Types of Indian Handicrafts
India in rich in its culture and history. Indian Handicrafts were important part of life earlier and they are considered even more important now as a large group of people are involved in making such beautiful art and crafts. Handicrafts are integral part of life for an Indian as these are the main source of income for many communities. Unlike many other western countries where crafts are considered as Luxury items.
Classification of Indian Handicrafts:
- Religious Craft
- Folk Craft
- Commercial Craft
Religious Craft are the crafts which are used and are connected to various religions in India and are used in various religious practices for example Puri in Odisha, a Hindu pilgrim centre is using crafts like Patacharita which is a painting of Gods on cloth with stone carvings.
Folk Craft is a type of artistic works which is done by a specific community people. It is basically created for their personal use. A good example of folk craft in India is Folk embroideries done by women of villages. There are various craftsmen who are specialized in jewellery or textiles work, for the folk work generally a criteria is pre-decided by particular group of people. Various communities in India have their own folk craft.
Commercial Craft is a type of craft which in generally done by a large group of people who are master in particular craft. These are basically done for business and are made in large numbers. Example of commercial crafts are Silk sarees of Assam, Phulkari work of Punjab, Chikankari of Lucknow and many more.
There are many type of themes on which handicrafts can be seen in India like:
- Needle Work
- Tribal Work
- Festival Work
- Fashion Crafts
Needle Work: In India needle work has great role as it is used in various textile and stitching art. The craft in which needle work is included has various lovely names due to its stunning designs.
- Phulkari: It is associated with Punjab; Phulkari means flower craft or bhagh, which implies garden. It is a type craft in which the whole surface is decorated by continual connected style with the help of stitching; Phulkari is simple and decorated shawls, head scarfs and dupatta.
- Mirror Embroidery: It is a form of embroidery in which little pieces of mirror are stitched to fabric; it is famous in dry desert and sunny areas of India like Gujarat, Rajasthan and Haryana. Mirror work is done of bags, wall hangings and cloths, generally mirrors are used as eyes or birds and the center of flowers.
- Chikankari: It is a form of embroidery from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. It is very famous world-wide for its intricate hand embroidery done by local artisans.
Tribal Work: Indian tribal craft has an impressive section of crafts which have taken a cultured look. These are available in each space of decoration; these types of crafts verily mirror the lives of their food, supply and their users. Indian tribal work includes Glass work, home decor, Embroidery and Ornamental painting.
Festive Work: In India decorations are important part of life and with decoration a sense of harmony and discipline comes to our mind. As a result decorations are enforced in each field of life, for example, to create proper workplace, to create proper home. Therefore we always try to properly decorate our home specially during festivals. It is right to say that we build our homes lovely by adding completely different home accessories.
- Paper Mache
- Christmas gifts
- Marble stone carving
Fashion Crafts: It is an item which is used to contribute in a secondary manner, often used to complete or complement an outfit. Accessories and jewellery are mainly used to complement fashion. They facilitate and highlight the attire, and can also be used to cover a weakness of a dress. India is known as the oldest and protected country for making jewellery, with its traditional and latest’s designs it entices the total world to own expensive Indian jewellery. It includes the following.
- Silk Thread Jewellery
- Meenakari jewellery
- Terracotta jewellery
State Wise Handicraft of India
These are some of the famous kinds of Handicrafts found in India and states they are famous for:
Handicraft States Involved
- Jute Handicraft Assam, Bihar, West Bengal
- Stone Handicraft Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh
- Shell Handicraft Goa, Pondicherry
- Wood Handicraft Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh
- Brass Handicraft Rajasthan
- Bamboo Handicraft Assam, Tripura
- Cane Handicraft Tamil Nadu
- Clay Handicraft Utter Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu
- Dhokra Handicraft West Bengal, Telangana
- Madhubani Art Bihar
- Bastar Art Chhattisgarh
Apart from these some other well known Handicrafts in India are following
- Leather Handicraft
- Glass Handicraft
- Traditional Paintings
- Tilla Juttis
- Enamel Handicraft
- Paper Mache Handicraft
Government Handicraft Shops
There are many privately run handicraft shops all over India but there are some famous government run Handicraft shops/places as well. Type of handicrafts varies from state to state, some of the best places to purchase regional handicrafts in India are as follow:
- Dilli Haat in Delhi
- Rajasthali in Jaipur
- MESH Main Hyderabad and Delhi
- Ekamra Haat in Bhubaneswar
- Kala Madhyam in Bangalore
- Avadh Shilpgram in Lucknow