Indian Handicrafts Introduction

INDIAN HANDICRAFTS
Introduction
• Handicrafts are an amalgamation of all things that can built or crafted
using hands.
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• Our country is gifted with a rich range of beautiful handicrafts. Almost every
state of the country has its unique handicrafts.
• These s.
communities.
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products are a part and parcel of the culture of the concerned
• Passed
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on from generation to generation, these handicrafts have the
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potential of sustaining the artisans economically.
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Glassware
• The first reference to glass making was found in the Indian epic,
Mahabharata.
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• However, material evidence does not give any indication of glass beads
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in the early Harappan civilisation.
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• The first material evidence is found in the form of beautiful glass beads
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from the Painted Grey Ware culture of the Ganges Valley (c. 1000 BC).
was kanch or kaca.

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• In the Vedic text called Satapatha Brahmana, the term used for glass
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• We have found archaeological evidences of a glass industry in
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Brahmapuri and Kolhapur in Maharashtra, which was operational
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between 2 B.C.-2 A.D. and produced specialised glassware, called
• It seems that the glass industry had made a foray in optical lenses as
we find references of spectacles in the Sanskrit text, Vyasayogacharita.
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Glass beads
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Churikajodas Firozabad glass bangles
• In the southern part of India, we have found archaeological evidence of glass at
Maski, which is a Chalcolithic site in Deccan.
• Other sites that have yielded evidences of glass are Ahar (Rajasthan), Hastinapur
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and Ahichchatra (Uttar Pradesh), Eran and Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), etc.
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During the medieval period, the Mughals gave patronage to the art of glassware
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and utilised it as decoration in their monuments like the Sheesh Mahal. Other
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glass items that were famously manufactured for Mughals were glass hukkas,
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perfume boxes or ittardans and engraved glasses.
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• Currently, the glass industry has many facets but the most famous one is of glass
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bangles. The most exquisite ones are made in Hyderabad and are called
‘Churikajodas’.
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• Apart from this, Firozabad is famous for glass chandeliers and other decorative
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pieces. Another centre for glass in Uttar Pradesh is the city of Saharanpur that
produces ‘panchkora’ or glass toys for children.
called ‘Tikuli’. @
• Similarly, Patna, Bihar also produces a peculiar kind of decorative glass beads
• This craft has been almost lost in the corridors of industrialisation. However, it is
still worn by the santhal tribes of Bihar.
Handicrafts on Cloth
• There are various types of handicraft techniques that are used on cloth
like weaving and printing.
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• The artists use wooden blocks or printed cloths to make patterns on
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other materials. The technique of tie and dye gives beautiful designs on
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fabrics and there are different techniques in India.
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• It is popular in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu also. It is also called
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resist dyeing process where the portions tied do not take on the colour
in which the fabric is dipped.
the fabric.
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• Making a series of knots, it is dipped in the colour and the artists design
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• A special kind of tie and dye that leads to ripples or wave like
patterns in the fabric is called Laharia.
• This is usually made in Jaipur and Jodhpur. Another kind of tie and
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dye is called ‘Ikat’, which is also called the ‘resist dyeing’ method.
the cloth is woven.

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• In this method the resist dying on yarn is repeatedly applied before
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• The major centres for this work are Telangana, Odisha, Gujarat and
Andhra Pradesh.
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• Other processes from the ancient period that are still being used
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are Kalamkari, which utilise the art of hand painting on fabrics using
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vegetable dyes of the deep colours.
• It is commonly practiced in Andhra Pradesh. Another beautiful
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technique of fabric decoration is called Batik Art, in which one end
of the fabric is permeated with molten wax and then dyed in cold to
produced batik saris and dupattas that are multicoloured. Batik art
is famous in Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal.
Traditional Regional Sarees of India
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Ivory Crafting
• The practice of ivory carving has been prevalent in India since the
Vedic period where it was referred to as ‘danta’ probably as a signifier
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to the elephant’s tusk, which was the source of ivory.
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Recent excavations have shown that during the Harappan period,
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ivory and objects made of ivory like ivory dice, etc. were exported from
India to Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and parts of Persian Gulf.
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• We find an inscription from Sanchi that dates back to 2 BCE. It
mentions the guild of ivory workers hailing from Vidisa and carved
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sculptures in the Sanchi Stupa.
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• Apart from these literary references, we have found archaeological
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remains of an ivory comb from Taxila, which shows that ivory, was in
vogue even in 2 A.D. We find many ivory artifacts from the Mughal
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period that used it for combs, dagger’s handles and in other ornaments.
• The traditional centres for the carving of ivory are Delhi, Jaipur and
parts of West Bengal. They have produced beautiful objects of art,
caskets, palanquin and the famous Ambari Hathi. Other specialist areas
are:
Kerela: Well known for painting on ivory.
Jodhpur: Bangles made of Ivory.
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Jaipur: Famous for its ivory jali work used in homes and small
art objects.
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Terracotta Crafts
• Terracotta literally means ‘Baked earth’ and is a type of ceramic clay
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that has been semi-fired. This process makes it waterproof and hard,
which makes it perfect for use in sculpting and architectural edifices. It
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has also been extensively used to make pottery and bricks.
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• One of the best specimens of terracotta craftsmanship is Bankura
Horse, the Panchmura Horse and the Terracotta temples situated in
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the Bankura district in the State of West Bengal. From the ancient Pala
period, the Buddhist viharas are the best specimen of terracotta art in
India.
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Silver Jewellery
• One of the most famous techniques used by Silver jewellery artists is
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called Filigree work. Odisha is also well known for its silver anklets
called painri and paijam. They have uniquely knitted ornaments
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made of silver called gunchi.
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• The Bidri work done in the Bidri village of Karnataka is also very
famous for its beauty. It uses silver to create inlay work against dark
shining silver work.

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backgrounds. This creates an elusive and stark contrast for the
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Filigree
Clay & Pottery Work
• Pottery has been known as the ‘Lyric of handicrafts’ as it is molded like a poetic
composition and has a sensual appeal to the senses.
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• Making objects out of clay has been one of the earliest crafts begun by man. The
earliest evidence has been found in the Neolithic site of Mehrgarh, now situated in
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Pakistan.
BC.
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• The remnants show that the art of clay pottery making was highly developed in 6000
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• The most famous pottery from the ancient period is the Painted Grey Ware pottery,
which is typically grey in colour and was related to Vedic period (1500-600 BC).
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• In some parts of the country, we find evidences of red and black pottery that has been
dated from 1500- 300 BC.
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• These were found in large parts of West Bengal. Another type of ancient pottery was
the Northern Black Polished Ware, which was made in two phases: first in 700-400
BC and next during 400-100 BC.
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• These phases partially coincided with the Mauryan
period. Furthermore, in the southern parts of India,
we find remnants of ‘Roulette Pottery’ that can be
dated to 200-100 BCE. Most of the evidences have
been found from Arikamedu near Puducherry.
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Khurja Pottery
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Black Pottery Glazed Tiles
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Blue Pottery Kagzi Pottery Pokhran Pottery
Bronze Crafts
• In ancient India, metals were used for spears and arrows more
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than they were used for art. Yet, metal casting has been useful
for craftsmanship for more than 5000 years. One of the oldest
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art form is of bronze work as evinced by the bronze statue of a
Dancing Girl from Mohenjodaro, which has been dated around
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3500-3000 BCE.
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• We know that the earliest non-ferrous metals used by man
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were copper and tin and these two were mixed to form Bronze.
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The earliest literary evidence about different methods of
casting bronze can be found in the Matasya Purana. Later
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texts like Nagarjuna’s Rasa Ratnakar also mentioned about
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metal purity and distillation of zinc.
• Amongst the bronze craft producing areas, Uttar Pradesh
takes precedence as it has major centres like Etawah, Sitapur,
Varanasi and Moradabad.
• They produce decorative items like flower pots, images of Gods and
Goddesses. They are also famous for producing ritual objects like
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tamrapatra, kanchantal and panchpatra.
• Another major centre is Tamil Nadu, which focuses on producing
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beautiful ancient statutes resembling the art forms from Pallava, Chola,
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Pandyan and Nayaka period. Important centres of Brass work are:
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Dokra Casting
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Pembarthi craft
Crafts from Metals
• There are various types of metal casting that can be achieved in iron, copper,
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bell metal, etc.
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• Creating ornamentation on metal using techniques like engraving, embossing
and damascening makes these crafts unique.
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• One of the most famous techniques is the Marori work of Rajasthan, which uses
metal to create etchings on the base metal and filling the gaps with resin.
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• Most of the major crafts use techniques like embossing or repousse that creates
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a raised design in relief.
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• Other crafts use the technique of engraving, which is created by scratching and
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cutting lines into the other metal.
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• Most of the metal work is used for making pots and pans like the badla, which
zinc.
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are semi-circular or rounded pots made in Marwar region of Rajasthan by using
• Other major work on metal is done in Moradabad who perfects the technique of
Baarik Kaam or delicate work.
• They use the Nakasshi style or the engraving style to create pots.
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• Another amazing technique is of using fine
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copper or brass wires to create patterns in
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finely chiseled grooves in the metallic base.
• This technique is called Tarkashi (Rajasthan).
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• Rajasthani artists have also perfected the
technique of Koftagiri or damascening that
involves inlaying a light metal on a dark side.
• Artists in Jaipur and Alwar usually make it.
Leather Products
• The art of leather tanning is known to have existed since 3000 BCE.
Although the first few animals whose skins were tanned were tigers
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and deers, the most popular animal for the skinning became camels.
• It is said that in the ancient period, the rishis or the wise men dwelling
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in the forest used animal skins as mats.
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• Even though leather was used in the Mughal period, the degenerative
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nature of leather makes it difficult for us to find material evidence for it.
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• Currently, leather is mostly used to make footwear, bags and wallets.
• The biggest market of leather is in Rajasthan where camel leather is
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used to make bags of various shapes and sizes.
• Apart from these, Jaipur and Jodhpur are famous for Mojadis, which
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are specific types of leather footwear.
• Another major centre in Uttar Pradesh is Kanpur whose economy is
sustained to a large level by leather and tanned products. Maharashtra
is also famous for its kolhapuri chappals.
• Apart from these, Chennai and Kolkata are also major
centres for leather bags and footwear. Punjabi juttis are
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also famous as they used applique technique on the
footwear that makes them very beautiful.
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• Another major technique of art on leather is practiced in
articles with camel skin.
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Bikaner called Manoti Art, which involves decorating
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Wooden Work
• India has a large forest cover and wood is one the major products derived
from these resources. One of the biggest commodities made from the
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wood is the furniture. We find different kind of exquisitely carved
woodwork furniture in sheesham wood, pinewood, etc.
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• One of the largest centres for making wooden furniture is Kashmir where
this art form has flourished since 13th century. They use walnut and
deodar wood extensively.
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• Kashmiri artists are also adept at making wooden houses, houseboats,
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etc owing to the cold and wet climate that is prevalent there. Some of the
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most exquisite woodwork are the Kashmiri lattice work such as acche-
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dar, khatamband and azlipinjra.
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• Another major centre is Gujarat where wooden latticework is used on the
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windows and wooden doors. Moreover, most of the hilly areas that have
access to abundant wood, excel at carving techniques. For example, in
Himachal Pradesh, towns like Brahmour and Chatrahi, excel at
woodcarving techniques used in temples like the naghbel, kutheriphool,
jali and dori. Other major centres for woodwork are:
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khatamband
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Pandora Woods
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INDIAN HANDICRAFTS

was kanch or kaca.

the cloth is woven.

shining silver work.

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