Handloom and Handicraft

  Telia Rumal is a handcrafted product which originated in Andhra Pradesh back to the early 19 th Century. Telia Rumal means ‘Oily handkerchief’.Telia Rumal is made by the double ikat weaving process. Telia Rumal is currently practiced in several villages of Nalgonda district of Telangana which traditionally used to do at Chirala, Andhra Pradesh. The word Ikat means to bind or knot, as the yarn that goes into the weave is tied and dyed before being woven. In single Ikat fabrics, either warp or weft is tie-dyed and woven with the other thread (weft or warp) of solid color. In double Ikat, both warp and weft are tie-dyed according to a pre-determined pattern and then woven to create a design on the fabric.   This craft involved a detailed process in which the warp and the weft are tied and dyed according to a predetermined design. The yarn is dipped into an oily solution before the weaving. This oil property of Rumal makes it distinct from the Pochampally ikat sari and ...

 India is home to a different kinds of Durries where each region has its own style and designs. Durries are made manually by skilled artisans in their own traditional styles on the loom. Navalgund Durries are also woven Durrie in the Dharwad district of Karnataka. Navalgund Durries are also known as “Jamkhanas” in the local Kannada Language meaning floor mats which are used as floor coverings for decorations. Navalgund Durrie is a woven floor covering made of twisted cotton yarn that is used on certain occasions like weddings, personal ceremonies, religious gatherings, etc. Navalgund Durrie is made out of cotton which is known for its excellence in quality of its structure, originality of colors and form. This craft was initiated by Ali Adil Shah of Bijapur, Karnataka. In the 16th century, during a battle between Deccan Sultanate and Vijayanagar Empire, Artisans migrated from Bijapur to the Navalgund of Karnataka. Navalgund means Peacock in Kannada as this place was famous for this...

Chanderi sarees are traditional, fine and luxurious looking sarees from Madhya Pradesh. The name of saree is named after the town called Chanderi where it is produced which is a town in Ashok Nagar district of Madhya Pradesh. This town has 30,000 populations, in which around 3500 looms are actively working and 60% of this population is directly or indirectly dependent on the Chanderi handloom business. Artisans have carried out this traditional culture for centuries. Chanderi cluster is best known among all clusters in India for its handmade sarees made from silk and cotton with Zari woven work. It is said that the name of Chanderi sarees is also mentioned in the Mahabharata. It is believed that in the 13th or 14th Century a large number of people migrated from the Lakhnauti region in Bengal to Chanderi following the Sufi saint Hazrat Wajihuddin. These migrated started weaving Chanderi fabrics. Emperor Akbar and Maharani of Baroda, Maratha rulers have also praised this fabric and used ...

Tangaliya weaving is practiced in the Surendranagar district of Gujarat. It is a unique art with dotted splendor and is also known as Daana weaving. The name Tangaliya is derived from the word Tang (leg) means a lower part of the body as Tangaliya was traditionally draped around the waist. This indigenous craft has a history of around 700 years rooted in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. The Dangasia (Shepherd) community of this region has knowledge of the Tangaliya weaving technique. Weaving used to carry out in 26 villages by this community. The distinctiveness of this weaving is twisting extra weft while weaving created on both sides of the fabric which creates beautiful dotted geometrical patterns and forms. As artisans say Tangaliya originated with the love story of a young boy from the Shepherd community and a girl from the weaving community. The boy fell in love with a girl from the weaver community and married her but displeased his family and they didn’t welcome this couple. T...

  Toda embroidery is a distinct style of embroidery of Toda tribal community of Nilgiri district in Tamil Nadu. It is locally known as ‘Pugur’, which means flower.  The embroidery is so fine that fabric looks like woven cloth. Both sides of the embroidered fabric are usable. Tribe forwards this unique style of embroidery from generation to generation. Toda people are proud of this unique heritage. Toda embroidery is part of their daily life as they wear thick traditional garments with hand embroidery. More than 300 Toda women are dependent on this profession. They are very expert in embroidery on the surface of plain cotton material. The local term for the embroidery work used by artisans are ‘kuty’ or ‘awtty’ meaning stitching and ‘kutyvoy’ means the embroidered piece. The embroidered shawl is called “Puthukuli” in local terms. Young Toda girls learn this craft by observing the works done by the elders of the community. As a custom of the community , dead body is alway...

  Kashmir is a heaven in the world not only for its natural beauty in the form of lakes, valley and meadows, etc. but also for the handicraft prepared by Kashmiri Artisans. Among all handicrafts, Pashmina shawl is one of the prominent handicrafts in India. Pashmina, the name comes from the Persian word Pashm which means “Wool” and the meaning of Pashmina is “Made from Wool”.  It is known for its fineness, warmth and softness in fashion. Pashmina shawls are developed by hand spinning and hand weaving to give them long life which may go up to 25 years. Pashmina shawl has also received Geographic Indication in India.       The Pashmina wool comes from different breeds of Cashmere goat; such as the changthangi or pashmina goat from the Changthang Plateau in Ladakh region, malra from the Kargil area in the Ladakh region, the chegu from Himachal Pradesh in the Himalayas of northern India, and the chyangara or Nepalese pashmina goat from Nepal.  Cashmere ...

  Phulkari is an ancient and most famous tradition of Punjab. In the word Phulkari, “Phul” means “flower” and “Kari” means “work” which means ‘Flower work’. Phulkari is the art of stitching or embroidery on textiles. Phulkari was also known as “Gulkari” in Punjab. Designs of Flowers and colors are crafted in various geometrical patterns together to form up the beautiful art of ‘Phulkari’. Wearing a “Phulkari” adds delicacy, grace and simplicity to their heavy build personality. This instinct work is traditionally passed down from mother to daughter and the bride to a new village. The origin of Phulkari has not been traced as some say the traditional embroidery was brought to the lands of Punjab through the lands of Persia. In another story, Phulkari has been mentioned in the famous story of Heer Ranjha in the 15th century, during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s Reign. In the recent era, Phulkari can be found in the Swat valley in the North, through the areas of Hazaras, Rawalpindi, Jhelum,...