Features of Indian Crafts:

Traditional Craftsmanship Skill with materials &

manual dexterity in manipulating tools
Total operation involves Emotions, mind, body and
vibrant rhythm for the coordination of crafts

Preserve certain values indispensable to mankind

Dignity + creativity symbolizes link with the past

Most splendid expressions of life in India Hand spun & hand-loomed cloth worn by
men, women and children

Applique, embroidery and dyeing techniques

enhance the cloth and woven textiles :silk, cotton
woolen fabrics flourished in India

Contemporary India household shrines

handicrafted with metal, stone or clay are
fashioned by local craftsmen and artisans

These living traditions are visible in the unsurpassed beauty of Indian handicrafts.

Endowed with a highly developed sense of clay, wood,

stone, ivory and textile traditions exist within the Indian
craftsmen

Indian Crafts Textiles:

Muslin also known as Malmal known for delicacy and

fineness
Best Kings Muslin (Malmai Khas) >> Ab-i-rawan :
Running water and Shabnam(dew)

Chief centre of production Dhaka

PATOLA Silk or wedding saree of Gujarat and

Maharashtra design appear on both side of the
material

2 principle styles
1.Cambay Pattern with white flowers on dark
green stems
2.Pattan Pattern with broader strips of field
picture, series of elephants, flowering shrubs,
human figures and birds

or

BROCADE Represent large group of textiles in which designs are produced by the use of
WARP and WEFT threads

Pure silk Amru

Gold thread Kimkhab: famous varnasi

Represents most generous and ornamental

fabric of India

Tanchoi Brocades named after 3 brothers who

learnt from China and practiced in Surat.

Base of this fabric Satin woven in floral and bird motifs

Brocade generic term used for any textile that is richly figured, especially for those
with a pattern in gold or silver

Pattern extra weft threads of different coloured silk or zari, metallic threads are
woven into the basic fabric

Patternic technique kadwa

Special type brocade gyasar: secular use in Buddhist areas like Bhutan and Ladakh

SAREEClassical Indian garment remained in fashion over 2000 yrs

Evolved in distinct weaving patterns
Motives reflect nature, everyday life and weavers creativity and his aesthetic
sensibilities

Types of Sarees

Places Famous for it

1. Paithani
2. Tanchoi silk

Paithan (Maharashtra)
Varnasi

3. Pochampalli

Hyderabad

4. Chanderi

5. Muga silk

6. Sambalpuri
7. Jamdani
8. Baluchari

Chanderi (MP)
Sualkuchi (Assam)
Sambalpur
Bengal and UP

TIE & DIE (Bandhani)

Murshidabad (W.Bengal)

Chief centres of production Rajasthan and Gujarat

Rich patterns are outlined by small dots of different colours

Designs of dancing women and animal forms are produced by knot dyeing process
still fashion in countryside

Hunting scenes, female performing Garbha, plenty of floral and bird designs are in
the intervening spaces and borders

KALAMKARI

Painted & printed textiles of AP

Kalamkari came from brush like instrument
Kalam: used in medieval period to draw
on fabric with natural colour.

like
pattern

The clothes from the former school were

influenced by Persian painting and the tenets
and Kalahasthi school reproduced scenes
Hindu mythology

of Islam
from

The art of Kalamkari belongs to 2 distinct schools Masulipatnam (muslim rulers) &
Srikalahasthi (Hindu temples)

APA TANI WEAVES:

Apa Tani tribe lower Subansiri dt of Arunachal

Pradesh
Home Ziro in Apa Tani plateau located in North of
Itanagar

Women weaving and one or two portable loin loom

Traditional colours Red, Green and Yellow obtained

from leaves, roots, creepers and the barks of trees

Cloth use of broad stripes alternating with narrow

ones

Other geometric patterns extra weft technique

BLOCK PRINTING:

Best known Palampore and Machilipatnam bed

covers: decoration incomparable
Typical design Tree of Life

Baademeri Print

Manifestation of Rajasthani folk art on textiles

Recognized by their motifs, boldness of designs and stark colours

Chief centre of production Sindh: Hindus of Badmer are engaged in this art