Jaipur

Before I beginning, I want to first introduce the city of Jaipur in which the school of craft and design exists. The story of arts and crafts in the city goes way back to 18th century when Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II established 36 Karkhana (36 workshops or 36 departments) for better maintenance of administration, trade and commerce of the city. Karkhana is a word of Persian origin, widely used in South Asia. It is generally translated as ‘factory’ or ‘workshop’, but encompasses many other meanings. Most of these crafts came with the Mughals and had been once done in Persia in one form or the other. Eventually due to inadequate resources many Karkhanas gradually started declining and were finally closed.

12 workshops are still in working condition and open for tourists for demonstration purpose. These 12 workshops are -

1. Kapatdwara

2. Surat khana

3. Sileh Khana

4. Farrash Khana

5. Pothikhana

6. Bagghi Khana

7. Imarat

8. Mistri Khana

9. Naubat Khana

10. Karkhana Punya

11. Bagayat

12. Gunijankhana https://www.instagram.com/anniespratt/

The royal family that once ruled the region and that, in 1727, founded what is now called the Old City, or “Pink City” for its trademark building color. At the center of its stately street grid (notable in India) stands the opulent, colonnaded City Palace complex. With gardens, courtyards and museums, part of it is still a royal residence.

From gem cutters to weavers, artisans have long been synonymous with India’s Pink City, but Jaipur’s craft heritage continues to evolve. In recent years, Western designers have immigrated here and are learning from and employing skilled locals.