Where Art is Made

An emperor’s embellished silk robe grazes the ground as he glides in view of his awaiting subjects. A coterie of housewives from the farming community work away on a heavily embroidered cotton veil for the bride-to-be. In the zenana, the women of a royal family await the news of the day, cooling themselves with a fan of stitched fabric tied to a sculpted wooden handle.

The sheer diversity in the tradition of handicrafts in India make it nearly impossible to document every style of handicraft that exists. Passed down over generations, each craft preserves a set of customs and rituals in its nurturing. Embark on this grand journey of the North to witness artisanry that has evolved with care and toil. Travel from the Sikh city of Amritsar to the ancient spiritual centre of Varanasi and explore the arts of the plains in Lucknow and Agra. Towards the end, arrive in Jaipur to interact with communities fostering centuries-old traditions.

Starting from Delhi, travel to the northern fields of Amritsar, a city named after the sacred waters of the iconic Golden Temple. Lying on the erstwhile Silk Route, Amritsar possesses a rich history in the trade of handcrafted products. Its vibrant markets still flourish through the presence of local artisans, weavers from Kashmir and ironsmiths from neighbouring Pakistan, producing textiles that feature delicate flower motifs known as phulkari, iron-tipped bamboo staves called khunda and woollen carpets interlaced with cotton, known as galeecha.

Moving deeper into the Gangetic plains, explore the markets that inhabit the shadowed, winding lanes of Varanasi. Wooden toys, lac-coated in bright colours, metal items embossed with intricate designs and hand-knotted carpets lie arranged in a baffling, colourful array. In the homes, hidden behind its towering mosques and temples, weavers of the Ansari community work to the rhythm of a foot handloom to create intricately designed silk textiles.

Travelling westwards, arrive at Lucknow, the former capital of the empire of the Nawabs. The rulers promoted the use of delicately embroidered muslin garments, founding a longstanding tradition of chikankari textiles that survives to this day. In the old city market, the echoes of iron hitting leather resound in small workshops, producing thin, edible foils of silver known as varaq. Silver and gold embroidery, carved animal-bone items, and terracotta pottery continue to breathe life into the market’s crumbling interiors.

Further ahead, the city of Agra brims with handicrafts influenced by the Mughals, as well as the devotional worship of Krishna, the popular Hindu god. Pacchikari or pietra dura, an exquisite craft in semi-precious stones, is inspired from the work done at the Taj Mahal. Agra is home to traditional craftsmen, who have mastered this art of laying slivers of coloured stones against black and white marble, to produce fine floral motifs. A walk in its lanes also unveils the artisans skilled at marble carving, glasswork and a traditional art of depicting Krishna’s life through finely cut paper stencils.

In the end, travel to the lively city of Jaipur, whose markets and villages nearby reveal a world of traditional art and handicraft techniques. While the exquisite blue pottery, gemstone jewellery and the textile tradition of tie-resist dyeing stand out in the city, the town of Bagru is known for its block printing technique, where motifs traditionally inspired by flora and fauna, are used in making textiles for various purposes.