Part 3

Craft charts

Aim – To list out various crafts of as many state of India as possible and find out about the

languishing ones.

Apart from taking information from internet and books a list has been prepared of various

authentic crafts available at various craft emporiums at Baba Kharag Singh Marg, Delhi.

Various crafts demonstrations have also been followed which were happening in Delhi at

this time.

West Bengal artisans Place/location Methodology

/tools status comments

Leather craft

Artists at santiniketan

kolkatta leather reviving

Brass and Bell metal

Metal workers

Bankura, bishnupur, ghatak, Midnapore.

Engraving work

reviving

pottery Kumbhakars (potters)

Murshidabad, Bishnupur, Midnapore.

Rich, Alluvial clay

Mats and Basket making

Cotton, Madur-reeds, Bamboo frame loom.

Dokra Metal casting

Dhokra Kamar tribes

Lost wax Technique.

declining Dhokra tribes are traditional blacksmiths of west Bengal.

kantha Bengali women

Bolpur, Santiniketan.

Embroidery, Running stitch.

Scroll-Painters (The Patuas)

Bankura, Purulia in North West and Birbhum and Midnapor

West Bengal

The Mask-Makers (Wood Carvers)

Purulia Of Paper, Clay and Cloth

Stone Carvers (Stone Sculpturing)

Burdwan (Bengal School of Stone Sculpturing) , Patun and Dainhat

Madhya Pradesh

Madhya pradesh

artisans Place/ location

Tools/ methodology

status comments

Maheshwari saree

Maheshwari weavers

maheshwar Charkha, Handloom.

Making a place in the market.

NIFT Intervension.

Chanderi saree

chanderi Hanloom, Cotton and Silk.

Has a place in the market.

Jhabua dolls, Bead work.

Jhabua women.

jhabua Cloth, Thread, Buttons, needles.

Declining. NIFT intervension.

Pithora paintings

Jhabua men jhabua Vegetable colour, minerals.

languishing

Bagh block printing

Bagh men bagh Vegetable dyes, Block prints.

NIFT intervension

Lac jewellery

Rewa, Indore region.

Beads, Lac.

Declining.

New Delhi

artisans Place/ location

Tools/ methodology

status comments

Bamboo work

chikwalas Old delhi Sarkanda grass/ bamboo

declining

Carpet weaving (herati carpets)

Persian weavers

Old delhi handlooms lost

Kundan/ meenakari

karigars Dariba kalan near chandni chowk

enamelling Fighting for its place in market.

Ivory carving

craftsmen Old delhi lost

Miniature painting

Use of ivory before. Now on hand-made paper.

Almost lost (endangered)

Mansoor (Mughal painter) author of this school.

Paper craft Lal kuan bazaar Old delhi

languishing Other crafts- tazia making, effigy – making.

pottery Uttam nagar, Bindapur, Kotla, Shahpurjat.

Blue glaze pottery in delhi declining.

Zari, gota, kinari zardozi.

Kinari bazaar Old delhi

Appliqué work

Reviving.

Punjabpunjab artisans Place/

location Tools/ methodology

status comments

jootis Families devoted to this craft.

Patiala, faridkot

leather declining

durries Women of the village

Nikodar, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Anandpur sahib

weaving

parandis Jalandhar, Amritsar Nikodar, Ludhiana.

Have been adapted according to contemporary needs.

Hand Printing

Done by Chhimba

MudWall Paintings (Chowk-Poorana)

Leisure hour house occupation picked up by young girls from the elders

Clay Toys and Pottery

(Reelo pehlwan- a toy made before pre partition Punjab)

Punjab

Basketry especially Peshawari Pakkhe, Kundaldar Pakkhi and Chhaj

Wood Work (Peeras)

Batla, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar

Needle Work (Phulkaris)

maharashtra artisans Place/ location

Tools/ methodology

status comments

Kolhapuri chappals

kolhapur Camel, buffalo skin

reviving

Carpet making

nanded

Warli painting

Womenfolk of the tribe

Rice paste, straw

Now being made on paper and sold.

Belongs to warli tribe.

bidriware aurangabad Zinc and copper

languishing Items were used as hookas or paan daans

Paithani saris

weavers Punjabi region

weaving declining Believed to be 2000 years old.

Narayan saris

weavers sholapur Weaving with zari borders

decling Rudraksha motifs on border.

Maharashtra

ORISSA

orissa artisans Place/

location Tools/ methodology

status comments

Patachitra and palm leaf panting

Male dominated art. Also make ‘Ganjika’ cards

Raghurajpur, Dandshahi, Puri.

Vegetable colours, Cloth, Paper, tablets

reviving Raghurajpur has 50 families of pata painters.

carving Pathuriasahi, puri, khandapara

Stone, wood, porous roots and stem of a water plant.

declining

Metal work Puri, behrampur, chandanpur, phulbani.

Brass, bell, silver (tarkashi)

declining

Appliqué work

Pipli village Stitching cloth on a base cloth

reviving Originated as temple art.

Ikat sari bhuvaneshwar Tie and dye technique, yarn.

reviving

ORISSAOrissa Bomkai sari

Bandha or tie-and-dye from Sambalpur.

Pasapalli

Jhoti, Chita, Muruja

mud walls and floors are decorated with murals in white rice paste or pithau

HORN WORK

Parlakhemundi and Cuttack

items like combs, pen stands, cigar pipes, decorative figures - horn articles

Tribal Combs

Of the sixty-two tribes inhabiting Orissa, 12-15 tribes know the art of comb making

ORISSA

ORISSA

Lacquer Work Lacquer is the refuse of an insect gathered by the tribals in the forests

Baleshwar and Nowrangpur

mix it with colours and apply it on small cane boxes made by tribals, and terracotta figures which they make themselves. After several coats of lacquer have sealed the core, the surface is decorated with motifs borrowed from nature, geometric patterns and religious symbols

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra pradesh

artisans Place/ location

Tools/ methodology

status comments

Handlooms Weavers make chirala textile

eluru Oil, yarn, handloom, wax clay.

reviving Also are woven dharamavaram silk sarees.

Kondapalli toys

Heriditary craftsman

Kondapali district

Sawdust tamarind seed powder, enamel gums, water colours

Declining Also called tella ponki

Leather puppets

Nimmmalakunta district

Leather (sheep and goats) paints

Declining Final products are usually mythological characters

Kalamkari Masulipantnam, mangalgiriand

Natural colours and dyes-like alam, cloth

Reviving

Nirmal painting

Adilabad Declining Scenes from Mahabarata and Ramayana

Ikat Weaving

Pochampalli, Gadwal, Kothakota, Narayanpet, Venkatagiri, Dharmavaram, Himroo

(each has its own distinct style)

Narsapur Lace

thin threads and woven with thin stainless steel crochet needles of varying sizes, the exquisite hand crocheted lace works

Lacquer craft Etikoppaka

Pembarthi Sheet Metal

Pembarthi village in Warangal District

Pearls HYDERABAD

Silver Filigree district of Karimnagar

BUDITHI Budithi village in Srikakulam district

creating beautiful shapes out of alloys

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Metal work (BIDRIWARE) known as BIDRI

Pembarthi Brass work Declining Flourished during kakatiya dynasty

Banjara needle craft

Banjara women

Lambani Embroidery Declining Done by tribes wanderers and nomads

Karnataka

Karnataka Artisans Place/location Tools/methodology Status Comments Wood carving

Craftsmen Mysore, srirangapattna, shimoga, kinhal

Inlay-work, painting and coating

Declining

Metal work Bidar, nagamangala, mangalore, udupi

Metal plates of zinc, copper, tin and lead

Declining

Needlework Tribal women

Embroidery Declining

Bihar

Bihar Artisans Place/location Tools/ methodology

Status

Comments

Madhubani paintings

Women of the village

Mithila Wall coatings, natural paints

Reviving Done on walls of mud houses

Bangle making

Mostly men

Muzaffarpur Lac, turnary Declining Cottage industry

Sikki craft

Sikki women folk

Sikki grass- riverside weed

Declining

Bhagalpur silk

Weavers Bhagalpur Silk, handloom Struggling 30,000 looms in Bhagalpur

Tamil nadu

Origin Details of artisans

Place/location Methodology /tools

status comments

Purpose

Uru boat making

endangered

Musical instruments

Thanjavur

Tamil Nadu

Gujarat

Origin Details of artisans

Place/location Methodology /tools

status comments Purpose

Tangaliya weave

Gandhinagar

languishing

Patola textiles

Patan Hand woven textile

Kathi Embroidery

Done by the women of Kathi community

Saurashtra black cloth embroidered in crimson, violet, golden, yellow and white with greens and blues.

Bandhini

Believed to have originated in the area 5000 years ago.

The Khatri clan, most artisans are Muslims.

Rann of Kutch, Jamnagar, Bhuj anjar and mandvi rajkot in Saurastra

Cotton, silk or wool, red oride(gheru)

Mashru weave

“Mashru” means permitted in Arabic. Muslims were not permitted to wear Silk, therby these shawls had silk finish on one side, whilst the Cotton finish was next to the skin of the wearer. Thus the MASHRU.

Kutch

A mixture of silk and cotton.

Gujarat

Assam

Assam Origin Details of artisans

Place/ location

Methodology /tools

status comments Purpose

Muga silk Women of Assam

Cachar district and Sualkuchi (Silk weaving centre)

Domestic weaving

Long enduring silk, improves with each wash.