The story of Indian Arts & Handicrafts comes
from one the oldest civilizations of the world. The vast cultural
and ethnic diversity has enabled a variety of motifs, techniques
and crafts to flourish on this land. Born of centuries old craftsmanship,
the history varies designs and motifs that have fascinated the
people the world over. Unique in their style reflects the mood
in Indian heritage. The arts & craft of India are seen on
the following headings.
Wooden Art
 Kashmir
is the only state in India, where walnut trees grow. The craftsmen
here create intricate carvings on wood obtained from the walnut
tree. Furniture items like tables, chairs, stools, partitions
etc have rich floral and trellis patterns carved on them. Carving
done on walnut is either deep or shallow. Items like tables,
fruit trays and bowls etc are also decorated with inlay work.
Wax polishing is done on finished products, so that the beauty
of the wood grain is not lost. Rajasthan is known for articles
and decorative objects made from locally obtained wood.
Each region of Rajasthan has its own unique wood tradition.
Barmer is well known for carved furniture. Some furniture pieces
like tables, low stools etc have miniature paintings on them.
Carved wood items such as cabinets, screens, chairs, tables,
almirahs, racks etc are highly ornate. Rajasthan is also known
for wood figurines in the shape of animals, which are beautified
with inlay work. Exquisite jali or latticework is also produced
here. Craftsmen of Rajasthan also make delicately carved figures
of deities on rosewood and sandalwood. Craftsmen from Madhya
Pradesh use a variety of wood like shisham, teak, dhudi, sal
and kikar for making household items. Woodcraft from the tribal
belt of Bastar is known for figures of tribal deities, carved
wooden memorials, masks etc. Madhya Pradesh is also famous for
painted and lacquered wood product such as toys, boxes, bedposts,
cradles posts, flower vases etc. Gwalior, Sheopur-Kalan, Rewa
and Budhni are main centers of wood lacquering. Uttar Pradesh
has many craft centers engaged in making different items out
of wood. Saharanpur is known for vine-leaf patterns on Sheesham
wood. Floral, geometric and figurative carving is also done
here with wood inlay work. Inlay work is done with bone and
plastic as ivory is banned in India. Mainpuri is famous for
woodwork on ebony or black sheesham inlaid with brass wire.
Banaras is known for lacquered toys and miniature utensils for
children to play with.
Gems & Jewellery
 In
early India, people fashioned jewellery out of natural materials
found in abundance all over the country-seeds, feathers, leaves,
berries, fruits, flowers, animal bones, claws and teeth. Even
today such jewellery is used by the different tribal societies.
Excavations at Mohenjodaro and other sites of the Indus Valley
civilization have unearthed a wealth of ornaments. It appears
that both men and women of that Time wore jewellery made of
gold, silver, copper, ivory and precious and semi-precious stones.
The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are abound with descriptions
of ornaments and the code of Manu defines the duties of the
goldsmith. By the third century B.C., India was
the leading exporter of gemstones, particularly diamonds. Gold
was usually imported into the country, a practice prevalent
even during the Mughal period. In India the ornaments are made
practically for every part of the body. Such a variety of ornaments
bears the testimony to the excellent skills of the jewelers
in India. The range of jewellery in India varied from religious
one to purely aesthetic one. Jewellery was crafted not just
for humans but also for the gods, ceremonial elephants and horses.
The craft of jewellery was given a royal patronage right from
the ancient Times. The rajas and maharajas vied with each other
to possess the most exquisite and the most magnificent pieces
of jewellery. Temple complexes supported many different styles
of jewellery-scented sandalwood bead necklaces, the prayer bead
or the rudraksh (berry of the elaocarpus canitrus) necklace,
multicoloured silk and gold thread necklaces. In the Hindu,
Jain and Sikh community where women do not inherit landed property,
jewellery was a major component of the stree dhana (gifts given
to a woman at the Time of her marriage). Jewellery, because
of its easy convertibility into cash, was thus regarded as security
and investment.
Paintings
 Indians
knew the art of painting since prehistoric Times. The earliest
paintings in India can be found on the walls of Bhimbetka caves
in Madhya Pradesh. The walls of these caves have been decorated
with animal and human figures. The Indian art of painting is
varied and diverse, like the cultures, to which they belong.
Paintings are made using a variety of medium. Traditional Indian
paintings depict gods and goddesses, mythological scenes, scenes
pertaining to erstwhile royal houses and scenes from daily life.
Paintings created by artists belonging to different tribal societies
are vibrant, symbolic and depict all aspects of tribal life.
The introduction of Persian styled miniatures by the Mughals,
lent a new dimension to the art of painting in India.
Not only were Mughal miniatures great masterpieces, they also
influenced local miniature schools in Rajasthan, Punjab and
Himachal Pradesh. Various miniature schools flourished in Rajasthan,
during the Mughal era and continued even after it. Some of the
important miniature schools of that period were: Mewar, Marwar,
Kishangarh, Dhunbar and Hadoti school. Each school had its own
distinct style, which distinguished it from the others. Court
scenes, love scenes, hunting scenes, images of local deities
and mythological episodes, dominate these paintings. Painted
geometric designs and symbols had also been found on pottery
items belonging to the Indus valley civilization. The high point
of painting in the ancient period can be seen in the frescoes
from Ajanta, which depicts the life and style of that period
realistically.
Textiles
The first literary information about textiles in India can
be found in the Rigveda, which refers to weaving. The ancient
Indian epics-Ramayana and Mahabharat also speak of a variety
of fabrics of those Times. The Ramayana refers to the rich styles
worn by the aristocracy on one hand and the simple clothes worn
by the commoners and ascetics. India has a diverse and rich
textile tradition. The origin of Indian textiles can be traced
to the Indus valley civilization. The people of this civilization
used homespun cotton for weaving their garments. Excavations
at Harappa and Mohen -jo-Daro, have unearthed household items
like needles made of bone and spindles made of wood, amply suggesting
that homespun cotton was used to make garments. Fragments of
woven cotton have also been found from these sites. India had
numerous trade links with the outside world and Indian textiles
were popular in the ancient world. Indian silk was popular in
Rome in the early centuries of the Christian era. Hoards of
fragments of cotton material originating from Gujarat have been
found in the Egyptian tombs at Fostat, belonging to 5th century
A.D. Cotton textiles were also exported to China during the
heydays of the silk route. Ample evidence on the ancient textiles
of India can also be obtained from the various sculptures belonging
to Mauryan and Gupta age as well as from ancient Buddhist scripts
and murals (Ajanta caves). Legend has it that when Amrapali,
a courtesan from the kingdom of Vaishali met Gautam Buddha,
she wore a richly woven semi transparent sari, which speaks
volumes of the technical achievement of the ancient Indian weaver.
Potterry
The evolution of Indian ceramics began with the Harappan age
and the art of shaping and baking clay articles as pottery,
earthenware and porcelain has endured through the ages. While
pottery and earthenware are distinctly utilitarian and often
decorative, porcelain and studio pottery belong to the realm
of art. Except for a few examples of Indian ceramics, which
have been produced from a single mould, most of it is completely
hand-modeled, a tradition carried over to the 20th century.
There is evidence of pottery making, both handmade and wheel-thrown,
from all over India. At Harappa and Mohenjodaro, pottery has
been excavated showing that potter's place was quite an important
one in society. The craft was well advanced. Rectangular kilns
for firing the product were in use. Seals and grain and water
containers were made that were put to use effectively. The place
of the potter in the craft tradition of India is unique. India
has more than a million potters. They are exquisite masters
- men and women alike. Despite the hi-tech that has invaded
the Indian scenario, it is doubtful if it will ever destroy
the potter's inherent creativity. Hopefully, new generations
will perceive the worth of pottery. Among the various media
chosen by man for expressing his joy through art, music or literature,
the simplest has been soft and malleable clay. Nimble fingers
mould the most beautiful form and expression. Clay is such a
fascinating medium that if a lump of it is given to a child,
he instinctively creates things out of it. Pottery is the measure
of a country's civilization. Being one of the oldest crafts,
man has expressed his feelings and his aesthetics in clay. A
piece of pottery has a visual message in its shape and colour.
It is the most sensual of all arts. It is not only to be looked
at, but also to be handled carefully. No wonder then that pottery
has been called the lyric of handicrafts. Lyrical because of
its irresistible and universal appeal. But, it is the association
of religion with this art that has given it a deeper significance
and another dimension too.
Carpet
 India
offers a wide range of floor coverings that have evolved over
the centuries to suit a variety of tastes, climates and budgets.
The woollen and silk carpets are more renowned compared to the
other materials such as cotton and several vegetable fibres,
which are used for making attractive and practically useful
mats and durries. In the early stages, the motifs used in the
Indian carpets were purely Persian. Later, various other designs
were introduced from Afghanistan, Turkey, China, Morocco and
France. Gradually, the pile carpet industry was Indianised and
assumed a character of its own. Each region developed a distinct
style of carpet weaving. In the mountainous regions of India,
from Ladakh through Darjeeling in West Bengal and Sikkim to
Manipur, carpets are made of pure wool in glowing colours. The
predominant motifs are those of the dragon, snow-lion and lotus.
Patterns are also taken from Buddhist iconography with dhawaja
(flag), the kalash (water-vessel) and the twin fish being favourites.
Carpets from these regions are based on techniques that are
as distinct as the motifs. These are essentially Central Asian
in tradition. For over 2500 years the patterns reproduced were
those of flowers arabesques and rhomboids with an occasional
animal design. The patterns have never become outmoded. Some
motifs have a profound meaning: the circle signifies eternity,
the zigzag water and light, the swastika darkness and the tree
happiness and goodness.
Stone Work
The stone-carving tradition in India is one of the richest
in the world. Guilds of masons and stone carvers have existed
here since the 7th century B.C. The skills were handed down
as family lore from father to son, a practice prevalent in some
parts of the country even today. The classical tradition of
stone carving was closely linked with architecture. All major
temples of India-be it Puri, Konark, Khajuraho, Kailash Temple,
or the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram-illustrate the rich tradition
of Indian stone carvings. The geologically old land of Rajasthan,
rich in different kinds of hard rocks like granites, marbles,
quartzite, slates, and other metamorphic rocks, has been a stone-carver's
paradise. Right from the medieval Times, the ready availability
of high-quality stone (the use of brick was almost unknown)
made it easy for the Rajasthani builder to construct strong
and beautiful forts, palaces, and temples. The sculptures found
in the ancient and medieval temples of Bharatpur, Baroli, Ramgarh,
Nagda, Ajmer, Chittor, Mandore, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, and Udaipur
speak highly of the artistic skills of the Rajasthani stonecutters.
Apart from temple carvings, the stone carvers of Rajasthan are
noted for their jali (latticework) carvings. Most ancient palatial
buildings of Rajasthan sport jali work on their doors and windows.
The jali screens, sculpted from both sandstone and marble, were
frequently used in the windows of the zenanas (women's quarters)
enabling the women in purdah to view the events of the courts
without being seen. The screens also offered protection from
the elements while allowing the passage of fresh air through
the intricate geometric patterns. Rajasthan continues to be
one of major centres of stone carving in the country. The capital
city Jaipur is the centre of marble carving in Rajasthan. Here
one can see artisans creating marble images of the deities as
well as domestic utensils such as bowls for grinding spices
and kneading dough. At Ajmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Bikaner,
one comes across some very fine examples of the intricate jali
work done on screens and panels of the royal palaces .
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