The Best Crafts Of India - HANDMADE IN INDIA

Handicrafts & Artisans

India has a strong tradition of Arts & Crafts for centuries and is the largest employer in rural areas of the country after agriculture! India has 3000 crafts across 750 rural clusters and 10 M Rural Artisans !

India’s rich cultural heritage and centuries of evolutionary tradition is manifested by the huge variety of handicrafts made all over the country. Handicrafts are a mirror of the cultural identity of the ethnic people who make it. Through the ages, handicrafts made in India like the silk fabric, hand embroidered fabrics, hand woven carpets and floor mats, terracotta and ceramic pottery products have maintained their exclusiveness. These hand crafted items reflects the magnificent and diverse history of our land.

Handicraft is India’s Intellectual Property (IP) that’s existed for centuries. In ancient times, these handicrafts were exported to far off countries of Europe, Africa, West Asia and Far East via the ‘silk route’. These crafts carry the magnetic appeal of Indian culture that promises exclusivity, beauty, dignity and style!!

These arts and crafts are being revived in the contemporary context. The traditional designs, materials and products are being adapted to modern lifestyles and utilities, yet retaining their traditional ethos and eco-friendly processes.

In India, each region has generation-long skilled in specific crafts industries.

Folk Paintings –

Indian traditional folk paintings are veritably India’s pride. Various folk painting styles are prevalent across various regions of India, each representing traditions and customs passed on from one generation to other. Traditionally, most of the Indian painting styles existed as wall murals. With the progress of time, urban market demand brought these painting forms on paper, canvas, and cloth etc. Here is a list of some best Indian folk paintings

Name of Craft	Place of Origin	State
Madhubani painting	Mithila	Bihar
Gond Painting	Patangarh in Dindori district	Chattisgard
Cherial painting	Cherial, Warangal	Telangana
Bengal Patachitra	Nayagram, West Midnapur	West Bengal
Santal painting	Nayagram, West Midnapur	West Bengal
Odisha patachitra on silk	Raghurajpur, Puri	Odisha
Odisha patachitra on canvas	Raghurajpur, Puri	Odisha
Phad Painting	Bhilwara, Shahpura in Bhilwara district	Rajasthan
Warli of Maharashtra	Warli, Palghar	Maharashtra
Kalighat Painting	Nayagram, West Midnapur	West Bengal

Mask Making –

Historically, masks have defined us, defied us, and thoroughly beguiled us! Masks provide a window into the soul of a culture, and provide us with great conversation pieces for the home. Different masks of India are traditionally used in different dance forms, theatres, dance dramas for their expressive power. Sometimes masks are used in traditional ceremonies, rituals and festivals also. The mask has a wide range from the depiction of deities to demons, mythology and various tribal rituals. Here is a list of some best Indian masks

Cherial mask making	Cherial, Warangal	West Bengal
Bhaona Play mask making	Majuli Island	Assam
Chhau mask of West Bengal	Charida, Purulia	West Bengal
Dinajpur Gomira Wooden Mask	Dinajpur	West Bengal

Pottery –

From flower pots, wine chimes to the traditional suraahi and matki, different forms of pottery are practiced across India. Here is a list of some best pottery

Khavda Pottery of Kutch	Khavda, Kutch	Gujrat
Blue Pottery of Jaipur	Jaipur	Rajasthan
Black Pottery Longpii of Manipur	Longpi, Ukhrul	Manipur

‘Khavda’ pottery is an art form of North Kutch . It is an age old technique. The potter gets mud from a lake area near village. Blue Pottery craft of Jaipur is the only pottery in the world that does not use clay. Where as a major ingredient of Longpii pottery is hard serpentine rock which is mixed with a few other ingredients including clay to mould into pots, traditionally used for cooking. Longpii pottery is moulded by hand, no potters wheels is used.

Natural Fibre Mat Weaving Craft –

Many eco friendly floor mats / yoga mats are handwoven in the region of India where yoga has its origins. These are made of 100% natural sustainable materials and locally available natural fibre. These natural fibre sometimes are used in basketry craft also. Here is a list of some mat weaving crafts

Madurkathi Weaving of West Bengal	West Midnapur	West Bengal
Sikkigrass Bhadohi Craft of UP	Bhadohi	Uttar Pradesh
Patamadai craft of Tamilnadu	Pattamadai, Tirunelveli	Tamilnadu
Banana craft of Karnataka	Anegundi, Hampi & Chitradurga	Karnataka
Jute and cotton weaving craft of Karnataka	Belgaum	Karnataka
Yoga Mat Making with Organic Cotton	Pondichery	Tamilnadu
Water hyacinth craft of Assam	Morigaon district	Assam

Basketry Craft –

India has a rich legacy of using natural fibers for functional purposes. The climate of the country ensures there is a huge number of other wild grasses that can be artistically used. Rural India still largely utilizes items prepared from grass for everyday use while urban people use the same for decorative purposes. Rural artisans of India makes different types of boxes and baskets made of locally available natural fibers like wild grass etc. These baskets retain for a long time! These Here is a list of some basketry crafts

Sabaii Grass of West Bengal	Nayagram, West Midnapur	West Bengal
Sabaii Grass of Odisha	Mayurbhanj	Odisha
Kottan craft of Tamilnadu	Chettinad	Tamilnadu
Bamboo artisans of West Bengal	Kumar Hat, Pulsita, East Midnapur	West Bengal
Kauna basketery of Manipur	Imphal	Manipur
Golden grass of Odisha	Puri	Odisha
Golden grass of West Bengal	Jhargram	West Bengal
Bamboo artisans of Mizoram	Aizawl district	Mizorm
Ratan craft of Assam	Mizo Hills, Cachar, Mikir and North Cachar Hills, Nowgong and Lakhimpur districts.	Assam
Screwpine Craft	Thrissur	Kerala
Cane & Bamboo Craft of Kerala	Ernakulam	Kerala
Palm basket of Tamilnadu	Kanyakumari	Tamilnadu

Metal Craft –

Different forms of metal craft are also practiced across India. The legacy of the Tambat Craftspeople who handcraft Coppre’s products dates to the 17th century. A distinguishing feature of Tambat craft is beaten work. Dhokra is another metal craft which is a non–ferrous metal casting using the lost-wax casting technique. This sort of metal casting has been used in India for over 4,000 years and is still used. One of the earliest known lost wax artefacts is the dancing girl of Mohenjo-daro. Bidriware metal craft comes from the city of Bidar in Karnataka. Striking silver against a dark black, one that does not fade with time – these defining characteristics of Bidriware bear testimony to the fine craftsmanship involved in creating this metal inlay work. Here is a list of some best metal crafts

Chola Metal craft of Tamilnadu	Swamimalai	Tamilnadu
Dhokra Metal Craft of Odisha	Dhenkanal	Odisha
Tambat / Copper craft of Maharashtra	Pune	Maharashtra
Metalcraft of Moradabad	Moradabad	Uttar Pradesh
Bidri Craft of Karnataka	Bidar	Karnataka
Dhokra Metal Craft of West Bengal	Dariyapur, Bankura	West Bengal

Wood Craft –

Different forms of wood craft are also practiced across India. Channapatna wood products are made by artisans from Channapatna, near Bangalore in Karnataka. These handcrafted wooden crafts are made using traditional lacquer ware technique and are coloured using natural dyes. Here is a list of some traditional wood crafts of India

Channapatna craft of Karnataka	Channapatna, Ramanagara	Karnataka
Woodcraft of Bishnupur West Bengal	Bishnupur, Bankura	West Bengal
Woodcraft of Saharanpur	Saharanpur	Uttar Pradesh
Woodcraft of Sawantwadi	Sawantwadi	Maharashtra
Woodcraft of Moradabad	Moradabad	Uttar Pradesh
Ettikopakka craft of Andhra	Etikoppaka, Visakhapatnam	Andhra Pradesh

Games Craft –

Play is universal – discover new approaches to classic games – carved wood chess sets and board games! Chaduranga :: Panchi :: Pachisi :: Snakes & Ladders :: Navakankari All Indian Board Games that went global – morphing into Ludo, Monolpoly, Patchisi & Nine Men’s Morris! Some board games are made of wood and some are of rich Indian textiles. Here is a list of some traditional games making crafts of India

Chesscraft of Sahranpur	Saharanpur	Uttar Pradesh
Traditional Gamescraft from Karnataka	Mysuru	Karnataka

The sector has Enormous Economic Rejuvenation possibilities. Worldwide handicrafts market $40B :: India with its rich heritage – share 2%!!! Urban Consumers – don’t know the crafts story! Most artisans earn less than ₹10,000 per month! Artisans need Market Access and Assistance to access urban and global markets. Artisans need assistance in improving product designs and quality and easy access to markets – leveraging internet platforms, mobile technologies and cutting edge design and development around their products.

We at INDIC INSPIRATIONS, work towards bringing you products from the best artisans of India, who passionately create them! We endeavor to provide these products in the best traditions of artisanal masterpieces, yet adapted to contemporary lifestyles and sensibilities.

Our products represent artisans of more than 65 different crafts of the country – including some of the best traditions of Indian arts and crafts.