Art and craft of india

India is a country overflowing with various indigenous forms of Arts and Crafts. Each
region in India boasts of rich handicrafts and handloom items, exclusive just to that
place. A myriad of colours blended together forming hues of vivacious vibrance are
created by the artisans born with the special skills.

In these craft villages their art form becomes the primary source of income for the
indigenous people. Remotely located, away from the bustling city life these artisans
create magic weaving the threads, that people in cities like to wear and flaunt. So,
today lets discover the origin of alchemy of these artisans who help us get our bling.
Kanchipuram

The weavers of Kanchipuram are the proud producer of the worlds finest silk. The
Kanchipuram or the Kanjivaram sarees are considered to be the best quality sarees that
anyone can ever have. It is treated like a diamond solitaire in their jewellery box, by
women across India.
Kanchipuram is a city located in Tamil Nadu, where the indigenous people are mostly
involved in the saree weaving industry or agriculture. It is the traditional centre of silk
weaving and handloom industries for producing Kanchipuram sarees. The industry is
worth INR 100 crore (USD 18.18 million), however quite typically, the weaving
community is not spared of poverty. This is mostly due to the poor marketing
techniques and duplicate players in the market. The price of a single Kanchipuram
Saree could be anywhere between INR 2,500 (USD 46) to INR 1,00,000 (USD 1,800).
The prices are more depending upon the intricacy of design, pattern, colours, material
that is used like zari, gold thread etc.
Kanjivaram sarees, in the year 2005 became the first Indian product to have received
the Geographical Indication tag. The weaving industry of Kanchipuram dates back to
the reign of Raja Chola I, who invited weavers to migrate to Kanchi. The craftsmanship
increased when a mass of weavers from Andhra Pradesh migrated during the
Vijayanagara rule.

Come and visit Kanchipuram, the historic city of skilled artisans and numerous ancient
temples. Here you can see for yourself the weavers working on their looms, the
frequently changing colours, the threads pulled together to create the lustrous fabric
known as Kanjivaram Sarees.
Varanasi

At Varanasi the world famous Banarasi sarees are woven. Defining pure elegance,
Banarasi Sari is a must in an Indian woman's wardrobe. Banarasi sarees are historically

considered to be amongst the best quality sarees in India. They are an inevitable part
of a brides trousseau and adds a spark in the eyes of onlookers.
Nestled on the banks of Ganges, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the weavers of Benares
has adopted this skill to weave these striking fabrics. Their unique features are inspired
by the imperial Mughal designs that includes intricate intertwining of floral and foliate
motifs, kalga and bel, a string of upright leaves called jhallar on the outer edge of
border etc. Apart from that the other distinctive features are their heavy gold work,
figures with small details, compact weaving, metallic visual effects, jal (a net like
pattern), pallus and classic mina work.

However, lately the Banarasi Silk handloom industry has been incurring major losses
due to the cut throat competition from mechanised units that produces the Banarasi silk
sarees at comparatively much faster rate and at much cheaper rate. Another source of
competition has been the sarees made of cheaper synthetic alternatives to silk.

In the year 2009, after a long wait, the weaver associations in Uttar Pradesh finally
obtained the Geographical Indication (GI) rights for the Banaras Brocades and
Sarees. The GI helped them prevent their copyrights to their designs as intellectual
property. This finally discouraged the production of the cheap imitations.
So, on your visit to Varanasi make sure to once come by, and see the weavers dripping
their sweat to create magic through their looms.
Sualkuchi

Sualkuchi is the textile center of Assam. Situated on the north bank of the river
Brahmaputra, this little town is located about 35 km from Guwahati. There are a large
number of cottage handloom industries in Sualkuchi. The historic expertise of the
weavers of this small town includes producing of Assam Silk. Assam Silk implies the
three major types of indigenous wild silk that includes Muga (which is golden in
colour), Pat (that is white) and warm Eri.
Muga silk is produced from a typical silkworm, Antheraea assamensis that is endemic to
Assam. The silk produced from this moth is renowned for its lustrous fine texture and
durability. It is naturally golden in colour and the clothes weaved out of the silk is
extremely gorgeous. Pat silk is a product of Bombyx textor silkworm. It is usually
brilliant white or off-white in colour and has an unusual shine to it. Eri is a unique kind
of silk made in Assam that has a soft and warm texture. It is made out of (Samia
cynthia ricini) a wild butterfly which feed on leaves of Castor oil plant. It is also known
as Endi or Errandi silk. The manufacturing process of Eri lets the pupae to grow into
adults and only the open ended cocoons are used for making into silk, which is why it is
also popularly known as non-violent silk. Eri is mostly used to make shawls and quilts.

Traditionally, the Pat and Muga silk are used to weave the Assamese dress Mekhela
Sador, but due to the growing demand to commercialize the fabric, now sarees are
also made out of pat and muga. The golden luster and the pale white shine of the fabric
comes naturally in the fabric for which it has gained slow but immense popularity.
The clothes are entirely hand woven in the cottage industries here at Sualkuchi. So, the
next time you visit Guwahati, take a trip down to this little town where you will see the
indigenous people busy producing clothes that you later see at the big showrooms of
the city.
Changthang region

The Changthang region falls in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in Ladakh. There a
small community of people known as the Changpa tribe are the traditional producers of
the world famous pashmina wool. They are a semi-nomadic ethnic group that are found
mostly in the Zanskar valley of Ladakh.
We always knew that the production of pashmina takes place in Jammu and Kashmir,
however, we may have been unaware of the fact that this small tribe in Zanskar valley
are the original producers of this renowned fabric.

Pashmina is a type of cashmere wool that is made out of the fur of a special breed of
sheep that is indigenous to the high altitudes of Himalayas, known as Pashmina sheep

or Changthangi. The Changpa tribe lives in these harsh climes and lead a nomadic life
to produce Pashmina wool for the world.

There is no end to the list of places where art and craft, is the only source of income of
the local people of the region. These artisans are historically skilled to produce a certain
kind of material that turns into the identity of the place. Be it the production of silk,
pottery or any other artistry the regional people of India has gained exclusive expertise
in creating a magic of their own.
-- Read more: https://www.ixigo.com/which-are-the-famous-arts-and-craft-villages-in-india-fq-2008475