Rajasthani Arts & Crafts

Rajasthan is among the richest states in the country as far as the field of arts and crafts is concerned. Maybe it was a result of the war-like lifestyle of the people of Rajasthan which sharpened the creative senses, artistic skills and inspired them to create the most opulent and richest of treasures. Stone, clay, leather, wood, ivory, lac, brass, gold & silver were given the most brilliant forms.

The history of Rajasthan reveals that the kings and nobles were patrons of arts and crafts and they encouraged their craftsmen in activities ranging from wood and marble carving to weaving, pottery and painting. And art seems to have been an obsession with the inhabitants of this parched landscape. The desire to decorate their surroundings was very strong. Nothing was overlooked -- animals from the regal elephant to the lowly donkey, the great palaces and and the inner chambers of forbidden forts were decorated with as much attention as were the walls of humble mud huts.

The Rajput rulers encouraged the artisans to set up schools for the propagation of their crafts. Each Rajput principality had its own unique craft. Some of the popular ones are :

Meenakari :

Raja Man Singh of Amer brought this intricate craft to jaipur by inviting five skilled enamel workers from lahore. The art prospered over the years and is today renowned the world over. Jaipur Meenakari is famed for its delicacy and its use of colors.

Jewelry :

Rajasthan is rich in jewelry, each area having its own unique style. Some of the traditional designs are rakhri, timaniyan, bala, bajuband, gajra, gokhru, jod, etc. Tribal women wear heavy, simply crafted jewelry and seem to carry the weight (almost 5 kg.! ) without much discomfort almost all the time. Men too wear their share of ornaments in the form of chockers and earrimost Rajasthani women wear are considered auspicious. Ivory is also inlaid and shaped into intricate items of great beauty. Miniature paintings were also executed on Ivory.

Lac & Glass :

Lac bangles are made in bright colors and sometimes inlaid with glass. Other decorative and functional items are also available.

Sandalwood & Wood :

Carved wood is presented in a wide range of objects and is simple and inexpensive.

Stone :

Statues on religious themes area carved all over Rajasthan and in several cities there are still entire lanes where the stone carvers can be seen giving final touches to statues or even pillars. Other crafts like blue pottery, hand block printing, tie and dye, terra-cotta sculptures, painting on camel hide, embroidery, cloth painting, carpets, durires, inlay work on brass and wood are to found all over Rajasthan.