Handicrafts in Jaipur

Jaipur is among the richest city in Rajasthan as far as the fields of arts and crafts is concerned. Jaipur has created and preserved rich craft heritage which includes fabulous fabrics in lovely prints, precious and semi-precious stones, Kundan Meenakari Jewellery, embroidered leather work, other hand crafted items of wood, ivory, lac, glass, brass, silver and gold.

For women there were infinite variety - tie and dye fabrics, embroidered garments, enamel jewellery inlayed with precious and semi-precious stones, leather jootis. They put their lives indoors to very good use by decorating their surroundings - on the walls of their mud-huts were painted geometric designs as well as simple motifs like flowers and birds. Also the womenfolk made intricate patterns on floors, shaped straw and twine to turn into the most beautiful as well as functional items plus displayed great talent with the needle and thread and paper mache.

When the Rajputs came to dominate this region, it was a period of constant strife. They were almost always in battle with their neighboring kingdoms. When a kingdom fell and a new ruler took over, it was time for change paintings depicting the new ruler's victory; scenes from the battle and processions of the victorious march were faithfully reproduced on the walls and handmade paper. Other than the paintings, the new rulers also influenced the existing crafts of that area. Despite their love for the battlefield, the Rajputs have been patrons of art and also their 350 years of contact with the Mughals led to a very strong influence on their lives and arts. Quite a few folk arts received the refinement and delicacy of the Mughal courts. They borrowed freely from the Agra and Delhi courts and in some cases, also sent theirakilled craftsman to adorn the Mughal courts.

Major Art and Crafts in Jaipur city in the state of Rajasthan India are :

Bandhani Or Tie And Dye : This technique involves two stages: tying sections of a length of cloth (silk or cotton) and then dunking it into vats of colour.

Stone Carving & Sculpture : The heart of this industry lies in the southwest quarter of Jaipur. Till the royalty held sway in India, stone carving received ample patronage in the form of architectural commissions.

Zari, Gota, Kinari & Zardozi : Zari is gold, and zardozi embroidery is the glitteringly ornate, heavily encrusted gold thread work practised in Jaipur and a few other cities of India.

Gems, Kundan, Meenakari & Jewellery : The Pink City is known for its vast array of precious and semi-precious stones, running the gamut from diamond, emerald, sapphire and ruby to topaz, jade, garnet, amethyst and turquoise.

Jaipur Blue Pottery : Jaipur Blue Pottery is the art of making blue glaze pottery came to Rajasthan via Kashmir.

Shellac Bric-a-Brac : Brightly coloured lac bangles, handmirrors, pens, pillboxes and agarbatti (incense) stands are a cheerful and inexpensive buy in Rajasthan.

Ivory Carving : Rajasthan has its main ivory carving centres at Udaipur, Bharatpur and Jaipur from where master ivory carvers were once favoured by the royal courts.

Jaipur Miniature Paintings : A host of schools of miniature painting thrive in Rajasthan and, to a certain extent, they are a quaint mixture of Mughal and indigenous Indian styles.

Silver Jewellery : Traditionally, jewellery has served as a repository of wealth, and a bejewelled wife is the family’s walking-talking treasury.

Tarkashi : A common sight in the curio and gift shops of Jaipur is boxes, tables and trays with brass or copper inlay work.

Block-printing : Rajasthan has a long and distinguished traditon of printing with finely carved wooden blocks.