weft around successive warps, creating a heavy durable fabric with a soft pile surface of short lengths of fine wool or silk. Although the craft’s origin may be traced to the rule of the emperor Zain-ulAbadin and is derived from the Persian carpet tradition, it has acquired a distinctly local character through the incorporation of motifs inspired by the indigenous flora and fauna and the use of dyed yarns to create a unique colouristic range. The carpets also reflect the Mughal patronage they received. The patterns depicting fantastic animal forms and the pictorial carpets with elaborate hunting scenes are from the period of Akbar’s rule while the carpets with patterns of scrolling vines and highly naturalistic plant and animal forms are the bequest of Jehangir’s patronage. Even at that early stage, some specifically Indian motifs were added to the craftsmen’s vocabulary; among them the gaja-simha image or the half lion-eleph ant, the elephant combat, grape clusters and segmented blossoms.

by several borders.

Structure of a carpet:

Sadilat

Dush

Dashi

Over time, a greater degree of stylization set in, as complicated lattice systems were introduced as matrices for floral motifs and the millefleur pattern with its profusion of tiny blossoms was created. Other patterns which were inspired by the Persian Chahar Bagh, Garden of Paradise, layout and the medallion form were fa shioned and these latter types have now come to be identified as the quintessentially Kashmiri patterns. Carpet weaving skills (including that of reading the talim—the pattern chart that plots the number of knots to be woven in the same colour) were transmitted through the ustaad-shagird, masterapprentice system. As the apprenticeship traditionally began at the age of six, this practice is now largely discontinued due to the ban on child labour.

Inset Detail of the sixteen-pointed star form of the medallion.

A carpet with a central medallion surrounded by a matan, field, in turn enclosed

A medallion carpet with chothai and elliptical forms known as chand in the central field.

A variation of the medallion carpet with quarter medallions known as chothai at the corners.

1 A carpet with the Persian Qum pattern, which is inspired by the concept of the Garden of Paradise. In Kashmir, carpet designs are identified by the names of carpet weaving centres in Iran such as Qum, Hamadan, Tabriz and Kashan.

2 A Hamadan style variation of the Garden carpet with Kashmiri trees instead of Persian flora.

3 The mihrab, arch motif indicates that this floral carpet is either a prayer rug or that it is a derivative of the quanat, the screens of Mughal emperors’ tents

Stylized variations of Kashmiri trees and flowers that find expression in kaleen, as well as in other crafts of Kashmir.

Kashidakari— Kashmiri embroidery

Production Clusters

Ari work

Districts:

Srinagar

Kathua

Rajouri

Poonch

Udhampur

Sozni

Districts:

Srinagar

Baramula

Anantnag

Badgam

Pulwama

Kupwara

Kathua

Rajouri

Poonch

Crewel work

Districts:

Srinagar

Anantnag

Badgam

Pulwama

Kupwara

Udhampur

Poonch

Rajouri

Tilla work

Srinagar district

Rezkar

Srinagar district

Tools

Ari – hooked needle

Products

Ari work

Stoles

Shawls

Pheran

Kurta

Capes

Crewel work

Upholstery

Drapery

Wall hangings

Floor coverings

Rezkar

Shawls

Garments

Table covers

Bedspreads

Household linen

Capes

Sozni

Shawls

Garments

Tilla and dori work

Pheran

Sari

Shawls

A ri and Crewel work

Ari embroidery is widely practiced throughout India with different stylistic v ariations that serve to distinguish the workmanship of one region from that of another. Irrespective of whether it be the ari work of the cobblers of Kachchh in Gujarat or the textile embroiderers of Tamil Nadu, the thread is passed through the ari, hooked needle, and is always held under the fabric to be embroidered and the hook is used to pull a series of loops, each emerging from within the previous, to the surface of the fabric. There are two versions of this technique; the first is used to embroider on thin fabrics such as silk and fine cotton cloth, used as stoles and shawls or made into pheran, which is a loose over-garment, kurta and capes. Crewel work, although similar, uses a thicker ari and is normally done on unbleached fabric; its stitches are bolder and it is used for embellishing yardages used as upholstery and drapery. In both cases, the patterns are usually linear abstra ctions of the local flora, with the outlines worked first and the forms filled in later. The production is largely commercial and the embroiderers are usually men from the Sunni Muslim community.

Sozni

Sozni is a form of extremely fine and delicate needlework done primarily on shawls—mainly pashmina and high quality raffal . Designs are created as close as possible against the ground, and individual threads of the warp are taken up in the stitching and reinforced with smaller stitches. The stitch employed is not unlike stem stitch, and only the outline of the design is embroidered. Only a single strand is used and consequently, in skillfully executed sozni, the motif appears on both sides of the shawl. Each side displays a different colourway in an embroidered imitation of the woven kani shawls.

Tilla and dori work

These embroidery techniques are executed with gold or silver zari (tilla) or silk (dori) thread, and are used to embellish pherans, saris and shawls. The decorative wire remains only on the surface while an additional thin cotton thread of yellow or white is stitched on top of it, thereby securing it by couching. Of the needlework in silver and metallic thread there are two variations— moraskar (knot stitch), zalakadosi (chain stitch executed in silver or metallic thread)—which are used on the borders of shawls and choga, royal gown, to create a raised or braided effect. The most commonly used motifs are the pamposh (lotus), chinar, badam (almond); dacch gurn (grape leaf) and duin (the flower of the chinar tree).

Rezkar

This is a form of needle embroidery similar in technique to sozni; the difference lies in its lon ger stitches and in that these are not reinforced with additional stitches. Three or four strands of staple yarn are employed and the fabric used for this ranges from raffal to cotton cloth. Rezkar is done on products such as shawls, garments, table covers, and household linen.

Detail of a pashmina shawl embroidered in sozni, so as to simulate the woven jamawar patterns.

Detail of a woollen shawl embroidered using the rezkar technique.

Detail of tilla work

A craftsman demonstrating the use of the ari on a furnishing fabric.

Detail of an ari worked fabric.

The chinar leaf.

Namda— felted rugs

Namda are felted rugs that are made by enmeshing wool fibres with water, soap and pressure and then embroidering the resultant fabric. These are extensively used in Kashmiri households as an effective and inexpensive floor covering and mattress. In Srinagar, cotton is also mixed with the woollen fibres to create a fabric that is usually white in colour and may be easily embroidered with ari in floral patterns or in compositions containing stylized animal

Gabba— embroidered rugs

ﬁgures. A worker assisted by three persons can produce two namda a day. Namda are being produced in large numbers in the valley for sale in international and national urban markets, and thus signiﬁcantly contributing to the kashida embroidery industry.

Inset The chinar, a motif that features in many local crafts, seen here embroidered on a namda.

Production Clusters

Kupwara district:

Kupwara

Srinagar district:

Srinagar city:

Zahid Pora

Umar Colony

Sehyar, Nowab Bazaar

Chhargari Mohalla

Jamalatta

Kanimazar

Dhakabab Sahib

Mehraj Gunj

Akalmir

Sukali Pora

Gojwara

Rang Masjid

Doom Pora

Khanwari

Mal Pora

Wanta Pora

Dekhdarhar

Kokerbagh

Channa Dora

Products Floor coverings

Tools

Carding device

Wagoo – reed mat

Punja – ﬂattening device

Chhath – curved stick

Ari – hooked needle

Gabba are recycled old woollen blankets or lois that are washed, milled and dyed in various colours. These pieces are then stitched together and backed with waste cotton cloth. The gabba is then either appliquéd or embroidered with crewel work. In the appliquéd type, pieces of dyed blankets are joined together and interspersed with vividly coloured embroidery in geometric and floral patterns. Although the common layout is a central medallion placed in a rectangular field which has borders, gabba are made in a variety of shapes and sizes. It is used extensively in Kashmiri households as an effective and inexpensive floor covering and is also used as a mattress in colder areas of the state. Today, a chainstitch rug resembling the gabba has become more prevalent and cushion covers and furnishing fabric have also been added to the product range. Carpet weavers from Srinagar were invited to Punjab to prepare shamianas (canopies), quanat (tent hangings) and gabba for state use, thus giving the craft further impetus.

1 Detail of an ari worked bird and its colourful plumage.

2 Detail of a gabba, its surface entirely covered in crewel work.

Production Clusters

Anantnag district:

Anantnag town

Srinagar district

Products

Floor coverings

Tools

Ari – hooked needle

Scissors, Dyeing vat

A detail of an embroidered gabba, its composition and surface reminiscent of that of papier-mâché objects.

Detail of floral pattern on a namda.

An ari embroidered contemporary namda

Stylized animal figures on a namda.

Walnut wood carving

Production Clusters

Srinagar district:

Fateh Kadal

Channa Mohalla

Urdu Bazaar

Rajouri district

Badgam district:

Shanker Pora

Kupwara district:

Trehgam

Tanghdar

Jammu district: Kanachak

Kathua district:

Mirth

Bernali

Products

Ladles

Pharav – sandals

Yander – spinning wheel

Boxes

Salad & nut bowls

Photo frames

Trays

Lamps

Coffee tables

Mirror frames

Furniture

Tools

Hammer

Chisels, Gouges

Wooden mallet

Emery paper

Saw

Walnut wood carving is an ornamental craft process that is virtually unique to Kashmir due to the concentration of walnut trees (Junglas regia), locally known as dun or akhrot, in this region. The naqqash , master carver, first etches the basic pattern on to the wood and then removes the unwanted areas with the help of chisels and a wooden mallet so that the design emerges from the lustrous walnut wood as an embossed surface. There are several varieties of carving technique that are utilized—deep carving that is two inches or so deep and is usually used for dragon and flower motifs; shallow carving, half inches deep and done all over flat surfaces; open or lattice work, usually depicting the chinar motif; and the semi-carving technique which renders a thin panel along the rim of the su rface which is ornamented

1 A panel ornamented with a repetitive floral motif.

2 Detail of the lid of a chest, patterned with the various floral motifs typical of Kashmir.

3 Detail of floral pattern carved on a wooden panel.

4 Detail of an elaborately carved jungle scene.

5 A rendering of the dachh gurn, grape vine motif.

6, 7, 8 Dishes for serving dry fruits, their forms inspired by the Kashmiri flora.

9 A box lid on which is juxtaposed foliage carved in both high and bas relief.

10 Lid of a small box carved in relief.

11 A three-legged ornamental container.

by a central motif alone. The advantage of this technique is that it allows the grain of the wood to be displayed to max imum advantage while e xhibiting the carver’s sk ill. The craft was initially restricted to the creation of elaborate palaces and houses. Written records tell of Zain-ul-Abadin’s great razdani, palace, and its elaborate wood carvings. To this date, several fine examples of intricately carved buildings, shrines and mausoleums survive in Kashmir—the shrines of Noor-ud-dinWali at Charar-e-Sharif, the Naqshband mosque and the shrine of Nund Rishi are just a few of them. Cont emporary products, however, include ladles, boxes, bowls, trays, sandals and spinning wheels. Hand run lathes have been utilized to speed up the production process.

Pinjrakari and khatumband— wood work

Pinjrakari is an intricate form of lattice or trellis work done in light wood that is used on windows, doors, ventilators, railings or ornamental partitions and screens. In its original form, glues and nails were not used in this technique; the precision of the joinery alone held it together. The pinjra frames are pasted with handmade paper, thus effectively cutting out chilly winds and yet allowing a sufficient amount of light to pass through. Khatumband uses thin g eometric sheets of deodar wood which are cut and fitted into a double-grooved batten. Expansive ceilings are constructed by repeating the same pattern, the whole structure fitting together without the use of a single nail. The khatumband technique was widely used in the construction of Kashmir’s doongas (floating houses) and the shikara s (boats for door-to-door selling and tr ansport). The other products made with this technique include boxes, bowls, screens, panels, bedsteads, cupboards, and cabinets.

1 3

Wicker work

Straw, grass and twigs are used to make domestic products and containers for storing and transporting agricultural produce. One of the main products is the kangri , the wicker basket used to carry clay pots containing smouldering coals, usually slipped under the pheran worn by men and women. The willow is boiled till the outer skin comes off and the inner layer is exposed. It is then cleaned and cut into strips of about ﬁve mm width. Then it is woven into a basket. The willow may be dyed blue, red or green and various geometric patterns are created by multi-directional weaves in the upper half of the kangri. These are further embellished with shiny coloured foil, mirrors and metal pieces. Shaksaz is the local term for the basket-maker. The kangri of Shaksaz Mohalla in Charar-e-Sharif

1 Pinjrakari or lattice work used in the railing of a museum in Srinagar.

2 Detail of a pinjrakari screen. Pinjrakari is locally known as zali-pinjrakari or achhi dar

3 Various kinds of wood work form the architectural elements of a house boat. Khatumband displays skills of excellent joinery and precise patterned ceiling panels.

Production Clusters

Anantnag district

Badgam district

Baramula district

Srinagar district:

Srinagar city: Chattabal

Kupwara town: Shah Mohalla

Rajouri district: Rajouri town: Thana Mandi

Products

Pinjrakari:

Windows, Doors

Ventilators, Railings

Ornamental partitions

Screens

Khatumband:

Shikara, Doonga

Screens, Panels

Boxes, Bowls

Bedsteads, Cupboards

Cabinets

are used on ritual occasions observed by the Kashmiri pundit community, especially during the Shushur Sankrant. Shushur means frost and on this day the new bride of each family is gifted an ornamental kangri containing some money. There is also a practice among Hindu families to give their priests a kangri to pay homage to their ancestors.

Production Clusters

Anantnag district:

Anantnag town: Doru

Dyalgam

Qoimoh

Badgam district:

Charar-e-Sharif

Srinagar district:

Srinagar city:

Hazratbal Mosque

Harvan

Shalabug

Sowra

Products

Baskets

Boxes

Lampshades

Curtain rings

Trays

Cycle baskets

Inset A kangri is indispensible during the long winter months and rainy summer evenings.

A wicker tray.

Copper ware

Production Clusters

Baramula district

Srinagar district:

Srinagar city:

Nowab Bazaar

Zena Kadal

Fateh Kadal

Rainawari

Jama Masjid

Bohri Kadal

S.R. Ganj

Nalamar

Products

Bowls

Cups

Dishes

Jugs

Ewers

Cauldrons

Saucepans

Cutlery

Lamps

Lanterns

Candelabra

Candle stands

Tools

Dakur –

Yandravaw –

Mekh –

The traditional copper ware of Kashmir is created by three processes of shaping, decoration (naqqashi), and tinning (kalai). The surface is usually highly ornamented with a profusion of stylized floral and leaf forms, religious symbols (such as the mihrab or prayer arch), geometric and calligraphic patterns, as well as elaborate hunting scenes. The patterns are formed on the metal sheet using a combination of techniques including repoussé, piercing and chasing. The raised patterns may be further highlighted by oxidizing the depressed surface. The indigenous product range consists of luxurious household items such as surahi (wine jugs), rosewater sprinklers, incense burners, hookah bases, samovars (kettles), decorative plaques and large trays with stands which perform the role of mobile tables. A number of products are utilized in Islamic rituals— ewers and basins are used for ablutions and henna holders are used at pre-wedding ceremonies. Copper vessels also form a crucial component of the Kashmiri bride’s trousseau.

Punches, Chisels

Tracers

The surface of this copper object displays a remarkable similarity to rezkar embroidery.

A decorative plate, its trellis-like pattern created by piercing.

Plaque ornamented with calligraphic and foliage forms executed in repoussé and chased metal.

Repoussé, chasing and pierced work are used in combination on this object.

A box with the chinar motif.

hammers

anvil

stakes

An ornamental container created using a combination of repoussé, piercing and chasing.

A samovar, tea kettle in sheet metal with a handle and spout made by casting.

Crafts of JAMMU

Basohli painting

Metal casting

Sheet metal work

Chikri wood work

Zari embroidered

footwear

Block printing

Leather craft

Chain stitch embroidery

Bamboo work

Gabba making

Subclusters of JAMMU

Samba

Poonch

Kathua Rajouri

Doda

Bani

Udhampur

Situated on the banks of River Tawi and framed against the picturesque backdrop of the majestic Trikuta Ranges lies Jammu, the ‘winter capital’ of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The region is believed to have acquired its name from its 9th century founder, Raja Jambu Lochan. The present city of Jammu, however, was established under the Dogra rulers who gained control over the region in 1730 AD and made Jammu their capital. Under their patronage, the city became an important centre of art and culture spawning the famous Pahari miniature painting style and its lyrical depictions of the Gita Govinda , the Ramayana , the Rasamanjari, the Ragamala, the Bhagvata Purana and the tale of Nala-Damayanti. The Sikhs took over from the Rajputs, following which, in 1832, Gulab Singh merged Jammu with Kashmir to form the present state. Its history has created an ethnic mélange: apart from the Dog ras who are of Aryan lineage and occupy the plains, Jammu is also inhabited by nomadic mountain-dwelling tribes such as the Gujjars, Bakerwals and Gaddis, as well as communities of Punjabi descent such as the Khatris and Mahajans, and the Muslim Rajput sects known as the Chibbalis and the Sudans. Jammu, known as the City of Temples, is home to a large number of temples and shrines and is an important base camp en route to the holy shrine of Vaishno Devi. The impact of the presence of these religious sites on the folklore and art forms of the region is cle arly visible in Jammu’s musica l traditions, raas dances, paintings of mystics and devotional folklore.

ACCESS

Connected by rail and road to all parts of the country. Jammu is linked by air to Srinagar (293 km/180 miles), Delhi (586 km/360 miles), Chandigarh (363 km/226 miles) and Amritsar (243 km/151 miles).

1 Raga-ragini, a miniature depicting the musical ragas in anthropomorphic form.

2 An embroiderer at work in a Jammu workshop.

3 Women embroidering garment necklines.

4 Shells used as containers for paints made with natural minerals.

5 A painting depicting a Sufi saint.

6 A painting of the Basohli School.

LADAKH

Shyok

Craft

Tsug-dul and tsug-gdan

Challi

Hand-spinning

Paabu

Basketry

Khabdan

Wood carving

Metal ware

Ritual cloth installations

Thangka paintings

Painted wood

Thigma

Wanla

Chilling

Nubra Valley

Leh Sabu

Hemis

Upshi

Choglamasar

Indus TsoMoriri

Pangong Tso Chushot

RESOURCES

Raw Materials

Sheep wool, Yak wool, Goat hair, Acrylic yarn

Yak hair, Goat hair

Pashmina wool, Sheep wool

Leather, Wool, Cloth, Felt

Willow, Chipkiang grass

Mill spun woollen yarn

Wood (malchang and salchang)

Brass and copper sheets, Copper

Silk, Brocades, Cotton fabric

Cloth, Pigment colours

Wood (malchang)

Woollen fabric, Dyes

Sources

Changtang Valley

Upshi

Leh, Choglamasar, Nubra

Chushot, Wanla

Ludhiana, Punjab

Wanla

Srinagar, Jammu, Delhi

Benaras, Srinagar

Leh

Chushot, Choglamasar Leh

Inset A detail of the perak, an elaborate turquoise-studded headdress of Ladakhi women.

Evocative of lizard scales, fins and serpent hoods, the perak symbolizes the local belief that women are from the underworld of Lhu, which is inhabited by snakes, lizards and fish— underground divinities credited with the powers of fertility.

1 An artisan affixing embossed strips of metal on the surface of a prayer wheel.

2 A sculptor and thangka painter, working in his studio near Leh.

3 Painting of the duk, the dragon motif, on wood at Leh.

Crafts of LADAKH

Thangka paintings

Ritual cloth installations

Khabdan – pile carpets

Tsug-dul – woollen pile blankets

Tsug-gdan – woollen pile rugs

Challi – handwoven textiles

Hand-spinning

Thigma – tie-resistdyeing

Paabu – stitched boots

Metal work

Wood carving

Painted wood

Chipkiang baskets

Subclusters of LADAKH

Leh district: Leh

Choglamasar

Chushot

Kharnaling

Thiksey

Sabu

Chilling

Bheema

Wanla

Upshi 1 23

Situated within the folds of the Karakoram mountain ranges lies the arid, extremely cold Trans-Himalayan desert of Ladakh. Enclosed within this stark landscape are the three valleys of Leh, Zanskar and Nubra that are formed by the rivers Indus and Zanskar. The climate and seasonal cycles determine much of the activities of the population; summers are monopolised by agricultural work and shearing, autumn for harvesting and preparing for the long winters in which Ladakhis are confined indoors and practice their crafts. From the 17th century upto 1949 Ladakh was the hub of a bustling caravan trade between Punjab and Central Asia, and between Kashmir and Tibet. During the summers, pack animals laden with Varanasi brocades, Chinese silk, pearls, spices, Indian tea, wool, salt, indigo, opium, carpets and gold traversed through the Nubra Valley, and in winters they crossed the upper valley of the Shyok River. The objects of trade, the trading communities and their cultures have all left an indelible impact on the local crafts and culture. Furthermore, successive waves of immigration, especially that of the Tibetans in the 6th and 7 th centuries and of people of Islamic origin during the 14th century have created a multi-faith social matrix. Here, Tibetan Buddhism amalgamated elements of the indigenous animistic religion to form an esoteric form of Mahayana Buddhism with five sects, each of which is based on the teachings of different monks or saints.

ACCESS

The road connecting Leh to Manali and Srinagar remains open from April to October while buses operate from June to October. Only buses ply to the villages. Taxis are the only means of transport inside the town of Leh. Flights to Jammu and Delhi are available from Leh.

Prayer flags and a view of the landscape in Leh.

Thangka painting

Thangka are painted scrolls depicting Buddhist deities and their cosmic realities. Although they are installed in domestic spaces as a talisman against all evils, thangka are intended as navigational aids for the spirit, guiding the viewer in his quest for spiritual realization. It is in their capacity to render the invisible visible through iconographic representation that serve as installations in monasteries and prayer halls or as displays during religious festivals at monasteries. Due to the potency that the paintings are believed to possess, the painter is required to undergo rigorous spiritual and artistic training and in many cases is a monastic initiate. The proportions and iconographic details of the deities follow canonical prescriptions and the artistic genius of the individual is considered subordinate to the religious responsibility of the painter. Thangka are not signed by the artist but are given to a lama who blesses them with sacred syllables. The ﬁnished painting is then taken to only the male tailors of the community who mount the work on a frame of heavy gyasser, silk brocade panels. They back the painting with plain cloth and secure the scroll at the top and the bottom to wooden rods, with brass or silver knobs at each end.

1 A craftsman stitching a thangka at the Handicraft Centre in Leh.

2 Detail of a thangka painting at the Handicraft Centre.

3 A thangka depicting the golden Prajnaparamita or Yum Chenmo who embodies Supreme Wisdom. She is identified by the book placed on the lotus near her head.

4 A Green Tara thangka which shows 21 different manifestations of the goddess Tara. Depicted at the top of the thangka is Buddha Amitabha who denotes Boundless Light.

Production Clusters

Leh district:

Leh town:

Central Institute of

Buddhist Studies

Handicraft Centre

Choglamasar town:

Tibetan Refugee Centre

Products

Paintings

Tools

Wooden frame

Paintbrushes

Stone

Scissors

Brass or silver knobs

NORTH/ JAMMU & KASHMIR / Ladakh

A chorten at Thiksey. A thangka fresco on the wall of a monastery in Thiksey, Ladakh.

Ritual cloth installations

Production Clusters

Ladakh

Alchi

Leh

Hemis

Products

Dhukh – canopy

Kaphen – pillar hanging

Shambhu – pleated door hanging

Lungsta – prayer ﬂag

Chubar – cylindrical hanging

Prayer flags, known locally as tarchok, form a ubiquitous part of the Ladakhi landscape. Usually square or rectangular pieces of cloth, they are believed to spread the prayers that are printed on them as they flutter in the w ind. They are also said to attract good luck and ward off diseases, the evil eye, demons and evil spirits. They are also displays of one's gratitude at a fulfilled wish or an unexpected beneficial occurrence. The flags are invariably one of the five basic colours—white, red, green, yellow and blue—and are representative of the five elements (earth, air, water, fire and ether), the five senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing), and the five wisdoms (the wisdom of the universal law, the wisdom of the mirror, the wisdom of equality, the wisdom of distinction and discernment, and the wisdom of accomplishing works). The three most prominent hangings seen in the interiors of the monasteries are the chubar, galtszan and phen. The phen is made of a solid shape from which four or more narrow ribbon-like panels of silk are suspended. The galtszen is a cylindrical hanging ornamented by valences and alternating plain panels. The chubar , also a cylindrical hanging, is made of narrow overlapping vertical panels, usually of brocade.

1 At this bridge across a river at Leh, prayer flags have been tied to thank the gods for ensuring the devotees’ safe passage.

2 Prayer flags imprinted with icons of money, prosperity and good luck at Kharnaling, Ladakh.

3 At the entrance to the prayer hall at the Hemis monastery; a shambhu, a pleated panel used over the doors and windows of monasteries, placed above the door.

4 The lungsta or wind horse, the prayer flag that symbolizes will power and luck.

5 A canopy usually hung over the cardinal deity.

6 A pleated canopy covers the coral and turquoise-studded prayer wheel at the Thiksey Monastery.

7 A door curtain at the Shankar Monastery in Leh. Door panels are usually made of plain cloth appliquéd with inexpensive red, blue or green fabric in geometric forms.

8 A phen displayed against a wooden pole in a prayer hall at Hemis.

9 A contemporary chubar. Traditionally, the panels were constructed as pockets for containing sandalwood thus allowing the fragrance to waft through the halls with the movement of the chubar

Khabdan— pile carpets

Khabdan are pile carpets of 48 knots per square inch that are made on a large vertical loom using the technique of looping woollen yarn around an iron rod. The loops are cut with a sharp knife and the rod is removed to achieve the pile surface. Although of Tibetan origin, the khabdan of Ladakh incorporated stylistic inﬂuences into its design vocabulary from China and Mongolia with whom the region has shared a long trade and political history, at least from the 10 th century

onwards. Some of the motifs that may be accorded to these inﬂuences are the duk (dragon), rgya-nag Icags-ri (inspired by the Great Wall of China), snow-lion and the yungdrung (interlocking swastika border). Khabdan are widely used as carpets in the living rooms and prayer r ooms of Ladakhi households and in monasteries. The khabdan made for the lama feature religious motifs such as the swastika at the centre and are usually made in orange and red.

Production Clusters

Leh town: Handicraft Centre

Choglamasar town: Tibetan Refugee Centre

Products

Carpets

Saddle rugs

Tools

Thisha – vertical frame loom

Dhunki – hammer

Chamba – scissors

Tee – knife used to cut knots

Chakda – rod for making loops

Panja – beating device

A saddle rug ornamented with the snow-lion motif.

Detail of an intricately patterned khabdan.

A saddle rug with an interlocking swastika border and the belak, frog step motif.

A khabdan with a centrally placed swastika, intended for use by monks.

A square khabdan with the khorlo, medallion, motif.

A khabdan with the kau, tortoise pendant, worn by Ladakhis and the rgya-nag Icags-ri as the border.

NORTH/ JAMMU & KASHMIR / Ladakh

Tee

Panja

Tsug-dul and tsug-gdan— woollen pile rugs

Production Clusters

Changtang Valley

Kharnaling (near Leh)

Products

Tsug-dul – pile

blanket

Tsug-gdan – pile rug

Tools

Thak – loom

Tak – wooden beater

Neyn – thread heald

Neynyuk – heald rod

Urlu – shed stick

Puri – pirn

Shill – lease rod

Czsikpa – two wooden pieces to hold cloth

Chetakh – back strap

1 Detail showing the pile surface of a tsug-dul.

2 The reverse of a tsug-dul, the weaving technique and sewn joints of the narrow widths clearly visible.

3 A tsug-dul made from white sheep wool and dyed acrylic, Kharnaling.

4 A tsug-gdan in natural colour wool and yak hair, with a mentokh motif in the centre.

5 Wrapping the weft of a tsug-dul on a metal rod from between the raised warp ends The shed stick is called tak and also works as a beater.

6 A tsug-gdan with medallions and an interlocking border.

7 A weaver's house in Kharnaling, the tsugdul forming the primary seating.

Tsug-dul and tsug-gdan are woollen pile rugs made of narrow woven strips that are sewn together. The strips are individually woven on sked-thags, back strap looms using a technique called the loop-pile structure; the pile is then cut to give it a shaggy edge. The tsug-dul, usually made of six strips, is used as a blanket while the tsug-gdan that is made of three strips is spread along the walls of the rooms and kitchens of Ladakhi houses and is also used as additional ﬂoor coverings during ceremonies and feasts. Both types of rugs are ma de of natural wool—chiefly sheep wool but also yak wool and goat hair—accented

with coloured acryllic (as in the tsug-dul) or motifs (as in the tsug-gdan). The colours selected greatly resemble those seen in the painted wood work and ritual installations seen at the monasteries. The tsug-dul is composed of a border around a ﬁeld. At the centre may be flower-like medallions called mentokh . Some fields have a chequered pattern called cholo The borders of interlocking forms are said to have been derived from the rgya-nag Icags-ri, the Great Wall of China.

Inset Detail of a tsug-gdan.

Challi— woollen textiles

Challi is a coarse woollen cloth woven in strips by men on a ﬁ xed heddle ground loom. Khullu, (yak hair) and raal (goat hair) are used and it is their respective natural colouration (deep brown, white, light brown) that creates the striped pattern in the warp characteristic of the challi. The fabric is always woven in one material that is used as the weft while the other is selectively used in the warp to create the pattern. Strips having the same repeat pattern are joined to make saddlebags, nugal or changdur (grain carriers), phatsa (storage bags), taltan (rugs)

and blankets that are placed as a secondary layer over the tsug-dul in winters. By varying the number of strips attached, the striped patterns ar e altered by every weaver to create a speciﬁc combination that would act as his ‘brand,’ thus ensuring that the owner of the saddlebag could be identiﬁed by the particular variation of stripes on it. This practice originates from earlier times when journeys for trade were made on pack animals and bags could be easily mixed up during stoppages. There are three kinds of saddlebags: small bags for sheep and goats, and larger bags to be loaded on horses and yaks.

Hand-spinning

Hand-spinning is practiced extensively in every Ladakhi household by both the men and the women. The women use the phang—a spindle usually made of willow that is supported by a bowl made from apricot kernel—to spin soft yarn such as pashmina and sheep wool. The drop spindle used by the men is known as haa and is used for spinning coarser goat hair called raal. The type of spindle used by men allows them to spin while they walk; the phang, on the other hand, requires a surface to rest on and consequently while the men may be seen spinning while going about their daily chores, spinning for the women appears to be more of a congregational activity performed amidst much chatter. The extremely soft pashmina wool is obtained from the inner coat of the Changra goats found predominantly in the Changtang region and is a highly valued commodity sold to the Kashmiri shawl industry. Recent promotion of pashmina by the governement includes the establishment of a Changra goat-rearing farm at Upshi near Leh; a department supporting pashmina weaving by women at the Ladakh Environmental Health Organisation at Chushot and the setting up of facilities for dehairing, spinning and weaving at the Handicrafts Centre at Leh.

Production

Ladakh

Products

Blankets, Rugs

Storage bags

Saddle bags

Ground

1 Detail of challi made of yak hair. The weave used is known as the dog-teeth design.

2 The reverse of a challi, the strip woven sections stitched together.

3 A large storage bag woven by women who use fine sheep wool and dyed yarns in their weaving.

1 The haa, a spindle used by men to spin coarse goat hair.

2 An old woman at Kharnaling spinning wool with the phang.

Production

Products

Pile

Garments

Footwear Yarn Shawls

Blankets

Saddlebag

Slings

Rugs

Tents

Tools

Phang – spindle used by women

Haa – spindle used by men

Hand

Tal

Clusters

Leh district: Changtang Valley Tools

loom

Shuttle, Spindle

Inset A detail showing the phang being supported against an apricot bowl.

Clusters

Leh district: Changtang Valley Leh town

3 A braided sling made of yak hair and sheep wool, an object made by most Ladakhi men.

Needle, Scissors

Inset A saddlebag used for carrying grain on horseback.

Spindle with a stone whorl for twisting yarn

Twisted yarn

Paabu— stitched boots

Production Clusters

Leh district:

Nubra Valley

Choglamasar

Changtang Valley

Products

Paabu

Kir-paabu

Thigma-paabu

Boots worn by monks during ritual dances

Tools

Paabu are the colourful knee-length boots commonly worn in Ladakh. Made from wool, cloth and felt using a combination of techniques—stitching, coiling, appliqué and braiding—these sturdy boots are constructed in three parts; the sole, the shoe uppers and the knee cover. Felted woollen cloth with appliquéd patterns in different colours is attached to the rim of the shoe to give it its height. The paabu are extremely warm and are especially suitable for Ladakh’s high altitude climate and low temperatures as they protect the wearer against frostbite. The nomads of the Changtang Valley make paabu that incorporate strips of leather and nambu, handwoven woollen cloth, in their construction. These boots are ﬂat-toed and are decorated with embroidery at the joineries. The kir-paabu made in the Nubra region are another variation; they use handspun goat hair and sheep wool and are usually round-toed and worn by the men. Another type which is pointed at the toe is worn by the women and is known as thigma-paabu after the thigma (tie-resist-dyed wool) fabric used in its construction.

Thigma— tie-resist-dyeing

Production Clusters

Sabu

Nubra Valley

Products

Skerekh – belt

Nambus – panels for garments

Narrow belt

Tools

Thread

Cord

1 Detail of a garment composed of tie-dyed woollen strips.

2 A woollen belt or skerekh, tie-dyed in synthetic dyes.

3 Detail of tie-dyed thitoo, dot and tassels.

Thigma, the local term for resist-dyeing on woollen cloth, is a derivative of the word thitoo , dot. Practiced largely in the Nubra Valley, this technique involves pinching parts of the cloth and tightly binding them with thread. The cloth is then dyed in natural colours made of apple bark and onion peels (for light browns), soot (for light grey), a root known as chutza (for yellow) and a root called chzot (for pink). The cloth is washed and rinsed in water. When the ties are ﬁnally removed, they reveal a pattern created by the folds of the cloth. Usually only narrow strips of woollen fabric are tie-resist-dyed. Strips two inches wide are used in the thigma-paabu (boots with a tie-resist-dyed panel); the skerekh , belt requires strips that are three inches wide while nambu panels (used in costumes) are still wider.

These square-toed paabu constructed of wool or cotton yarns and decorated with brocade pieces are worn by the monks during sacred dances.

Paabu from Changtang made of leather and woven strips joined together with embroidery.

A slip-on paabu, its design incorporating a strip of tie-resistdyed fabric.

A thigma-paabu ornamented with tie-resist-dyed cloth.

Detail of braiding on the top edge of the shoe upper.

Metal work

Copper and brass are used extensively in Ladakh to make a variety of objects such as prayer-wheels, religous artifacts, musical instruments, teapots, chang pots, lamps, whisk handles, spoons, bowls and butter lamps used in Buddhist rituals. The objects are formed by beating metal into the desired shape and engraving decorative patterns onto the surface or creating patterns through repoussé work. The objects may be further embellished with silver. The motifs commonly created include two dragons facing each other, floral patterns similar to those seen on Ladakhi caps and brocaded cloth, the interlocking pattern known as the rgya-nag Icags-ri that is used in c arpet borders and on the edges of socks; and the yumdumlagyut which is present in prayer room decorations. Due to the growing sales of utensils and objects from Delhi the demand for these handcraft ed products in Ladakh, has plummeted, thus threatening the craft with rapid extinction.

1 A brass doorknob with intertwined dragons from the Hemis Monastery. The handle is made of braided strips of coloured cloth.

2 The traditional latch seen in most monasteries on all doors.

3 Prayer wheels; hollow drums made of metal sheets on which sacred mantras are made in repoussé.

4 Detail of a dragon motif created in repoussé work.

5 A tubular scroll container, its entire surface worked in repoussé.

6 Large metal vessels commonly used in traditional Ladakhi households, seen here stacked on a kitchen shelf.

7 An artisan holding out a semi-finished chang pot.

8 Various tools used in metal work.

Production Clusters

Leh district:

Chilling

Products

Prayer wheels

Butter lamps

Utensils

Containers

Musical instruments

Tea pots

Chang pots

Lamps

Handles of whisks

Spoons

Bowls

Agricultural implements

Locks

Tools

Tongs

Hammers

Pliers

Scissors

Wood carving

Production Clusters

Leh district:

Wanla

Choglamasar

Products

Choktse – folding tables

Fehpur – wooden pot

Gurgur – tea mixing pot

Larger tables

Cupboards

Ritual bowls

Cup with lids

Printing blocks

Tools

Zogham – tool box

Kopsack – sandpaper

Jandar – sharpening tool

Chisels

Saw Measuring tape

Gouges

Elaborately carved wooden features as doors, lintels, windows, beams, furniture and plaques in homes and monasteries are an essential element of the Ladakhi built environment. The distinctive feature of the wood work is the prominence accorded to the forms carved in relief. Pear, walnut, teak and malchang woods are used as they facilitate easy carving and well ﬁnished surfaces. Most households can afford only a few

1 Finely carved traditional wooden beams and joints.

2 One of the mythical evil spirits on a carved plaque.

3 The snow-lion carved in low relief on a wood panel intended for a monastery.

4 The entrance to the prayer hall of the Thiksey Monastery.

5 An unfinished panel, at a workshop in Wanla, demonstrating the stages of carving. The tools laid out above the panel have been designed by the craftsmen.

plaques or furniture pieces; the primar y patrons of the craft are the monasteries which commission large architectural members. Most of the carved forms have religious symbolism. Commonly used motifs include the dragon, the mythical Garuda, the lotus, the snow-lion, the eight auspicious symbols of the Buddha, lotus, clouds, mountain and the interlocking swastika border.

Painted wood

In the dry, desolate and monochromatic landscape of Ladakh, the colourful clothes, dwelling and possessions of the inhabitants are perhaps the only visual relief. The painted wood work contributes signiﬁcantly to the esc ape from a severe environment. A variety of objects such as ritual artifacts, musical instruments, furniture as well as structural elements of the local houses and monasteries are embellished with this. Only eight or so colours are used and these are mixed together in a variety of permutations and combinations to create a rich palette that contains 48 colours. There is a speciﬁc code which governs the selection of colours for a particular context. For instance, clouds are always

Basketry

Chipkiang is a local grass that g rows all over Ladakh, especially in areas along the River Indus where the soil is especially fertile. Chipkiang is crafted into backpack-like baskets and matting for use in homes by villagers during breaks from their daily chores and the hectic farming season. The baskets are made into two basic sizes; the smaller one is used for carrying vegetables while the larger one known as tsepo is used for carrying heavier and larger loads. The basket has two components: the basic skeleton of the ba sket formed by two sturdy branches of salchang, willow, bent at right angles, and the body of the basket that is made from grass stalks, and is woven in

painted blue, but the outline of the cloud will be a tint closer to the white while the inner most part of the cloud is a shade nearer to the black. The methods of painting different items vary. For example, wooden tables are painted in layers thus allowing a number of colour tones to be simultaneously visible.

Inset The endless knot, one of the eight auspicious symbols painted on a cupboard.

1 An elaborately painted screen at the monastery at Thiksey.

2 The painted walls and lintels of the courtyard at the Lamayuru monastery.

Production Clusters

Leh

Products

Window frames

Furniture panels

Architectural panels

Giant drums

Prayer wheels

Tools

Paintbrushes

the weft twining technique. The grass is softened by soaking it in water for two weeks. A set of stems of equal thickness are then selected. Two of these pairs are placed at right angles and a pair of grass stalks is twined around them in a circular fashion. This circular base is placed inside the hollow willow structure and a pair of stalks is twined around the vertical stalks of the circular form as well as the willow branches. The rim of the basket is ﬁnished by braiding the loose ends of the grass at the open end of the basket. The basket is allowed to dry in the sun for about a month as the grass remains wet.

Production Clusters

Ladakh: Kargil

Bod Kharbu Lamayuru Saspol

Nimmo Chushot

Products

Tsepo – backpack baskets

A local woman carrying a chipkiang basket.

The construction of a tsepo—grass stalks being twined around the salchang frame.

The tsepo with its characteristic square rim and curved base.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Languages

Jangram

Kinnauri

Pahari

Shumcho

Mandiali

Kulavi

Kehluri

Hinduri

Chambeali

Sirmauri

Miahasvi

Pangwali

Kanashi

Bauria

Festivals

Kullu Dussehra

Lavi Fair (Rampur)

Shivratri (Mandi)

Manimahesh Yatra (Bharmour)

Minjar (Chamba)

Renuka Fair (Nahan)

Gaddi Fair

Landmarks

Norbulingka Institute

Museum of Kangra Art

Kunal Pathri

Kangra Fort

Jwalamukhi Temple

Akhand Chandi Palace

Rang Mahal

Lakshmi Narayan

Temple

Chamunda Temple

Bhuri Singh Museum

Viceregal Lodge

Christ Church

Bhimakali Temple

Chail Palace

Tabo Monastery

The state’s terrain rises from the foothills of the Shivaliks bordering the plains of Punjab and extends westward to the alpine zone of the Zanskar Range adjoining Ladakh and Tibet. Amid these mountainous vistas is the historic town of Chamba, the lush meadows of the Kullu Valley, the undulating expanses of tea gardens and apple orchards of the Kangra Valley and the green pastures of Kinnaur in the east. Unlike the verdant landscapes of these valleys, the districts of Lahaul and Spiti are barren lands of rocky crags dependent upon glacial melts for their water supply. The Pahari, hill state, is inhabited primarily by an agrarian community where many derive their income from sheep, goats and cattle and 90% of the population lives in small slate roofed two-storey houses perched over terraced fields and mountain slopes in self contained villages and small towns. The ethos of this hilly region, intrinsically defined by its geographic and climatic conditions, is perhaps

CRAFTS ~ HIMACHAL PRADESH

Lost wax metal casting

Silver jewellery

Chamba painting

Embroidery on leather

Chamba rumal –embroidery

Thangka painting

Thangka appliqué

Metal work

Wood work of

Dharamsala

Basketry

Doll making

Sheet metal craft

Kullu shawls

Pula chappal – grass

footwear

Knitted socks

Horsehair bangles

Pottery

best encapsulated in its name—Himachal, literally the ‘Snowy Mountain.’ While most of the local people are Hindus, the state is also inhabited by a sizeable number of Buddhists (especially in Dharamsala, Lahaul and Spiti) and various pastoral communities like the Gaddis who rear sheep and goat, the Gujjars who rear buffalo, and the Kinnauris—all of whom live in various parts of Himachal Pradesh and have distinct cultural identities. This eclectic social structure is reflective of the province’s close ties with cultures outside its domain—with that of Ladakh and Tibet on one hand and the plains on the other. Furthermore, many areas of Himachal Pradesh were used as ‘hill stations’ or summer retreats by the British during the colonial period; a legacy visible in Shimla and Mussoorie (Uttaranchal) where numerous colonial buildings are still extant. The Viceregal Lodge at Shimla is an English Renaissance style building constructed in 1888 as the summer residence for the viceroys of India and the Gothic style Christ Church is renown for the fresco around its chancel window which was painted by Lockwood Kipling, Rudyard Kipling’s father.

1 A detail of the carved wooden ceiling of the Chamunda Devi Temple, dedicated to the wrathful form of the goddess Durga.

2 The shikhara, curved stone tower above the inner sanctum, is given a peculiar local accent at the Lakshmi Narayan Temple Complex through the use of wooden umbrella-like chhatri that function as snow-shields.

Opposite page, below

Much of the local economy centres around sheep—the cold climate necessitates the use of woollen garments, and the cottage industries of spinning and weaving have been harnessed by a rapidly expanding woollen handloom industry, which also caters to urban and export markets.

The town of Chamba, situated on the banks of the River Ravi.

Districts – 12

Craftspersons – 0.58 Lakhs

Inset A rock shrine at the Norbulingka Institute in Dharamsala.

3 A Kullu woman wearing the traditional handwoven woollen wrap known as the pattu

4 Three Kullu women make their way to one of Himachal Pradesh’s numerous religious fairs.

5 A bride from Kinnaur laden with a profusion of the customary silver ornaments.

6 Cobs of corn, the staple crop of Himachal Pradesh, seen drying on the rooftops of houses in Kullu.

7 The houses in the Kullu region are usually slate roofed structures built of clay bricks or stone and embellished with carved wood elements. Most buildings are two-storey; the ground floor is used for the cattle or for storing logs of wood and the upper floor is used as the living area.

8 An elderly man wearing a Kullu topi, a snug woollen cap with an upturned flap.

Attire

Topa – peaked hat

Chola – woollen kneelength coat

Cholu – woollen gown

Dora – sheep wool belt

Pattu – woollen wrap

Kullu shawl

Angarakha – doublebreasted woollen coat

Joji – cap with tail

Thepang – woollen cap

Cuisine

Nasasta – sweetmeat

Indra – preparation of urad dal, split black lentils

Poldu – lentil cutlets

Cha – salted tea

Physical Features

Mountain ranges: Shivaliks

Middle Himalayas

Zanskar

Rivers: Beas, Satluj, Spiti, Baspa, Chenab, Ravi

Biodiversity

Flora: Deodar, Kail, Pipal, Pine, Sheesham, Birch, Bamboo, Walnut, Acacia, Wild black mulberry

Fauna: Sheep, Angora rabbit, Goat (Pashmina)

CHAMBA

Crafts of CHAMBA

Lost wax casting

Silver jewellery

Chamba painting

Embroidery on leather

Chamba rumal

Subclusters of CHAMBA

Chamba district:

Chamba

Bharmour

Craft

Lost wax metal casting

Silver jewellery

Chamba painting

Embroidery on leather

Chamba rumal

RESOURCES

Raw Materials

Silver, Brass Silver

Handmade paper, Pigment colours

Leather, Felt, Zari, Thread

Mulmul, Fine khaddar, Silk threads

Sources

Chamba

Sanganer, Rajasthan

Jalandhar, Punjab, Maharashtra, Kolkata Chamba, Bharmour

Situated on a mountain ledge overlooking the River Ravi, the town of Chamba was established in the 10th century when Raja Sahil Varman relocated his capital from the neighbouring Bharmour region, now the homeland of the semi-nomadic sheep herding Gaddis. The city is believed to have been named after the king’s favourite daughter, Champavati, who legend says, sacrificed herself to provide water for the parched city. To this day, women and children sing her praises in the town’s temples on the occasion of the annual Sui festival. The ornate carving of the Lakshmi Narayan Temple Complex, the Chamunda Temple and the Madho Rai Temple provide ample testament to the consistent art patronage provided by Raja Sahil Varman and his successors. The hill state was ruled by a single dynasty in a continuous series of accessions and consequently, it enjoyed a remarkably stable political environment in which the arts could be actively cultivated by the rulers. In the mid-18th century, a number of artists fleeing religious persecution we re given refuge in the Pahari states; notable among the courts in which these artists found avid patrons was that of Raja Umed Singh of Chamba.

ACCESS

Chamba is connected with Pathankot (80 km/50 miles), which is connected with Jammu, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. It may be accessed by road via Shimla, Delhi, Manali, Dharamsala and Jammu. Gaggal airport, ten km from Kangra town, on the Pathankot-Manali highway, operates ﬂights to Delhi, Shimla and Chandigarh.

1 An intricately carved stone idol depicted in the tribhanga mudra posture at the Shiv Shakti Mata Temple. Tribhanga, thrice-bent, Krishna’s pose in which he is bent three times—at the waist, neck and head, with one leg crossed over the other, while playing the flute.

2 A brass idol of a deity from Chamba, her ornamental regalia, crown and umbrella made in sheet metal.

3 A local craftsman sculpts a beeswax model in preparation for the later bronze casting through the lost wax process.

4 A silversmith creates ring-like forms while directing the flame by blowing through a hollow metal tube with curved edges.

Lost wax metal casting

Production Clusters

Chamba

Products

Mohra – votive masks

Idols

Figurines Bells

Tools

Soldering iron

Sandpaper

Bufﬁng machines

The tradition of lost wax bronze casting is believed to have been brought to Chamba by immigrant Kashmiri artisans who found patronage at the courts of the Pahari kings; the antique metal statuettes enshrined at a number of temples in the region (among them the Lakshmi Narayan Temple, the temple of Bansi Gopal and the Hari Rai Temple in Chamba) suggests that these craftsmen specialized in making idols. Over time, the Kashmiri idiom, which these craftsmen were trained in, was infused with some local stylistic elements and a number of metal ware products catering to the religious, ritual and domestic needs of the populace were introduced in the Pahari states. The idols in this fusion style generally stand in tribhanga mudra and wear three-pronged crowns, and heavy ornaments and a

Inset Cast bells suspended from low beams at the Chamunda Devi Temple.

Silver jewellery

Pahari women are usually bedecked with an assortment of heavy silver ornaments made of sheet metal and wire manipulations. The choice of the adornment and the attire together indicate the wearer’s occupation, marital status and community of origin. In addition to displaying a specific sociocultural position, jewellery is also an economic investment for many rural women. The head, ears and forehead are the primary focus of jewellery; thus leading to the creation of a plethora of regional variations. The chiri tikka, sirka chamkuli, daman or daoni tilak and chak are flat pieces of silver (either enamelled or embedded with pearls) that are worn suspended on the crown, secured with chains that hang along the hairline on both sides. The nose ornaments nath or balu and the septum ornaments bulak or kundu that are worn exclusively by married women are usually highly intricate. Neck ornaments range from the torque—like sira or hansli to the small pendants or the toke. There also exist many distinct bead necklaces—kamrakhi mala, dodmala, jau mala, dar mala— where numerous chains made of beads of various shapes and forms are linked together by silver plaques. Of these, the chandan haar or chandrasani haar , constructed of five or seven rows of facetted gold beads, is perhaps the most popular.

1 The chandrahaar, an elaborate necklace of several large and small die-stamped pendants linked together by odd-numbered chains. The central pendant is enamelled in blue and green, the colours favoured in the Kangra Valley, augmented with numerous goli, silver open beads or peepal patta, leaf form.

2 A champakali necklace with magnolia-bud-like pieces; the forms of Pahari jewellery are usually derived from natural forms such as seeds, flowers and leaves, peacock, snakes, peepal leaves and the crescent moon.

3 Tassels are used extensively as an ornamental element in the jutti and beshtar that are worn in the hair.

4 Silver amulets are considered to have the power to ward off evil spirits and are worn by men, women and children; shown here is the centrepiece of an amulet with hanging silver tassels called surghundi or sumbala

5 Laung, a gold nose-ring, fitted with a coloured stone and ornamented with encrusted metal from the Lower Himalayas where, unlike the villages of the interiors in which silver ornaments are more common, there is a marked preference for gold.

6 Two klenti, the tools used to measure the diameter of rings.

Tools

Sansi – tweezer

Katira – pliers

Jamoor – cutter

Klenti – ring die Hathoda – hammer Blow pipe

Production Clusters

Chamba district:

Maila village

Sultanpur

Chamba town: Chaugan Bazaar

Mandi town: Moti Bazaar

Kangra town

Kullu

Kinnaur

Shimla district: Rohru town: Sunarion ka gaon

Products

Necklaces: Dodmala – beaded necklace

Champakali

Chandanhaar

Sabi – lockets inset with a painted miniature icon

Chandrahaar – necklace of silver coins with an enamelled pendant

Gal pattu – choker

Jaumala – silver beaded necklace

Coral necklace

Earrings: Karanphool

Jhumku

Nose-rings:

Laung – large stud

Balu – large nose-ring

Bulak – circular nose-ring

Bangles: Kangnu – bangles with elephant-head knob endings

Silver bracelets

Bajuband – arm bands

Paijeb – anklets

Kamarbandh – waist bands

cummerbund; the torna (background) is embellished in the Pahari style as are the goddesses with long tapering eyes draped in sari, the chou (pleats) of which are executed with great care. The metal used is usually an alloy of brass with 65% copper and 35% zinc. Silver is also included in the casting in a proportion of 10 gm of silver to 1 gm of copper; it is also occasionally used to inlay a figurine’s eyes.

1 A mohra made in the Pahari style.

2 A brass mohra, mask of a deity, made in the Kashmiri style.

3 Bronze idol of a local goddess.

and

Production Clusters

Chamba district: Chamba town

Products

Rumal – square cloth

Pankhi – handfans

Blouses

Bedspreads

Wall hangings

Dice boards

Cushion covers

Caps

Tools

Dyed untwisted silk

thread

Needle

Marking chalk

Chamba rumal

Although practiced throughout the region that comprises erstwhile princely hill states, the craft has come to be associated specifically with Chamba owing to the patronage afforded it by rulers of the area as well as to the quality of the local craftsmanship. Traditionally, the Chamba rumals were silk embroidered square pieces of handspun and handwoven unbleached mulmul, fine cloth that were used to cover dishes of food, gifts to significant persons and offerings to a deity, or exchanged between the families of the bride and the groom as a token of goodwill. The embroidery was done in a double satin stitch technique known as dorukha, which ensured an exact replication of image on the reverse of the fabric. Although practiced by women from all strata of Pahari society, the embroidery style developed by the women of the upper classes and the royalty has now come to be exclusively related to the craft. Both the folk and the court styles usually rendered the popular themes of the Raaslila, Raasmandal (depiction of dance in relation to Krishna and devotees), Ashtanayika (a depiction of various types of heroines in their distinctive moods and environments), hunts and chaupad, dice game; the styles and colour schemes, however, were vastly different. The folk style made generous use of brilliant colours including pink, lemon yellow, purple and green while the court form evolved a more sophisticated colour palette that consisted of pale shades of ochre, dark green and blue. The court style reflects the popular pastimes of Pahari men and women from royal and noble families through the addition of details such as the smoking of the hookah, women shown talking to parrots, playing with a ball or dice or listening to music. It also derived its compositions, border motifs and floral ornamentation from the wall paintings of the Rang Mahal of Chamba and the Pahari miniature tradition. Often, trained miniature painters from the courts were called in to draw the compositions onto the fabric and to provide colour schemes. It is due to this close relationship with the painting tradition that the Chamba rumals have been called ‘paintings in embroidery.’ In recent years, artisans have been encouraged to reproduce earlier masterpieces in order to sustain the craft. Simultaneously, efforts have also been made to diversify the craft products to include a wider range of items such as caps, hand fans, blouses and bedspreads.

1 The deity Lakshmi Narayan sits in the central quadrangle of a game of chaupad as three male figures sit in the four corners of the composition with sets of dice laid out before them. The dense stitching is believed to be based on the bagh embroideries of Punjab.

2 Godhuli, literally the ‘hour of cowdust,’ depicts Krishna and his cowherd friends bringing the cows back at dusk.

In the depiction of the Raaslila, Krishna multiplies himself in order to dance with four of his devotees, the gopis, while Vishnu witnesses the scene from his seat on a lotus.

Radha

Krishna are seated

the upper floor of the pavilion; the musicians, ladies-inwaiting and strolling peacocks in the garden reflect what was the lifestyle of the court.

A particular style of miniature painting was initiated in the 17th to the 19th centuries in the Himalayan hill states and eventually this regional idiom came to be known as the Pahari kalam, i.e. the paintings from the Pahari or hilly regions. Although it originated as a folk art form in Basohli, the tasvir, paintings, were gradually refined, as the style spread to other neighbouring regions and began to receive court patronage. This development was given a discernible impetus when many artists affiliated to the Mughal court gradually migrated to the kingdoms of Nurpur, Chamba, Basohli, Guler, Kangra, Mandi, Kullu and Bilaspur seeking sympathetic patronage after the fall of Delhi in 1739 to the Persian ruler Nadir Shah and the collapse of the Imperial Power. Chatrere, the painters, used mineral or stone colours and painted on absorbent handmade paper; on completion, the paintings were burnished by rubbing the back of the painting with an agate stone. While the Basohli style was characterized by a flat use of bold, intense colour and the detailing of the crowns and jewels with cut beetle wings, the later styles (most notably Guler, Chamba and Kangra) may be distinguished by their elegant rhythmic figures, idealized female form and subtle handling of colour. The main themes that found pictorial representation in the Pahari kalam were epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagvata Purana, episodes from the lives of Radha and Krishna inspired by Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda and the tale of Nala-Damayanti. Although all of these paintings have religious and spiritual undertones, the compositions also represented the mundane, everyday activities and emotions of

Embroidery on leather

According to a local myth, leather shoes were introduced to the grass-shoe-wearing Chamba Valley by a Kangra princess who married into the royal family of Chamba and brought along a cobbler family as part of her dowry. Even to this day, families of cobblers make this now famous chappal, slippers, of embroidered leather. The chappal is constructed with sheep or goat leather or calfskin, by the male members of this

the protagonists of these narratives, often using elements of the Pahari landscape as metaphors. For instance, a bereft Krishna pining for Radha would be depicted seated under a weeping willow, the stoop of its branches corresponding with his bowed head, as a dove circles the dark skies looking for its mate. Often, the narratives are contextualized within the environment of the hills; the fortifications and city structure of the Pahari kingdoms and the local landscape and flora—especially huge leafy trees, pointed cypresses, gently flowing rivers and dark lightning pierced clouds—form the backdrop for many an episode.

community while the women embroider elaborate felt uppers that are mounted on the leather chappal. A form of chain stitch embroidery done with a hooked needle, known as the Chamba kadhai, is utilized to create stylized lantana flowers and leaves; these are usually embroidered in resham, silk threads, while russi-tilla, synthetic zari threads, are utilized to further accentuate the resham embroidered forms. The colour palette generally consists of shades of pink, deep green, red, sky blue and yellow, executed on a background of black or maroon. An upper

Production Clusters

Chamba district: Chamba town

Products

Paintings

Tools

Conch shells

Brushes

Burnishing stones

1 An episode from the Gita Govinda depicting Krishna and Radha’s tryst in the forest; the lush idyllic landscape of the region acting as a backdrop for the romantic scene.

2 A depiction of Goddess Saraswati.

3 An incomplete rendering of the episode of Krishna lifting Mount Govardhana; the faces and ornaments are painted last.

Production Clusters

Chamba district: Chamba town

Products

Chappal – slippers

Belts

Tools

Various hammers

Scissors, Pliers

Jumoor – to remove nails

Screwdriver

Gulsome – punch

Sil – stone

Jugar – stitching tool

Suthraar – cobbler’s awl

Kwai – cobbler’s anvil

A detail of tilla and resham embroidered felt (panna).

embroidered with an ari, hooked needle.

Chamba painting

KANGRA

Crafts of KANGRA

Thangka painting

Thangka appliqué

Carpet weaving

Lost wax metal casting

Sheet metal work

Silver jewellery

Wood carving

Wood work of Dharamsala

Subclusters of KANGRA

Kangra district:

Kangra

Dharamsala

Palampur

Craft

Thangka painting

Thangka appliqué

Tibetan carpet

Sheet metal work

Metal casting

Wood work of Dharamsala

RESOURCES

Raw Materials

Silk fabric

Paints

Silk fabric, Threads, Horsehair

Woollen yarn

Cotton yarn

Copper sheets

Brass

Wood – khair, chilpine and other soft woods

Sources

Delhi

Ludhiana

Kangra

Pathankot, Punjab

1 Lush tea gardens at Palampur.

2 A thangka painter in Dharamsala; the adjustable frame allows the painter to bring the canvas close to paint details.

3 A carpet weaver in Mcleod Gunj, Dharamsala.

4 A Tibetan sacred symbol printed on a door hanging.

5 A master idol maker at his workbench in Dharamsala.

Situated at the confluence of the Banganga and Manjhi streams with the magnificent Dhauladhar Range as its backdrop is Kangra—a valley of lush green terraced fields, majestic deodar trees, tea gardens, pine forests, apple orchards and ancient Hindu temples. The town of Kangra, earlier known as Nagarkot, was once the capital of this vall ey region. In 1620, Kangra and its fort were captured by the Mughal Emperor Jehangir who built a secondary fort and named it Nurpur after his wife Noorjahan. Even after it became a Mughal province, Kangra continued to enjoy its previous feudal splendour and during the 18 th century, the unstinted patronage of the ruler Raja Sansar Chand Katoch which led to a flourishing miniature painting tradition. In addition to the extremely idealized female form and the lyrical lines of the drawing, the Kangra paintings are also characterized by their romantic themes, most notably that of the Gita Govinda and its depictions of the romance of Radha and Krishna. These paintings, set in the idyllic Kangra landscape, are said to have been specially commissioned by the king in order to express his devotion for the Gaddi maiden he had fallen in love with. The once formidable Kangra Fort is now a picturesque ruin but within the fort’s compound are two wellknown temples, dedicated to the local goddesses, Ambika Devi and Lakshmi Narayan. Southwest of Kangra lies the Jwalamukhi Temple, an important pilgrimage site, and towards the east are the tea gardens of Palampur and the fortress of SujanpurTira, once the favoured residence of Raja Sansar Chand and the venue of some exquisite wall paintings that are still extant. Dharamsala, a hill station established by the British in the mid-19th century is today the district headquarters and home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. Its monasteries, craft centres and performing arts school ensure the continuation of Tibet’s distinctive culture and religion.

ACCESS

Gaggal airport is 13 km (8 miles) from Kangra and 50 km (31 miles) from Palampur. The nearest broad gauge railhead is Pathankot (90 km/56 miles) and a narrow gauge railway line running between Pathankot and Jogindernagar passes through Kangra and Palampur. Almost every part of the state is linked by roads. Dharamsala is well connected via road to the nearest rail head, Pathankot (Punjab).

Thangka painting

Thangka are paintings on cloth that depict the sku rten, the bodily forms of enlightened beings, or the diagrammatic mandala, the ‘sacred circle,’ symbolizing the spiritual embodiment of the Buddha and the stages of spiritual realization. The figurative paintings either place the deities within a narrative by depicting episodes from their lives (for instance, portraying the twelve great deeds of the Sakyamuni Buddha or events from the past lives of the Buddha as described in the Jataka tales) or by portraying aspects of the Buddha’s nature as a sentient being. For example, the deity Awalokiteshwara is the embodiment of wisdom and compassion. In the latter type, the selection of a particular deity for portrayal is usually linked with the effects desired by the person commissioning the thangka. Thus, thangka of the goddess Tara are in demand for her ability to remove obstacles and grant protection while thangka of Amitayus are commissioned by those hoping he will bestow them with long life. Hung in monasteries, shops and homes, thangka may be commissioned to bring well-being and health, to ward off the evil eye, to ensure a happy rebirth or for use as a meditational aid; their widespread presence makes them a significant element of the Buddhist visual culture. The paintings are usually executed on coarse cotton cloth using mineral colours; silk is reserv ed for the painting of important subjects. The painters receive training at the monasteries and are expected to follow strict dictums regarding the rendering and proportion of the forms, the geometry of the composition and the colour schemes.

Dras-drub-ma— appliqué thangka Drasdrubma appl i qué

A variation of the painted thangka, dras-drub-ma, the appliqué thangka is a scroll-like installation on which Buddhist imagery is constructed by stitching coloured pieces of fabric onto a base cloth. Various sections of the image are produced separately, then dovetailed and fastened onto a background material to form the whole figure. The fabric pieces may be placed side by side or overlapped to lend the representation a greater degree of dimension. Tshen-drubma, embroidery, is also often used to embellish or detail the image and in some cases the thangka may even be completely worked with stitches. The direction of sewing, the ply of the silk thread, the tension or lack of a stitch, and the capacity of the embroidery to form patterns are a ll used to create visual interest and variety. Both, the fabric preparation and the thread work, are done exclusively by men and the artists undergo a period of apprenticeship under a master before they are allowed to practice independently.

1 Individual parts such as flowers, leaves, flames or hands are outlined with a piping that is couched down onto the shaped parts. The piping is made by winding silk yarn around a horsehair or cord. This traditional process is time consuming, as every piping is made according to the proposed thangka. The parts

thus outlined are appliquéd with the same silk thread that is used for the piping.

2 A detail of an appliqué thangka representing a Buddhist deity.

3 Pieces of brocade are stitched together to create large hangings that are installed in the monasteries.

Production Clusters

Kangra district: Dharamsala

Kinnaur district

Lahaul and Spiti district

Products

Thangka paintings

Tools

Rkyang shing –wooden frame

Brushes

Bamboo splints

Production Clusters

Kangra district: Dharamsala

Thangka

Cushion covers

covers

Pins Products

Adhesive, Scissors

A thangka depicting the goddess known as ‘White Tara’ who is believed to remove obstacles and grant protection to the devotees.

Inset A detail of a purnakalash, the pot symbolizing fertility and prosperity.

Metal work

At the Norbulingka Institute, set up in Dharamsala for the preservation of Tibet’s cultural traditions, a centre has been established to provide training in the art of both sheet metal and metal casting; it is the combined use of these techniques that distinguishes Tibetan metal work. The training received by the craftsmen includes the development and refinement of drawing skills and a knowledge of the proportion system and measurements laid down in canonical texts. The skills of the craftsmen are usually directed towards making statues and relief panels that serve the ritual and spiritual requirements of the monastery. A punch is used to create the relief of the desired image in repoussé on bronze sheets while the chasing technique is utilized to form the details. The punches used to sculpt the metal sheets are custom made by beating hot metal iron rods into any desired shape. The embossed sheets are cleaned and polished and are usually used as ornamental bases around the statue’s framework. Occasionally, the sheets are formed into containers or ritual implements. Statues and ritual artefacts are mostly made in bronze through the lost wax process.

1a, 1b The representation of the deities are expected to follow the sacred proportions prescribed in the canonical text known as the Tengyur.

2 During the consecration ceremony, the master craftsman ritually brings the image to life by painting the eyes and lips.

3 Details of the deity’s ornamentation such as the necklace and armlets are engraved in sheet metal and soldered onto the cast statue.

4 A craftsman drawing the outline of an image.

5 The individual parts of a figurine cast separately in the lost wax process.

6 After the form has been created through repoussé, the details of the form are engraved or chased on the frontal side of the metal sheet.

A range of statues are made to cater to a variety of requirements—large statues are made for the monasteries while smaller statues are made for sale to individuals. The large statues are made as individual cast parts that are eventually joined by soldering or brazing. The statue is finished through the mercury gilding process, usually executed under the supervision of a master craftsman. The occasional addition of inlaid precious stones to the bronze statue is motivated by the belief that the statue’s spiritual presence is increased by the value of the material used.

Wood work of Dharamsala

References to the Tibetan art of wood carving date back to the construction of the Tsulhakhang Temple at Lhasa in the 7 th century AD. The site is recorded to have contained elaborately carved narrations of the story of the Boddhisattvas as well as intricately detailed wooden tea bowls, carved windows, shrines and thrones. The wood that are usually used are the khair, chilpine and other softwoods; the selection of the wood to be used is based on its plasticity, ease in carving and durability.

A traditional bamboo fret saw known as the bah is used to remove wood along the drawn pattern to facilitate the second stage of the carving process which is the creation of an intricate fretwork. The carving tools are made by the local blacksmith or by the students themselves. The finer details are later carved out using fine chisels and the object is then finished through painting, lacquering or varnishing. The paint work is sometimes undertaken by the artists from the thangka studios thus granting the carved work the distinct colour scheme and style of the thangka painters.

1 The carved and painted entrance to the Norbulingka Institute.

2 Carved wooden stands used to hold wind instruments at a monastery.

3 Craftsman carving the leg of a table.

4 Carved fretwork panel depicting a deity seated on a flower amidst a flowing trellis.

5 Another intricately carved fretwork panel containing the symbol known as the dharmachakra or the sacred wheel.

Production Clusters

Kangra district: Dharamsala

Products

Architectural elements

Cupboards

Statues

Altars

Picture frames

Boxes

Musical instruments

Tools

Bah – bamboo fret saw

Wooden mallet

Jamdar – sharpening

stone

Chisels

Gouges

Metal pointer

Calipers

Template

Files

Sandpaper

Craft

Kullu shawl

RESOURCES

Byangi wool

Imboo wool

Desi wool

Merino wool

Pula chappal

Hand-knitting

Pula grass,

Dyed

Kullu shawl weaving

Hand-knitting

Subclusters

The Kullu Valley situated in central Himachal Pradesh and watered by the River Beas, has long been a site of human inhabitation. Ancient Sanskrit texts refer to the valley by the title ‘Kulanthapith’ or the end of the habitable world—an apt description when one considers that beyond the lush ﬁelds and apple orchards of Kullu lie the barren lands of rocky massifs and hanging glaciers that comprise the district of Lahaul and Spiti, the two lands separated by the Pir Panjal Range. Kullu is locally known as the ‘Valley of the Gods’—its alpine landscape is the gathering place for 360 deities from different temples in the Pahari region, who congregate here during the nine days of the annual Dussehra festivities. The processions at the festival are led by the richly adorned images of Ram and Sita from the local Raghunath temple.

ACCESS

10 km (6 miles) from Kullu is the airport at Bhuntar from where taxis and buses are readily available. By road, Kullu is at a distance of 240 km (149 miles) from Shimla.

1 A loom in a village house; a common sight in the Kullu region where weaving is a widespread cottage industry.

2 A village blacksmith embossing brass sheets to create mohras.

3 Carpet weaver in Kullu town.

4 Pula grass is spun into rope, used to weave the pula chappal

Basketry

Throughout the state of Himachal Pradesh, one may see women carrying elaborately woven baskets laden with apples or tea leaves on their backs. Baskets of various sizes are also used to store grains as well as cloth. These baskets are made of bamboo; locally grown grass es such as the nargal (a thin grass), toong (a thick grass found in the higher reaches of the mountains that is used for reinforcement), chupod (a soft grass), phhagad (a hard grass); banana fibres or palm leaves, and are usually purely functional. The techniques utilized in the construction of the basket vary according to the type of basket to be woven but are usually combinations of coiling, interlacing and plaiting. Although coloured decorative elements are occasionally added to the woven basket, the patterns achieved through weaving are essentially structural in nature. The baskets are made by professional weavers as well as by the women of Pahari househol ds during the winter months and they are sold at the local fairs and weekly markets, the market at the Kullu Dussehra festival and during the marriage season.

Doll making

A doll centre at Shimla is renowned for its production of a variety of traditionally attired dolls depicting different Pahari communities. First, a metal wire skeleton is prepared; this is then stuffed with locally procured g rass to cre ate the doll’s body. Care is taken to ensure that the grass used is somewhat damp so that when it dries, it will retain the shape of the armature. The grass body is then clothed in miniature garments of blended fabric, and a papier-mâché face and a wooden base are affixed onto the doll.

The Kothgarh doll is dressed in rejta, a long flowing skirt gathered at the waist, a blouse with a cut sleeves jacket and a sash of folded cloth at the waist. Like the ‘Kullu doll’, she wears dhatu on the head and carries a keelta and beru, lamb.

1 Two varieties of grass used in the local basketry, the thick toong and the thin nargal.

2 Load-bearing baskets from Kullu made from local wood-stemmed grasses, toong and nargal.

3 A bamboo storage basket.

4 The kamothu, a small basket that is made in Kullu.

The Kullu doll’s attire comprises of a pattu, mid-calf length chequered dress, worn like a short sari over a pair of pyjamas. She wears a head-scarf called dhatu and carries a cane basket called keelta as a reference to the tea plantations of the district.

The Pangi or wedding dolls are known as the gaddan, groom, and gaddi, bride. The bride may be recognized by the flowing veil and joiji, the small cap, perched jauntily on her head.

Production Clusters

Kangra district:

Chamba district

Products

Kullu district:

– large

container

Supu – winnowing instrument

Changer – large

bamboo tray

Chabdi – storage

Chamba district:

– basket

Pinjara – cage

Chhatroru – umbrella

Binnas – cushion

Chattai – mat

Winnowing fan, Tray

Palampur:

– small

Krida – big basket

Soop – winnowing

Kandi – tiny basket Mandri – grass mat Tools

Chaku – knives of

– splicing tool

The most famous of the dolls is the one representing the traditional attire of the inhabitants of the Lahaul and Spiti district. She is dressed in a red mid-calf length full sleeved jacket made of expensive Indian velvet, decorated with thin white lace on the edges. A pair of pyjamas is worn underneath the jacket and the outfit is complete with a Kullu cap.

Thattar ka kaam –sheet metal work

Production Clusters

Kullu district:

Banjar tehsil

Kullu town:

Sarwari Bazaar

Chamba town:

Charpat Mohalla

Hatnala Mohalla

Kashmiri Mohalla

Kangra district:

Palampur

Geea village

Baijanath tehsil

Kangra town:

Mandir Gali

Kinnaur district:

Pooh tehsil

Spillow village

Karaum village

Sonam village

Products

Karnal – wind instrument

Narsingha – S-shaped trumpet

Chattri – umbrella for the gods

Dhol – barrel-shaped drum

Nagara – kettle drum

Chadi – ritual object

Mohra – mask

Tools

Dhum hathauda –hammer

Chisels

Files

Punches

Chimtas – tong

The sheet metal work practiced in Kullu caters largely to the ceremonial requirements of the region’s temples. The chief products are mohras, the sheet metal masks depicting the various divinities worshipped locally; chattries, the umbrellas used to shield the deities when they are taken out of the temple premises in festive processions. In addition to this prolific temple patronage, the craft also receives an impetus during the nine days of the Dussehra festival when a temporary market is set up and smaller sheet metal objects such as the brass and silver utensils used in domestic rituals and a number of musical instruments are purchased by the devotees. This assorted range of objects is created from metal sheets on which the form is first transferred and then die-pressed or only beaten. Once the desired shape is achieved, the object is heated in a coal-fired kiln to soften it and grant it lustre. The figurative details are carved on and the artefact is polished with lemon leaves.

Long hand-knitted socks made with natural sheep wool contrasted with patterns in bright acrylic yarns or black and white are made by women in villages throughout the districts of Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti. Hand-knitting is a technique of fabric construction in which interlinked loops are made from a continuous yarn. Although only two needles are usually utilized for knitting, these tubular socks are knitted with four needles. The prevalence of these socks in this region is largely due to the high altitude climate, the availability of local wool and the low budgets required for the purchase of the basic tools and materials—knitting needles and wool. The coloured stripes and geometric patterns used to enhance the natural shade of the wool resemble the border decorations of the Kullu shawls and caps.

1 A detail of the patterning of a knitted sock.

2 Hand-knitted socks in natural sheep wool with bold patterns in acrylic yarn.

Production Clusters

Kullu district

Lahaul and Spiti district

Products Socks

Tools

Knitting needles

An image of a deity with two mohras, surmounted by a chhatri and bedecked with jewellery and its festive paraphernalia.

A chhatri for the processional palanquins on which the gods are borne during the Dussehra festival.

An embossed plaque depicting a local myth.

A mohra of a local deity.

Pula chappal— grass footwear

Leather shoes made of cowhide were considered inappropriate for treading on the soil of Himachal Pradesh, regarded as the land of the gods and consequently the sacred grass of shale (cannabis or bhang) were used to make the tradi tional footwear of the Paharis, the pula chappal. These lightw eight shoes and slippers are worn during religious ceremonies, within temple precincts and to walk on snow. Dried strips of cannabis grass or buckwheat stem are converted into a rope-like form and then strengthened by a process of twisting and stretching it. Five loops in in creasing or decreasing size in relation to the toes are made from the prepared rope. Each rope is then tightened around the junction point of a T-shaped tool that is rotated at great speed while holding the base of its khaitadu, stem. The body of the chappal is made by intertwining very fine threads of grass spun on a takli , spindle. In some instances, a decorative shoe upper is created with blanket stitch and contrasting colours of wool. A simple system of hand measures is used to make different sizes. Today, although the craft is chiefly practiced in Chad (a village near Banjar), the market for the pula chappal has spread to Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Inset A craftsperson finishing a chappal

1 A slip-on variation of the traditional pula chappal; the sole is constructed using the weft twining technique.

2 A pair of chappal with coloured yarns stitched onto a pula grass sole.

Kullu shawls

The high altitude climate of Himachal Pradesh, wool from locally reared sheep and goat, and the ease of procuring high quality pashmina wool from Tibet have made weaving and spinning important domestic industries, which have now found larger commercial markets outside the state. In the Kullu region, the textiles woven for local consumption use pashmina and three types of indigenous wool—byangi (from the Kinnaur region), imboo (soft wool produced from the first shearing of the lamb) and deshkar (a coarse wool made at Kullu). Merino wool is used for making commercially produced shawls and is imported from the plains, mainly from Ludhiana in Punjab. The chief products are the famous Kullu shawls—the twill-woven body in the grey, off-white, fawn or brown shades of natural wool and the tapestry woven borders in multicoloured geometrical forms. These shawls are u sed as draped garments; those worn

1 A Kullu woman dressed in a pattu, the traditional wrapped lower garment worn in the region.

2 A detail of a Kullu shawl’s border, the swastika and other geometric forms woven in the weft-faced tapestry.

Production Clusters

Kullu district:

Banjar

Chad village

Products

Chappal – footwear

Tools

Takli – drop spindle

Khaitadu – a T-shaped spindle

by the women are called pattu and those used by the men are called chandru. Although now associated exclusively with Kullu, the technique of combining a twill-weave base with a border of tapestry woven vegetable dyed wool originated in Kinnaur. With the migration of the Bhushahra community of Kinnaur to the Kullu Valley, this technique of shawl weaving and the Tibetan inspired geometric motifs of the Kinnauri shawls’ borders were brought to Kullu. The Kinnaur style has largely replaced the chequered shawls that were previously made in Kullu while the pattus worn daily still have a chequered body of black and white and a single bor der; those worn on festive occasions have plain bodies embellished with woven motifs that run along their length and three borders. Today, the vegetable dyed yarns have been replaced with chemically dyed acrylic yarns in bright shades of red, yellow, orange, pink, blue and green.

Production Clusters

Kullu district: Manali

Bhuntar

Nagrota Baghwan

Aut

Kotsanor

Kullu town: Bashing village

Dobhi village

Mohal village

Mandi: Panarsa

Nagwain

Bilaspur district: Panthera

Chamba town: Dogra Bazaar

Kinnaur

Kangra

Shimla

Products

Pattu – wrap

Dhoru – blanket

Shawls

Mufﬂers

Loi – blanket

Caps

Tools

Frame treadle loom

Shuttle

Charkha – spinning wheel

Needle

PUNJAB

Districts – 17

Craftspersons – 0.61 Lakhs

CRAFTS ~ PUNJAB

Phulkari and bagh –embroidered textiles

Panja dhurrie

Nala making

Tilla jutti – embroidered footwear

Sarkanda work

Galeecha – knotted carpets

Wood carving

Wood inlay of Hoshiarpur

Wood & lac turnery

Embroidered woollen shawls

Brass & zardozi badges

Mukaish work

Dyeing

Khunda – bamboo staves

Cut glass work

Basketry

Rope making

Pottery

Sports goods

Landmarks

Qila Mubarak

Aam Khas Bagh & Rauza Sharif

Anandpur Sahib

Jagatjit Palace

Kapurthala Mosque

Golden Temple

Jallianwala Bagh

Sanjha Chulha

Sanghol

Sarai Nurmahal

Nakodar Tombs

Bhathinda Fort

Bhakra Nangal Dam

The land of ﬁve rivers, Punjab, was an arid plain, covered with thorny trees and wild grasses, transformed into ﬁelds of wheat, paddy and millet by enterprise and a network of canals laid by the British and the Green Revolution of the 1960s. A scorching loo, hot breeze, blows in the summers and tredr, frost, covers the ground in winters. Traditionally Punjab consisted of three culturally and physically distinct zones—the hardworking but impoverished Malwa region, the comparatively rich and urban Majha region and the Doaba region, inhabited largely by the occupational class, the carpenters, tanners, weavers and metal workers. The crafts of the region are more utilitarian than ornamental. Every village has a cobbler, weaver, carpenter and a dyer to cater to its needs; in homes, locally available materials such as wheat stalks, sarkanda, mulberry branches, palm leaf and grasses

The Golden Temple

The spiritual centre of the Sikhs, the Harmandar Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, was built by Guru Ram Das in 1601 on a site donated by the Mughal emperor Akbar. The architectural style of the monument, a superb synthesis of Islamic and Hindu styles, echoes the syncretic tradition of the Sikh faith.

Biodiversity

Flora: Sheesham

Mulberry

Eucalyptus

Sarkanda

Cotton

Fauna: Camel

Buffaloes

Cows

Physical Features

Major mountains: Kandi or Shivalik

foothills

Satluj – Ghaggar plain

Semi-arid south-west

Major rivers:

Ravi

Beas

Satluj

Ghaggar

basket,’ producing more than half the country’s requirement of wheat, rice and millet.

are crafted into ropes, baskets, winnows, children’s rattles and hand fans. Textile related skills are prerequisites for women; a girl marries and enters her new home fully equipped with bedding, clothes, utensils and furniture, much of it embroidered, crocheted, knitted, sewn and woven by her. They also serve as means of integrating the community—the women of the village form gatherings known as trinjan where they spin, embroider and knit as they exchange news, sing and share their skills with others. The exceptions to this utile material culture are the phulkari and bagh embroidered textiles and cotton dhurries, which are associated with rites of passage, of birth, marriage and death. Woven silks, carpets, Chamba rumals, shawl weaving crafts, metal weaponry, gold thread embroidery and jewellery depict the cultural richness of the Sikh courts, especially during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s reign in the 19th century.

Inset A woman using a butter churner. Milk products are indispensable in the Punjabi diet.

Detail of the tombs at Nakodar: Purnakalash motif

The tombs at Nakodar near Jalandhar display a PunjabiMughal style characterized by the use of stylized geometric patterns and coloured tiles set against a brick surface. This tomb is particularly notable because of its use of the purnakalash motif, flowering pot—an ancient symbol of fertility and prosperity frequently seen at temples and stupas throughout India.

The Green Revolution transformed the dusty arid plains of Punjab into a ‘bread

lac-coated

Punjab is the largest producer of wheat, which is planted in November and harvested in May.

1 Truck drivers pause for lunch at a roadside dhaba, stop-over restaurant.

2 Festivities at the Hola Mohalla include spectacular displays of fencing and tent pegging, as the people show off their legendary martial and equestrian skills.

3 A Gujjar family; nomadic cattle herders, they are followers of Islam and are easily identifiable by their distinct clothing and jewellery.

4 Women making roti at the langar at Harmandar Sahib; every Sikh is expected to volunteer at the communal kitchen and all visitors, regardless of their caste and creed, may partake the hot food prepared there.

5 An array of parandas, tasselled braids, displayed at a stall at the Parandiyanwala Bazaar near Harmandar Sahib, Amritsar.

Festivals

Baisakhi

Diwali

Guru Parab

Hola Mohalla

Lohri

Maghi Mela

Teej

Attire

Patiala salwaar –baggy gathered pants

Paranda – hair tassels

Phulkari – wraps

Tilla jutti –embroidered footwear

Tahmat – wrap around

Pag – turban

Loi – handwoven shawl

Kara – iron bangles

Kirpan – swords

Languages

Punjabi

Hindustani

Scripts: Gurmukhi

Cuisine

Lassi – buttermilk

Sarson da saag –mustard leaf dish

Moolie di roti – radish stuffed bread

Makki di roti – corn bread

Missi roti – gram bread

Ma di daal – lentil preparation

Pinni, Dodha –sweetmeat

Kanji – cooler

Rawa di kheer – sweet

Shalgam-gobi achar –turnip & cauliﬂower pickle

Phulkari pakhi, hand fan, with a

wooden handle.

AMRITSAR

Crafts of AMRITSAR

Khunda – bamboo staves

Galeecha – knotted carpets

Subclusters of AMRITSAR

Amritsar district: Amritsar

Gurdaspur district: Batala

Tarn Taran

Gurdaspur

Amritsar

Tarn Taran

Craft Galeecha – knotted carpets

RESOURCES

Raw Materials

Wool

White cotton yarn

Sources

New Zealand

Raja Sansi Mandi, Amritsar

A farmer’s wife spinning cotton on a charkha, spinning wheel. The homespun yarn will eventually be woven into niwar (strips), khes (bed cover) and dhurrie (floor covering).

Khunda– bamboo staves

Khunda or iron-tipped bamboo staves are carried by Punjabi farmers, the nomadic cattle herding Gujjars, and the Nihang warriors alike and are used both as a weapon of self defence and as a walking stick. In addition, the khunda are also used as accessories by Bhangra dancers. The staves are made from whole bamboo poles that are cut to size in such a manner that the curved root of the bamboo is kept intact. The pole is

Production Clusters

Batala town

Products

Khunda – staves

Folk dance accessories

Tools

Hathoda – hammer

Koka – brass nails

then tinted a reddish brown colour and ornamented with poker work, brass strips and brass nails, or kokas. The bottom portion is sharpened to a tip and wrapped in iron sheet.

1 At Loha Mandi, Batala, a craftsman ornaments the khunda with brass strips that are nailed with koka, brass nails

2 An elderly Sikh carrying a khunda.

The city of Amritsar is named after the Amrit Sarovar or ‘Pool of Nectar,’ the sacred pool surrounding the Harmandar Sahib. The boundaries of this metacluster approximate those of the alluvial plain traditionally known as Majha. Majha is the region between rivers Beas and Satluj and includes cities of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Faridkot and Ferozepur. Strategically located on the Silk Route, Amritsar traded silks, shawls and copper ware from Kashmir in return for raw silk, gold, carpets and horses from Afghanistan and Central Asia; the region’s wealth is reﬂected in its carved havelis, expensive bagh textiles, delicately embroidered shawls, zardozi, ivory carving and inlay, lac decorated bedposts and elegant palm leaf fans. Shawl and carpet weaving were actively promoted by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the last ruler of Punjab, who set up karkhanas, workshops, in Amritsar under the supervision of Kashmiri weavers. The old city consists of a number of katras (zones) and mandis (markets) where a variety of businesses are still conducted; for instance, the silversmiths live in the Sarafan Bazaar while repoussé worked metal objects, engraved brass doors, kalash (vessel) and chattar (umbrella) for temples are sold in the Kesarian Bazaar. Batala, an important subcluster was founded around 1465 AD by a person from the Bhatti Rajput community from Kapurthala on a piece of land granted by the then Governor of Lahore. A centre of learning during Mughal rule, the town is known for its ﬁne cotton cloth and sansi, a combination of silk and cotton. Due to the migration of large numbers of ironsmiths from Sialkot in Pakistan to this region, the town has achieved much fame for its cast swords.

ACCESS

Amritsar is connected by daily ﬂights, rail and road with the rest of the country. Batala is situated on the Amritsar-Pathankot highway.

The small scale glass cutting industry operating in Amritsar was started by two German experts in the early 70s.

An artisan. The embroidered shawls of this region are delicately worked along the borders and selvedge simulating the shawls of Kashmir.

Left Detail of embroidered shawl.

Galeecha— knotted carpets

In the early 19th century, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh brought Kashmir under his rule, many Kashmiri carpet and shawl weavers migrated to Amritsar, an upcoming industrial town. This concentration of skilled craftsmen combined with the availabi lity of fine quality wool from the neighbouring hill states ensured the creation of exceptionally ﬁne hand-knotted woollen carpets. In this technique, woollen yarn is knotted (using the Persian knot) around the individual threads of the cotton warp. Of the patterns produced in the villages near Amritsar, the Bokhara and —geometrical patterns in black and cream woven on a deep red, ivory or green ground—are the main. The weavers use a colour coded pattern drawn on a graph, while weaving new designs, depending on their memory to replicate a design already woven. Today there are no makers left in

Amritsar; the companies commissioning the carpets provide their own graphs. Following the large scale display of Indian handicrafts at the Great Exhibition of 1851 held in London, English carpet companies were set up in Amritsar, producing an economic boom that lasted until the end of the colonial rule. Today, the craft is in decline with limited production catering to exporters based in Delhi and to the Punjab Crafts Emporium; the business is handled by middlemen and the weavers’ earnings are meagre. Att empts have been made to expand the local craftsmen’s vocabulary; carpets targeted for export to the Middle East feature the (prayer arch) motif while others attempt to draw from the local (embroidered textiles) forms.

Inset Detail of a geometrical pattern on a carpet.

A detail of the traditional hatchli design, orignially from Turkmenistan, but referred to as Bokhara carpet. The principal motif is the intersection of two channels in the centre, which divides the field into four parts, with a row of three arches at the top.

Products

Tools

Production Clusters

Amritsar district:

Konke village

Tapiyala village

Chugawan village

Lopoke village

Raja Sansi

Kot Khalsa

Pile carpets

Khaddi – vertical loom

Kangi – beater

Churri – knife

Kainchi – scissor

Naksha – design graph

Panja Churra Kainchi

1 Detail of a gul, octagon motif originating in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

A craftsman weaving a galeecha at a workshop in Amritsar.

A contemporary woollen carpet.

HOSHIARPUR

Subclusters of HOSHIARPUR

Hoshiarpur district:

Hoshiarpur

Jalandhar district:

Jalandhar

Nakodar

Crafts of HOSHIARPUR

Carved and turned wood work

Wood inlay of Hoshiarpur

Wood and lac turnery

Panja dhurrie

Craft

Carved and turned wood work

Wood inlay

Wood and lac turnery

Panja dhurrie

RESOURCES

Raw Materials

Wood – sheesham, deodar

Wood – sheesham, mango, tun, kaal; Acrylic, Camel bone, Shell

Wood – sheesham, mango, tun, kaal; Lac sticks

Dyed cotton yarn

Sources

Local

Hoshiarpur

weavers sit on a plank placed across the horizontal loom as they weave a panja dhurrie.

Carved and turned wood work

Production Clusters

Hoshiarpur district:

Hoshiarpur

Jalandhar district: Jalandhar

Batala district: Batala

Quadian

Amritsar district: Amritsar

Products

Hoshiarpur

Chairs, Peg tables

Jalandhar

Singhardaani –containers

Peedi – low stools

Batala

Khadavan – wooden slippers

Butter churners

Velan – rolling pins

Wooden handles for tava – gridles

Chairs, Tables

Beds

Screens

Seasoned sheesha m and deodar wood, procured from the local mandi, market, are carved into a wide range of utilitarian objects, including furniture and kitchen implements. The motifs used are leaves and ﬂowers, usually roses and sunﬂowers; birds and animals forms are made only on demand. Flora and fauna alike are depicted in a stylized manner that is believed to be derived from the Mughal idiom. This provenance is explained by the craft’s original form as heavily carved doors

Tools

Chorsi – chisel

Sutna – ﬁle

Pathri – tool sharpener

Saws

Clippers

Planers

Drills

Khadavan or wooden slippers worn by some devotees.

The Doaba region is located in the delta of the Beas and Satluj rivers and fronted by the wooded kandi area of Shivalik’s foothills. This re gion includes cities of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Nawa Shahr. It has long ha d a concentration of artisan communities—especially wood workers, shoe makers and tanners. Plastic inlay in wood, lac turnery and wooden musical instruments have continued to be important local crafts, largely due to the solar wood seasoning plant that has been established in Hoshiarpur town. Jalandhar, the capital of Punjab until Chandigarh was built in 1953, has one of the oldest army cantonments in India. The town of Kartarpur has a number of cottage industries—carpet weaving, woven textiles, ban rope making, some excellent carpentry and shoe making. Due to the latter, the town has a large number of tanning units and an important hide mandi as well. Nakodar, an important sarai, camping place, during the rule of the Mughals and now famous for the manufacture of dhurries, possesses a Khadi Mandal (developmental organization) that weaves dhurries and throws.

ACCESS

Jalandhar is 146 km (91 miles) from Chandigarh on the DelhiAmritsar highway and Hoshiarpur is accessible from Chandigarh (89 km/55 miles) via Ropar. Both places are also connected by rail.

and pinjara (framed lattice worked window), of the Amritsari haveli (mansion) and kothi (house). The large number of Sikh carpenters in Amritsar has been considerably added to by many karigars, artisans, from the Saharanpur area of Uttar Pradesh who have migrated to Punjab and now make up as much as 40% of the work force.

A young craftsman carves a window panel for a gurdwara in Quadian, Batala, using the previously transferred stencil of the desired pattern as a guideline.

Details of carved door panels at the Katra Sher Singh, Amritsar.

Beas Beas

Satluj

Nakodar

Jalandhar

At Mehtapur in Jalandhar,

Hoshiarpur

Panja dhurrie

Panja dhurries are intricately connected with the Punjabi concept of dowry that includes items of bedding. When the bride arrives at her in-laws’ house she brings with her an impressive collection of eleven auspicious beddings, all embroidered and woven by her. In the case of rich families, home-grown yarn would be given to the village weaver, the julaha, who dyed and wove it into dhurrie and khes (coverlets) for them. The bedding consists of a dhurrie, a tallai (thin padded mattress), an embroidered chatai (mat), embroidered quilt covers and hand-worked khes. As indicators of the bride’s family’s status and her skill, the dhurrie laid under the padded mattress are intricately worked with exuberant spreads of plump purple brinjal in an orange ﬁeld, a bed of massive red ﬂowers, wished for possessions—a car, jewellery, a chubby baby—or on an auspicious note, the mother goddess, Sanjhi Devi. Bridal dhurries continue to be woven, especially in the cotton-growing Malwa region and villages around Jalandhar.

Dhurries were also woven for the gurdwara; usually by a group of women. The dhurries are made on simple horizontal looms in a weft-faced plain weave which gives it a sturdy, flat appearance. The multiple forms and colours of the patterns are created through the use of independent wefts, beaten into place with a panja, metal beater. Although the craft was practiced in most rural areas of Punjab, it became a domestic industry on a commercial scale after immigrant weavers from Sialkot, Pakistan, arrived at Nakodar, Noormahal and the villages around. In Nakodar two types of cotton dhurries are woven—bed dhurries are woven on a pit loom in multicoloured stripes, and the floor dhurries, woven mostly in two contrasting colours on an adda, floor loom. The motifs used in both, however, derive from the folk vocabulary of birds, beasts, plants and the embroidered phulkari textiles.

Production Clusters

Jalandhar district: Nakodar

Mehtpur

Aulka

Bathan

Mehma

Ungi

Chak Bendal

Noor Mahal

Sidma

Hoshiarpur district: Hoshiarpur

Ropar district: Losari

Jhandia Khurd

Anandpur Sahib

Bhathinda district

Moga district

Batala district

Ludhiana district

1, 2 Dhurrie patterns tend to be either geometrical or figurative. While the latter may employ a number of colours, the geometrical patterns are usually executed in two contrasting colours.

3 A dhurrie patterned with small stylized motifs of cauliflower and brinjal.

4 The pattern of this traditional dhurrie is based on the popular motif of the parrot or tota

5 The bridal dhurries draw on a large repertoire of indigenous motifs that are based on the local flora and fauna.

Amritsar district: Tarn Taran

Products

Bed dhurrie

Floor dhurrie

Tools

Adda – ﬂoor loom

Pit loom

Kainchi – scissors

Hatthi/panja –beater/comb

Churri – knife

Sua – needle

Sizing brush

Inset A detail of the mor or peacock motif.

Wood inlay of Hoshiarpur

Production Clusters

Hoshiarpur district:

Hoshiarpur city:

Dabbi Bazaar

Bassi Ghulam Hussain

Boothgarh

Adamwal

Thatlan

Mian di Chhowni

Brijwara

Pur Heeran

Ram Colony Camp

Piplanwala

Singriwala

Maduli Brahmana

Dhakowal

Jalandhar district:

Maderan

Adampur

Amritsar district:

Amritsar

Products

Hoshiarpur

Chairs, Peg tables, Sideboards, Screens, Doors

Jewellery boxes

Tool handles

Stationery

Amritsar

Chessboard tables

Tools

Chorsi – chisel

Sutna – ﬁle

Pathri – tool sharpener

Saw, Clippers, Planer, Drill

Detail of a jewellery box, its surface ornamented through the technique of metal inlay on wood.

The district of Hoshiarpur produces dark sheesham furniture with painstakingly detailed dense foliage patterns that are both engraved and inlaid with acrylic, camel bone and shell. The motifs are either of Persian origin or adaptations of the exquisite wood carving in the havelis, mansions, of Hoshiarpur. The foliage patterns, usually cypress trees, that appear in most of the inlay work are now being supplemented with ﬁgures and landscapes, the details of which are etched and coloured with natural ink. When the craft came up in this region, the wood workers inlaid their wares with ivory remnants bought from the ivory carvers of Amritsar. Amritsar still has a small cluster

Acrylic having replaced ivory as the medium of inlay work, the craftsmen have taken to creating large products such as this folding screen.

Wood and lac turnery

Production Clusters

Hoshiarpur

Jalandhar

Products

Hoshiarpur: Chairs

Jalandhar:

Singhardaani –containers

Peedi – low stools

Tools

Lathe, Chisels

Among the wood working community of Hoshiarpur are the kharadi , lathe turners, who make turned wooden furniture, ornamented with motifs etched on a lac coating. Furniture elements are turned on power lathes and the rot ating pieces are coated with multiple layers of lac, usually applied in three layers—white, black and red, in that order. Yellow is occasionally added as well; purple, the once characteristic colour of lac-coated ware from Hoshiarpur, is seldom used now. After the lac is applied, a sharp metal stylus is used to etch motifs, thus revealing the underlying colours. Contemporary designs appear in white on a reddish-brown base, apparently imitating the plastic inlay work practiced in Hoshiarpur.

of bone carvers and inlay craftsmen who are known for their chessboard patterned tabletops. Acrylic has become the primary material used in the inlay after the worldwide ban on ivory was introduced in 1989.

The layered lac-coating done in Jalandhar uses different colours from those of Hoshiarpur and the surface is engraved using needles so that the design shows up in a variety of colours.

Inset A detail of an etching displaying the white coat which is revealed when the upper brown one is scratched off.

Detail of an inlaid table.

A peg table ornamented with the chessboard pattern.

A craftsman gouging out the areas of the wooden surface that are to be inlaid with acrylic.

Decorative detail of the chair.

A lac-coated and etched chair in an unusual yellow colour.

PATIALA

Subclusters of PATIALA

Patiala district: Patiala

Sangrur district: Sangrur

Malerkotla

Crafts of PATIALA

Phulkari and bagh

Nala – drawstrings

Tilla jutti –embroidered footwear

To the south of the River Satluj lies Malwa, the vast arid region which comprised three important principalities—Patiala, Faridkot and Malerkotla—of which Patiala rose to be the most inﬂuential. Before the Sirhind Canal was built this land consisted of vast stretches of tibbas, sand hills, with isolated cultivated sections that were rain fed. The chief crop is cotton; consequently Fazilka, Malout and Bathinda ar e big cotton mandis, markets. With the increased prosperity of Patiala, whole bazaars sprang up where craftsmen made and sold jewellery, zardozi (gold embroidery) fancy drawstrings, gold-embroidered footwear, dyed turbans and dupattas (stoles). Goods from surrounding areas were brought to the mandi town of Malout for sale. Poets, miniature painters and classical musicians settled in the city, developing in the process a Patiala gharana, school, of Hindustani music. The art of miniature paintings too received patronage, producing an impressive number of illustrated manuscripts of classical texts. Malerkotla, the only Muslim-Pathan principality in Punjab, possesses expert zardozi embroiderers and metal workers.

ACCESS

Patiala is linked by road and air to Chandigarh. All the other clusters in the region are well connected by road and rail to both Chandigarh and Patiala.

RESOURCES

Craft

Phulkari and bagh

Tilla jutti

Raw Materials

Handspun cotton fabric, Silk, Rayon threads

Silk, Rayon, Cotton threads

Buffalo hide, Cowhide

Zari

Sources Ambala, Hyderabad

Patiala

Jalandhar, Kanpur, Chennai

Surat, Malout

Ghagghar

Patiala

Haryana

Nala

Detail of a bagh, an embroidered wrap that accompanied women in daily life and at ceremonial occasions. Phulkari and bagh of Punjab are significant as women’s art done for their own use.

A craftsperson demonstrates the process of making a nala, drawstring.

A jutti shop in Muktsar, Bhatinda, one of the key sites where this form of embroidered footwear is produced.

A craftsperson casting a brass badge at Malerkotla.

Sangrur

Production Clusters

Amritsar district

Jalandhar district

Ferozepur district

Bhathinda district

Moga district

Patiala district:

Patiala town

Tipari village

Products

Chaddar – wrap

Dupattas – veil

Garments

Cushion covers

Bed covers

Types of phulkari:

Sainchi phulkari

Darshan dwar

Sheeshedar

Suber phulkari

Tilpatra phulkari

Satranga phulkari

Nila phulkari

Types of bagh:

Bawan bagh

Vari da bagh

Surajmukhi

Chand bagh

Sheesha bagh

Ghunghat bagh

Chope

Throughout the Punjab, in the Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities alike, women embroider odhni (veils) or chaddar (wraps) ornamented with phulkari, literally ‘flower work’ and bagh, garden, a variation where the embroidery completely covers the support material. The fabric used is usually khaddar, a heavy cotton that is locally woven in widths of 45 to 60 cm (18 to 24 inches) joined either before or after the embroidery to form the desired size. The support fabric is most often an auspicious dark red, or more rarely, an indigo blue or a white reser ved for elderly women, on which the embroidery is executed in untwisted floss silk called pat, sourced from Kashmir, Afghanistan and Bengal and dyed yellow, orange, burgundy, bright pink, purple, blue and green in Amritsar and Jammu. Darning stitch is used to embroider from the reverse side of the fabric, with the longer float on the face, thus allowing large surfaces to be densely embroidered with economy. Aside from their everyday use as veils, the phulkari is integrated into the lives of the women

and is an indispensable element in ceremonies, especially those concerning birth, death and marriage. When a girl child is born, the women of the family organize a great feast, marking the beginning of the task of the child’s grandmother in creating the future bride’s trousseau. The most significant items of the trousseau are the chope, a reversible phulkari worked in double running stitch and wrapped around the bride after the ritual bath two days before the wedding, and the suber phulkari, composed of five eight-petalled lotuses, worn by the bride when she walks around the sacred fire during the wedding ceremony. A phulkari is also worn 11 days after the birth of a son, when the mother goes out for the first time after delivery, and when visiting a temple during religious festivals to request prosperity and happiness for loved ones. Likewise during funerals, it is customary to set the body on a phulkari or cover it; a woman, however, will not receive this privilege unless she is a widow.

Inset A detail of a motif from a chope.

A chand bagh, from a private collection. It derives its name from the dominant motif of large diamonds done with horiontal and vertical darning stitches over counted threads of the base cloth. The subtle change in the directions of the stitch, its gloss and the colour are suggestive of highly stylized chands, moons. Unfinished corners or discordant colours signify a nazar buti meant to protect the wearer from the evil eye.

A detail of the front of a bagh textile showing the meticulously counted thread embroidery.

Reverse of a bagh textile. This is embroidered on the reverse side using the darning stich.

The darshan dwar, a red cloth embroidered with architectural motifs representing doors arranged on either side of a central band decorated with human figures, animals, flowers and plants, is often offered to the temple so that the devotee’s wishes may be granted. The number of doors depicted may vary; nine doors signify the nine orifices of the body while the tenth is ‘left open’ to allow the spirit to enter.

Sainchi phulkari done in Haryana and Punjab is characterized by its use of figurative motifs representing the themes of marriage and rites of passage. Shown here, is an old phulkari from a private collection.

The chope, invariably embroidered in yellow pat, untwisted floss silk, on red khaddar, handspun and handwoven cloth is an integral element in the pre-marriage rituals performed at the bride’s home.

“As an encyclopaedia of Indian crafts, Handmade in India is pioneering and comprehensive. Nothing of this kind has ever been published before ”

—Jyotindra Jain in Biblio: A Review of Books

CRAFTS

Handmade in India

Crafts of India

Edited by Aditi Ranjan and M P Ranjan

580 pages, 3500 photographs and 140 maps

9.5 x 13.5” (240 x 340 mm), hc

ISBN: 978-81-88204-57-1

₹4950

2008, reprinted 2014, 2015 & 2024 World rights

ADITI RANJAN is a weaver, textile designer and design teacher. She has conducted research on the textile tr aditions of Indi a and designed collections for the handloom sector in the country. Her educational innovations include the use of culture as a design resource. Born in 1952, she has been involved with textile design education at the National In stitute of Design since 1972.

ADITI RANJAN is a weaver, textile designer and design She has conducted research on the textile tr aditions of Indi a and designed collections for the handloom sector in the country. Her educational innovations include the use of culture as a design resource. Born in 1952, she has been involved with textile design education at the National In stitute of Design since 1972.

ADITI RANJAN is a weaver, textile designer and design teacher. She has conducted research on the textile traditions of India and designed collections for the handloom sector in the country. Her educational innovations include the use of culture as a design resource. She has been involved with textile design education at the National Institute of Design since 1972.

His ongoing work in bamboo has

an entire

ADITI RANJAN is a weaver, textile designer and design teacher. She has c onducted research on the textile tr aditions of Indi a and designed collections for the handloom sector in the country. Her educational innovations include the use of culture as a design resource. Born in 1952, she has been involved with textile design education at the National In stitute of Des ign since 1972.

for bamboo industry in India. Born in 1950, he has been with NID since 1976 and has published ex tensively on desi gn education, craft and information technology.

M P RANJAN is an industrial designer and design teacher at the National Institute of Design. His interests include design theory, basic design and the systems level function of design in managing economic change. His ongoing work in bamboo has helped open up an entire sector for bamboo industry in India. Born in 1950, he has been with NID since 1976 and has published ex tensively on desi gn education, craft and information technology.

His ongoing work in bamboo has helped open up an entire sector for bamboo industry in India. Born in 1950, he has been with NID since 1976 and has published ex tensively on desi gn education, craft and information technology.

other titles of interest

M P RANJAN was an industrial designer and design teacher at the National Institute of Design. His interests included design theory, basic design and the systems level function of design in managing economic change. His work in bamboo helped open up an entire sector for bamboo industry in India. He had been with the National Institute of Design since 1976 and had published extensively on design education, craft and information technology.

Raja Ravi Varma Painter of Colonial India

Rupika Chawla

Themes, Histories, Interpretations Indian Painting Essays in Honour of B. N. Goswamy

Edited by Mahesh Sharma and Padma Kaimal

Unveiling India

other titles of interest

Raja Ravi Varma

other titles of interest Indian Crafts Interiors

The Early Lensmen (1850–1910)

Rahaab Allana and Davy Depelchin

Edited by Jaya Jaitly and Aman Nath

Painter of Colonial India

Foreword by Ashoke Chatterjee

Rupika Chawla

FORTHCOMING

MAPIN PUBLISHING www.mapinpub.com

Themes, Histories, Interpretations

Indian Painting

Textiles from Bengal A Shared Legacy

COVER.indd 1

Essays in Honour of B. N. Goswamy

Edited by Tirthankar Roy, Sonia Ashmore and Niaz Zaman

Edited by Mahesh Sharma and Padma Kaimal

Foreword by Rosemary Crill

Unveiling India

the amrapali collection

The Early Lensmen (1850–1910)

Silver and Gold

Visions of Arcadia

Rahaab Allana and Davy Depelchin

Usha R. Balakrishnan

MAPIN PUBLISHING www.mapinpub.com

“This is a magnificent work, a fabulous reference book, a virtual encyclopaedia of Indian handicrafts... As an encyclopaedia of Indian crafts, Handmade in India is pioneering and comprehensive. Nothing of this kind has ever been published before.”

—Jyotindra Jain, Biblio

Raja Ravi Varma

Painter of Colonial India

Rupika Chawla

Themes, Histories, Interpretations

Indian Painting

Essays in Honour of B. N. Goswamy

Edited by Mahesh Sharma and Padma Kaimal

—Jyotindra Jain, Biblio

“If you’ve become smitten with Indian handicrafts— clothing, toys, carpets, pottery, etc—this hefty encyclopedia will be your Rosetta stone for additional craft appreciation and collecting. Organized by region, and packed with hundreds of small but legible color photographs, no better guide exists in revealing the astonishing diversity of Indian craftwork.”

“... takes on the monumental task of examining the eye-popping variety of handicrafts made across India’s vast landscape... The thousands of objects pictured here, and accompanied by detailed notes, include terra-cotta jewelry, leather puppets, wood carvings, bamboo baskets and silver ornaments. ... visually stunning display.”

Unveiling India

The Wall Street Journal

The Christian Science Monitor

“... takes on the the eye-popping across India’s of objects pictured detailed notes, puppets, wood silver ornaments.

“An important for a sustainable types of specific All readers will other titles of

The Early Lensmen (1850–1910)

Rahaab Allana and Davy Depelchin

—Jyotindra Jain, Biblio

The Christian Science Monitor

—Jyotindra Jain, Biblio

“An important book... craft values are important for a sustainable future... an astounding 516 types of specific regional crafts are covered... All readers will be impressed.” Library Journal

The Christian Science Monitor

The Wall Street Journal

“An important book... craft values are important for a sustainable future... an astounding 516 types of specific regional crafts are covered... All readers will be impressed.”

Library Journal