adly,
every other year there is a drought in Rajasthan. Insignificance of
agriculture thus has given rise to the importance of other human skills;
arts and crafts as a source of sustenance has led to unrivaled finesse in
these skills of the Rajasthanis.
Shopping is real fun and I see an incredible number of tourists coming with
two bags and leaving with seven! Often these crafts are practiced live in
front of the shops, a great learning experience to know the immense hard
work behind each item. Every place in Rajasthan has its own indigenous art
and distinct craft practice. However, it is important to know what is
available to shop in Rajasthan and where.
CARPETS
AND DURRIES
Carpet industry of Jaipur has surpassed many other centers in terms of
extremely fine craftsmanship on wool and silk. An amazing variety of carpets
in Persian, Kashmiri and Mughal styles can be fetched at real affordable
prices. Durries are thick cotton floor spreads that are finely woven
incorporating beautiful designs. Woven in the villages around Jodhpur, these
are made using very beautiful light colors that now even adorn on the walls
of up-market hotels!
TEXTILES AND FABRICS
Cool cotton much preferred in Rajasthan is given very fine designs by hand
block printing.
Peacocks,
camels and elephants are widely used in formats. Sanganer and Bagru of
Jaipur and Barmer are places famed for this art. The people of Rajasthan
most commonly use tie and dye fabrics for their everyday use. This work is
done everywhere, most finely in Jodhpur and Jaipur. Quilts of Jaipur are
known all over the world for their lightweight, fine finish and warmth.
Brocade and threadwork over shirts and odhanis are also historically famous
of Jaipur. Extraordinary embroidery on skirts and wall cloths is a rare art
of Barmer and the surrounding area.
GEMS AND JEWELLERY
Jaipur is an unrivalled center for cut and polished gems - the ultimate
place to go for it. Enameled jewellery, known as Kundan, is another high
precision art of Jaipur in which gemstones are set into molten gold with
extreme finesse. Gold and silver jewellery is famous everywhere, more
particularly Jaisalmer is for silver and Udaipur for tribal silver
ornaments.
LACQUER WORK
Lac bangles studded with polished diamonds are made in Jaipur, commonly
worn by women in Rajasthan. Lac is also used to design ornamental furniture,
doors and showpieces.
BLUE POTTERY
Another work of art from Jaipur, it is made using locally quarried clay and
quartz. Fine floral motifs are painted over the smooth surface using mostly
shades of blue.
PAINTINGS
Miniature paintings are today among the most sought after souvenirs from
Rajasthan. All major centers of miniatures, namely Krishangarh, Udaipur,
Jaipur and Marwar have their own styles of depicting religious and court
scenes. Paintings of women is another theme, which Kishangarh has perfected
as the Indian Mona Lisa.
Pichhwais of Nathdwara wholly depict the scenes of life of Lord Krishna.
Phad is another style painted on long cloths using red colors, which mostly
depict the entire life story of popular local legend Pabuji.
METAL CRAFTS
Beautiful decorative pieces are made of finely carved and enameled brass.
These are made into figures ranging from elephants to small pens and are
popular throughout Rajasthan.
Leatherwear
Nike and Reebok couldn't replace the ever-popular mojaris made of camel
hide over the feet of the Rajasthani people! Also known as juttees, these
shoes come extraordinarily embroidered. Embroidered camel hides shaped into
hats, stools, belts, purses and a number of items are available in Jodhpur,
Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jaipur and Barmer regions.
Woodwork
Barmer specializes in carved wooden furniture that can beautify any living
room in the world. Other regions such as Shekhawati, Kishangarh have their
own styles of wooden furniture. The furniture of Jodhpur reflects an
appealing old look. Painted wooden furniture like chairs and almirahs are
also commonly seen. As mementos, everything is found from huge piece of
wooden statues to small pieces of wooden elephants and key rings.
Gesso work
Typical of Bikaner, this work employs very thin inner hide of camels to
form different ornamental objects. The surface of such objects is very
finely painted with gold!
Stone Work
It is an art that requires a huge amount of hard work and patience. The art
is practiced in entire Rajasthan, the use of stone varies in different
regions. The Silawats of Jaisalmer use yellow sandstone for carving
balconies, the artists of Dausa use red sandstone for making railings and
other garden sculptures and Jaipur is famous throughout the world for marble
idols and figures. Abundance of stone in Rajasthan has lead to perfection in
sculpting stone into any figure desired.
Minakari
Another art of Jaipur that employs fixing of enamels of bright colors
(blue, green and red) on metal figures with fire.
Terracotta
Innovative designing over ever-useful earthenware has led to their
importance as decorative pieces. However, terracotta in Molela village near
Udaipur is a fine art where this is molded into continuous wall-like
extensive representation of various legends and events!
Antiquities
nteresting looking pieces of daily use in Rajasthan seem completely strange
to the people from outside. These objects such as a brass pot or a
nutcracker are extremely popular purchases from Rajasthan.
Puppets
Still a big source of entertainment and education, puppets of Rajasthan
evoke images of chivalrous kings and beautiful queens. Very expressive
figures draped in beautiful clothes make inexpensive souvenirs to carry back
home.
;)
;)
CARPETS
AND DURRIES;)
Peacocks,
camels and elephants are widely used in formats. Sanganer and Bagru of
Jaipur and Barmer are places famed for this art. The people of Rajasthan
most commonly use tie and dye fabrics for their everyday use. This work is
done everywhere, most finely in Jodhpur and Jaipur. Quilts of Jaipur are
known all over the world for their lightweight, fine finish and warmth.
Brocade and threadwork over shirts and odhanis are also historically famous
of Jaipur. Extraordinary embroidery on skirts and wall cloths is a rare art
of Barmer and the surrounding area. ;)
BLUE POTTERY;)
Woodwork;)
Terracotta
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