Crafts & Heritage

India’s vast cultural diversity has resulted in a treasure trove of handicrafts for the discerning shopper, in truly remarkable variety of styles and prices.

Every handicraft sold in the country is made by tightly knit communities. Agra’s marble workers whose shops look out on to labyrinthine by lanes in the area around the Taj Mahal, for instance, are the descendants of those who lavished the Taj Mahal’s walls with pietra dura. In Ahmedabad, Gujarat, narrow alleyways still bear the names of those guilds that once lived in them. It is possible to actually watch craftsmen at work in any city or town in India.

Each state in the country has something different to offer. The theme shopper who wants to collect only paintings can buy miniature paintings on silk, marble tiles, parchment or ivory from each of the several schools of miniature painting in the country, religious paintings on pressed rags from Orissa and simplistic tribal graphics from Madhuban in Bihar and Warli in Maharashtra. Textiles, wooden dowry chests, embroideries-all these are produced in various corners of the country, each being unique in its design element and in its motifs.

Sarees are the best known subjects of daily wear. Widely used by much of India’s female population, sarees range from gossamer thin Chanderis woven in silk to the thick Kanjeevaram silks of Tamil Nadu. Both types are distinguished by the restrained use of motifs, but ikats from Orissa, in hand spun cottons of earthy colors, are woven with traditional motifs of a highly distinctive blurred appearance, obtained by precise dyeing and weaving techniques. Indian sarees take as their themes parrots or elephants, sea shells or stylized flowers, and sometimes an architectural motif – geometrical patterns of Muslim architectural details are also echoed in sarees.

Handicrafts can be classified by the medium to which they are worked on. Objects of wood that range from fragrant sandalwood to ebony are carved, sculptured or inlaid with brass wire, ivory or mother of pearl. Stonework includes marble mosaics inlaid with semi precious stones and soapstone carvings. Metalwork ranges from enameled brassware and bronze religious statuary to ‘lost wax’ folk art figures. Pottery encompasses terracotta toys from rural India to ornamental Objects distinguished by bright blue motifs and a high glaze. Ivory carvings of incredible intricacy and miniature paintings on ivory represent crafts of the classical tradition, just as cane and bamboo crafts highlight everyday art.

Gold jewellery, sumptuous silk brocades woven with gold thread and pure silk carpets of Persian designs are collector’s items which are bought both for their beauty as also for their investment value.

Of course, traditional handicrafts are not the only buys from India. High fashion, quality leather jackets, shoes and handbags are also available in sheep’s leather and cowhide; designs for silver and costume jewellery change with international fashions; lambs wool winter wear of Indian make is widely exported; and household linen is prized for its durability and attractive designs. Durries, woven with cotton rugs which were once available only in ethnic designs, have now found their way into many exclusive stores in USA and Europe, in color ways that conform to international fashion preference. In India, they are available at far less than the price they command elsewhere.

Carpets are made in pockets throughout the country – a network of small towns around Varanasi in the east make high-quality rugs with woolen pile on a base of cotton. Kashmir’s carpets are a continuation of a Persian tradition in which mainly floral patterns are identical to those of Persia. These carpets are usually made in silk, or a combination of wool and silk on a cotton base, and occasionally silk pile on a silk base. Depending on the clarity of the design and its rarity; a high knot count and the size of the carpet, a Kashmiri carpet could be an heirloom, priceless with the passage of years.

For the shopper in a hurry, the government run Central Cottage Emporium which has branches in each major city. These emporiums, comparable to many fine stores abroad, accept all major international credit cards.