Indian Handicrafts

Glassware

• No indication of glass beads in Harappan civilization.

• First evidence found in the PGW culture of Ganges valley (c. 1000 BC).

• There is evidence of a glass industry in Brahmapuri and Kolhapur in Maharashtra. References of spectacles in the Sanskrit text vyasoyogacharitha also can be found.

• During medieval period, Mughals gave patronage to glassware and used it in monuments like the Sheesh Mahal.

Sheesh Mahal

Handicrafts on Cloth

• Various types of handicraft techinques

1. Bandhani – ancient tie and dye technique, still used in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

2. Laharia – Jaipur and Jodhpur

3. Ikat – ‘resist dying’ method. Used in Odisha and A.P.

4. Batik Art –Saris in M.P. and West bengal.

5. Jamdani – weaves muslin with opaque patterns on a transparent background.

Bandhani – Indian Tie and dye

Ivory Crafting

• Ivory and its objects were exported from India during Harappan period.

• Remains of an ivory comb has been found in Taxila.

• Traditional centres are Delhi, Jaipur and parts of West Bengal.

Terracotta

• Ceramic clay that has been semi-fired. Means baked earth.

• Bankura horse and Panchmura horse, along with terracotta temples in Bankura district of West Bengal, are the best specimens.

Clay and Pottery Work

• Earliest evidence of pottery has been found in the neolithic site of Mehrgarh in present day Pakistan.

• Most famous pottery period was the Painted Grey Ware (PGW) of the vedic period.

• We find remnants of roulette pottery in the southern parts of India.

• Gupta period saw decorative techniques and glazed pottery. PGW

Bronze and Metal Crafts

• Earliest non ferrous metal used by man were copper and tin. They were also combined to get bronze.

• Harappan Dancing girl (3500-3000 BCE) is the oldest bronze work in India.

• Science of casting bronze and metal purity can be found in ‘Matasya Purana’ and Nagarjuna’s Ras Ratnakar.

• ’Marodi’ is a famous work of Rajasthan, which uses metal to create etchings and filling the gaps with resin.

Marodi Works

Leather

• The art is known to have existed from 3000 BCE.

• The most popular animals for the skinning became camels.

• Currently, the biggest market for leather is in Rajasthan.

• Kanpur in UP and Maharashtra (Kolhapuri chappals) are also famous leather centers.

Rajasthan leather market

Wooden Work

• Kashmir is the largest and oldest centres for making wooden furniture since 13th century. They use walnut and deodar wood extensively.

• Karnataka- sandal wood

• Andhra Pradesh – Red Sandalwood (Rakthachandan)

• Kerala – Teakwood

• Nagaland – Kumisyng

• Rajasthan - Rohida

Walnut carving in Jammu and Kashmir

Toys

• First evidence of toy carts were found in the Harappan civilization, whose major toy sites were Alamgirpur, Ambkheri, Kalibangan, and Lothal.

• Rajasthan – dolls and stuffed toys.

• Assam – dolls made of pith or Indian Cork.

• Mysore and Chennapatna – special toys made of lacquered wood

• Andhra Pradesh – local soft wood ponki is used to make Ambari hathi.

A toy from Channapatna

Stoneware

• One of the most popular arts in India.

• Mauryan period, rock-cut Ajanta and Ellora, Khajuraho, Sanchi and Bharhut stupas.

• Mughals used marble stonework and sandstones extensively. Taj Mahal and Itmad-ud-Daulah’s tomb.

• Rajasthan produces the ‘sang-e-marmar’ or white makrana marble.

• Jhansi produces a dark brown stone called ‘Sang-e-Rathak’

Itmad-ud-Daulah’s Tomb

Embroidery

• The art of working raised designs using threads or wooden blocks.

• Applique/Pipli – Odisha and Gujarat

• Pichwai – Rajasthan

• Shamilami – Manipur

• Rabari – Kutch

• Phool patti ka kaam – Aligarh

• Kashida – Kashmir

• Phulkari – Punjab, Haryana and Delhi

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