India is a paradise for art and craft lovers and a dream come true alike destination for photography enthusiasts who are looking forward to grabbing various tempting shots that can make one go shopaholic with just a single glance of it. In this write up we have rounded five major hotspot destinations from all over India that are captivating and famous for their age old traditional crafts reflecting the cultural ambiance of the place. Let’s get started to learn more in detail about these majestic places and crafts known for:
Banarasi Silk of Varanasi- Uttar Pradesh
Many of you must have heard about Varanasi being the most famous religious center among the community and since, it is a place where the oldest culture of the world is believed to be existing. Do not feel surprised when you come across more than one specialty of art and craft because the influence of neighboring cities and towns has played a significant role in making Varanasi a craft destination in North India and a important place in the golden triangle
tour with varanasi.
Inlay Art of Agra- Uttar Pradesh
Agra must be heard and well known to you for its everlasting beautiful Taj Mahal that draws people across the world for its dashing architecture adorned in white marble. But going into deeper details about the beauty of this monument you will find intricate and minutely carved floor spaces and walls that are decorated with inlay art. The inlay designs are carved within the marble stone in which the blank spaces are filled with precious and semi-precious stone using various colors.
Alongside the inlay art the delicate stone tracery which is called as Jaali Work is another craft piece that leaves its onlooker awe-struck in amaze. Looking at sequential patterns and symmetrical design, it is hard to believe that the work is done by human hands. Although this art was brought to India in the 17th century by Persians, with the passage of time the fineness and marvelous curved designs with astonishing finishing has made its own place in the best crafts of India.
These designs are now practiced by the generations of the artisans and they have perfected their art by bringing it to life through crafting pieces of stones into show pieces like lamps, vases, tea coasters, miniature pieces of Taj, birds, idols, elephants and many other delicate decorative pieces. delhi jaipur Agra Tour and Sunrise tour with Taj
Tie & Die of Bhuj- Gujarat
The dying of clothes in Gujarat is done in a different way that has acquired a name of its own in the niche of tie n die art of Gujarat. This process starts with dyeing a piece of cloth in one single color and then a piece of grain is tied using a thread sequentially in a fashion and the entire piece is again dyed in another color.
After proper drying of the cloth, the thread is loose and a marvelous piece comes in front of eyes. The place where the thread was tied helps in keeping the original color of the cloth and when it is opened up, a design of dotted figures flashes that looks brilliant. And of course the process itself has brought this name to the art which in local language is called Bandhani Work.
This work is quite famous in Gujarat as well as Rajasthan as generations of artists and their families are engaged in creating new pieces for clothing as well as home decorating pieces. Idea of knowing this art better by yourself can come true with tours starting with Gujarat.
Warli Paintings from Maharashtra
The most interesting part about this piece of art is that it is believed to be some 5000 years old! That means it belongs to the time when man used to live in caves and very basic development of life were carved on the walls of the caves where human used to shelter. This art keeps on going when humans start making other places as their place of dwelling and from that time on this art is said to be prevalent. Golden triangle tour with mumbai is a great idea to pull over the fun of exploring this craft.
Presence of flowers, leaves, dancing, group gatherings and human figures are drawn using basic geometric designs like square, triangle and circle. Drawing figures using white ink made from mixing rice flour and water added with gum for adhesive on red ochre made from earth or red brick.
Blue Pottery of Jaipur- Rajasthan
This art is not just any art that can be found in any other part of the country as it has acquired GI status. Travelling from Persia that art first came to Delhi and then was patronized by artists of Jaipur under leadership of Maharaja Ram Singh II who invested great efforts to promote and secure this art in this region. His efforts were carried out by Maharani Gaytri Devi of Jaipur who was also a great promoter of art and extended hers support to artisans and their families to preserve this art and keep it alive with royal rajasthan tour.
As of today, Blue Pottery from Jaipur is highly demanded worldwide which is available in pottery, vase, coasters, dinner sets, door knobs, bowls, planters and many other mind blowing home decorating ideas.
Concluding the craft greatness with this small list is difficult but stay tuned from our upcoming write up wherein we will cover some other destinations too explaining in details about the sociality of the craft.