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Crafts

The patronage for artisans of the state was extended by the kings and rulers who turned to them to embellish their zenanas, the women?s wings of the palaces, and the durbar or courts. Ateliers were created where artists were treated with due respect and paintings, jewellery and pottery, stone and wood carving, textile and rug weaving, was accorded due place. That this was a serious activity was evident when the founder of the city of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh invited artisans from all over the country to come and settle in his new capital. Incentives were given and special areas were designated for their places of work and residence. As a result, Jaipur today is referred to as the crafts capital of the country and the city?s life seems to derive from the industry of gems and jewellery and large number of industries that deal in the arts and crafts.

Markets
Jaipur?s bazaar, like those of Jodhpur and Bikaner, Udaipur, Kota and countless other towns, are a source of endless fascination. What has changed is patronage. The average Indian and foreign tourist are equal partners in the new boom in the business. And no longer are ateliers classical. Today?s bazaars accept folk art and jewellery, and have been successful in helping bridge the gap between traditional art and contemporary usage.

Tie and Dye Textiles
The traditional art of tie-and-dye textiles by dexterously knotting the material and dipping it in colour to form delicate bandhej patterns is found all over the state. Laheriyas or the delicately created patterns in waves are dyed mostly in Udaipur. Jodhpur, on the other hand, is famous for its pachranga or five-coloured bandhej on saris, odhnis, or mantles and safas or turbans. Jaipur?s Johari Bazaar has rows of shops dealing in tie-and-dye fabrics and saris. Also available all over Rajasthan are the fine self-check-weave cotton saris from Kota. These gossamer-fine saris, excellent for summer wear, are available in plain colours or printed in subtle floral patterns in soft pastel shades.

Hand Block Printing
Hand block printing is not only a traditional form of imparting motifs and colour on fabric, mostly cotton, but is also an eco-friendly form of printing on textiles. Metre upon metre of fabric is printed meticulously by hand using wooden blocks and vegetable dyes. Though hand block printing is widely practised all over the state, two villages close to Jaipur, Sanganer and Bagru, are devoted solely to the pursuit. Sanganeri is famous for its delicate floral sprigs, Bagru for its linear and zigzag stripes in earth colours. Barmer, a town located in the heart of the desert, is known for its red indigo geometric ajraks and historic Chittor for its jajam prints.

Quilting
Another Rajasthani speciality is the quilt. Almost no shopping expedition to Rajasthan is complete without buying at least one feather-soft and feather-light Jaipuri razai as these quilts are called. Though these quilts are available all over the state, it is in Jaipur that they have reached a degree of perfection. Available in beautiful colours with Sanganeri prints, bright tie-dyed materials, marble prints on cotton or in brightly hued velvet, they weigh very little yet are comfortingly warm.

Jewelery
Jaipur?s Johari Bazaar or Jeweller?s mart has row upon row of shops selling handcrafted jewellery. Loose precious and semi-precious stones are crafted all together into an excellent range of the country?s most dramatic settings in gold. Kundan, a style of inlay setting of unpolished diamonds and other stones and Meenakari or the art of enamelled gold jewellery, are exclusive to Jaipur.

Gems & Stones
Jaipur is the world?s largest gem cutting centre and therefore the best place to pick up strings of garnets, amethysts or quartz at prices so low that they are difficult to believe. Of course, if your pocket stretches a little more, then the stones to pick up here should also include rubies, emeralds and diamonds.

The traditional silver jewellery-chains, bangles, belts, anklets, earrings-is manufactured by bangle makers all over Rajasthan. To make it the collector?s items, the jewellery is studded with glass, stones and painted with a rich patina of colors too.

Blue Pottery
Apart from hand block printed fabrics, Sanganer is also famous for producing handmade paper and blue pottery. The art of making glazed blue pottery, though originally from Persia, was brought to Jaipur by Sawai Ram Singh II. This unique art of pottery that does not use clay but resorts to crushed quartz instead, went into decline with the withdrawal of royal patronage. It was given a fresh lease of life by renowned artist Kripal Singh Shekhawat.

Leather Craft
You can?t go far in Rajasthan without wanting to possess a pair of the handcrafted slip-on shoes called jootis. The leather is tanned and dyed and made into incredibly soft yet remarkably sturdy footwear. As you wear your pair of jootis, it will take on the shape of your foot, making them comfortable in a way no shoe can. The upper part of the jooti is embellished with embroidery, studded with brass nails or cowrie shells, punched, sequinned, stitched-the decorations and designs varying with the region. Should you desire them, they are available in plain too.
Bikaner is famous for using the inner hide of the camel in an extraordinary fashion. The hide is scraped till it becomes translucent and then moulded into lampshades, vases, perfume vials and photo frames. Bikaner is also famous for its hand-knotted woollen carpets and Jaipur for its extensive range of cotton rugs called durries.

Woodcarving
Jodhpur and Ramgarh in the Shekhawati region are important centres of woodcarving. Intricately carved doors, windows, dowry chests, picture, and mirror frames are produced on the same lines as craftsmen produced centuries ago. To make them look aged, these reproductions are acid washed, left out in the open under the sun, chipped and marked.

Paintings
Paintings are a special buy and many Indian homes patronise Rajasthani painters. Pichwais are the least expensive, unless they are painted by a master artist and finished in gold. Miniature paintings re-enact historical episodes or mythical tales in Schools that have come to be identified with the different kingdoms that merged in Rajasthan. Udaipur and Jaipur miniatures can be recognised by their fine brush strokes, the Bundi and Kotah kalams are known for their scenes of battle and of shikar (hunts) while the Kishangarh School does portraits with Radha-Krishna as the principal characters. Nathdwara, a place of pilgrimage close to Udaipur, furnishes paintings of Krishna in a characteristic style.
Udaipur with its Shilpgram has a wealth of terracotta panels and figures. Barmer is known for the quality of its mirror-embossed embroidery. From Jaisalmer come the warm though coarse shawls and blankets woven with geometrical motifs and patterns