India s Craft Traditions

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "India s Craft Traditions"

William Fox
5 years ago
Views:

1 India s Craft Traditions Introduction Crafts and handicrafts have long been a part of India s history, and also provide a means of employment for many people. The diversity in cultures throughout India means that there are many different craft forms throughout India, each one distinctive and unique. The beginnings of handicraft in India can be traced back to the first settlements on the subcontinent. The history of Indian handicrafts goes back to almost 5000 years ago. There are numerous examples of handicrafts from the Indus Valley Civilisation. Crafts have been mentioned in Vedas and Upanishads as well, and even religious scriptures, such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharatamention handicraft workers.in the Mauryan age, we find great development in the field of sculpture. In this period more than 84,000 stupas are said to be built in India, including the famous Sanchi Stupa, which has beautiful stone carving and relief work done on it. Numerous sculptures from Bharhut, Mathura, Amravati, Vaishali, Sanchi etc. show female figures adorned with a display of jewellery, which continues to inspire contemporary jewellery making. Since the early years of the subcontinent saw the arrival and rise of three prominent religions, namely Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, most craft work from the early periods was more focussed on religious ideals. The Omkareshwar Temple and MahakaleshwarJyotirlingaare prime examples of this. During the Kushana period,jewellery, sculpture, textile making, leather products, metal working etc. were the main handicrafts that assimilated foreign influences and used them in accordance with the Indian setting. The Gupta Age saw rapid advancement in the field of handicrafts and art forms. The murals at Ajanta and Ellora bear testimony to this.

2 In ancient times India exported handprinted cotton textiles to the West as well as the Far East, which contributed greatly to India being referred to as sonekichidiya. Under the Mughals Indian crafts touched great heights. Local patronage diminished with the weakening of Mughal rule. The colonial era discouraged trade in Indian crafts, which were now challenged by cheap, imported, machine-made goods. The importance and relevance of craft in Indian society was slightly marred due to the British colonisation, but due to the efforts of many people, such as Mahatma Gandhi, traditional craft slowly made its way back into modern day culture. Today, while it may not be a big source of employment, it is a source of pride for Indians, and a strong identity with the cultural heritage of India. Crafts Indian craft traditions have witnessed and survived many attempts of eradication through external powers. However, instead of being diminished by foreign culture, Indian craft would blend it in with itself, resulting in many crossovers throughout the years. Such cultural mix-and-matches can be found throughout India, especially in cities such as Delhi and Hyderabad.

3 A Bronze mask, possibly used for theatrical purposes, as an example of ancient Indian craftsmanship. Medieval craftsmen flourished in fieldslike pottery, weaving, wood carving, metal working, jewellery etc. The contribution of the Cholas and the Vijayanagara Empire in the field of bronze sculpture, silk weaving, jewellery, temple carving is unparalleled. The Mughal period was one of the golden periods in the history of Indian art, craft and culture. The Mughals brought with them a rich artistic heritage from Central Asia. The Mughals introduced craftsmanship techniques like inlay work, glass engraving, carpet weaving, brocades, enamelling etc. Perhaps the best display of Indian craftwork comes from temples scattered throughout the Southern part of the subcontinent, which were inspired by Dravidian culture. Temples such as the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai,the Kapaleeswara Temple in Chennai, the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli, The Thillai Nataraja Temple in Chimbaram, all in Tamil Nadu, and the Venkateshwara Temple in Tirupati have some of the most elaborate craftwork found in India, worked into their magnificent sculptures.

4 Bronze Nataraja, with dancing Shiva The Indian handicrafts industry is highly labour intensive, cottage based and decentralised industry. The industry is spread all over the country mainly in rural and semi-urban areas. As an industry, it is a major source of income for rural communities, employing millionsof artisans, including a large number of women.

5 Textiles Textiles are a large part of India s history. Indian textiles were found even in the tombs of the Egyptian Pharaohs, and they were a sought-after export to ancient Greece and Rome. It was, in fact, the suppression of Indian textile workers by the British that was one of the earliest catalysts for the freedom movement in India. That is the reason Mahatma Gandhi made hand-spun Khadi a symbol of the Indian independence movement. Even today, millions of craftspeople all over India produce extraordinary traditional textiles with widespread domestic and international appeal. Some fibres commonly used in textile weaving are cotton, silk, wool, or a mixture of the three, along with embroidery with precious metals such as gold and silver. Block printing is practised all over Western and Central India. Marco Polo, the medieval Venetian navigator, was very impressed by the quality of the fabric and the expert work done by the craftsmen in ancient India. In his journals on his visit to India, he said that Embroidery is here produced with more delicacy than anywhere in the world. The origins of muslin- now called jamdani- are not very clear, but its status as an industry is mentioned in Chanakya sarthashastra. It is also mentioned in Sanskrit classics of the Gupta Era. In the Mughal Period, possibly during Jahangir s reign, figured or floral muslin came to be known as jamdani. Today the main centres of jamdani weaving in Uttar Pradesh are Tanda and Varanasi. Several parts of India have interesting dyeing and weaving traditions. Ikat, which involves resist-dyeing of yarn before weaving, is one such, for whichpatola in Gujarat, Pochampally in Telangana and Sambalpur in Odisha are well-known centres. Ikats can be single (warp or weft-dyed) or double ikats, which are more challenging and more complicated. The Pochampallyikat saree from Telanganawas the first traditional Indian craft to receive the status of geographical indication (GI) protection. Kota in Rajasthan is famous for the fine translucent muslins called Masuria malmal. Chanderi and Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh are known for their distinct sarees, the latter

being an especial effort encouraged by Rani AhilyabaiHolkar, the then Queen of Indore. Paithani sarees centred in Paithan (near Aurangabad, Maharashtra) have evolved from a cotton base to a silk base.

6 being an especial effort encouraged by Rani AhilyabaiHolkar, the then Queen of Indore. Paithani sarees centred in Paithan (near Aurangabad, Maharashtra) have evolved from a cotton base to a silk base. The art of Jamawar weaving was brought from Persia to Kashmir where it flourished during the Mughal period. Banaras or Varanasi is a centre for brocade sarees and dress material, the famed Banarasi saree, traditionally woven in Banaras and the neighbouring areas of Chandauli, Bhadohi, Jaunpur, Gorakhpur and Azamgarh. Among silk weave designs, the Baluchari sarees of West Bengal are famous. Tamil Nadu is home to some of the best known cotton and silk saree weaves, possibly the foremost among them being the exquisite Kanjeevaram silk sarees woven in the temple town Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, as well as weaves from Coimbatore and Madurai. Mysore in Karnataka produces nearly 70% of all the mulberry silk produced in India, while Assam smuga silk is produced from a silkmoth named after the state Antheraeaassamensis. A Kanjeevaram silk saree with traditional peacock motif border done in gold and silk thread

7 Woollen fabrics are also woven in different parts of India. Kashmir is known for its Pashmina shawls. Kullu shawls and caps with check patterns use motifs that have been identified with Buddhism, while different Naga tribes produce diversely patterned woollens. TextilesDecoration: painting, printing, dyeing, embroideries Kalamkari, whose name traces its originsto the Persian word kalam meaning pen and karigari meaning workmanship, is an art that involves hand block printing apart from painting. The two main styles are Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam- both based in Andhra Pradesh. Tie and dye is widely practised and known by different names across India. Bandhini in Rajasthan, Bandhej in Gujarat and Sungidi in Tamil Nadu are some examples of tie-and-dye. Batik printing has been revived in India at Shantiniketan and Chennai. Applique work is practised across India, with Pipli in Odisha being particularly well known for it. In Punjab,phulkari embroidery is practised even today. Zardozi, or gold thread embroidery, is based largely in Uttar Pradesh, as is Chikankari, which is traditionally delicate cotton embroidery on pastel-hued cotton, especially muslin. Kantha is a local Bengali tradition of embroidery, while Kasuti is a fine embroidery style prevalent in Karnataka. Tribal embroideries and mirrorwork, including work by the Rabari tribes of Rajasthan and Gujarat, and Banjara embroidery and mirrorwork by the Lambada tribes of Andhra Pradsh are particularly renowned for vibrant, beautifully patterned designs on garments and other fabrics.

8 Pottery Right from the times of the Indus Valley Civilisation, we find a rich craft tradition and a high degree of technical excellence in the field of pottery. Harappan craftsmen not only catered to local needs but also traded with the outside world via sea routes. Metalwork The oldest bronze images in our country date back to Mohenjodaro (2,500BC). In ritual items made of bronze, the best is a sculpture which represents the visible forms of the deity to be worshipped. Tamil Nadu is one of the famous bronze or casting regions. Stylistically, the images belong to different periods like Pallava, Chola, Pandyan and Nayaka and the images that are now produced belong to one or the other of these styles. Different casting techniques are followed by metal craftspersons all over the country. India has a rich tradition of different styles of folk painting too. Coloured powder is used in drawing a rangoli in Hindi (known variously as alpana, mandana, chowkpujan, chita, etc. in other Indian languages) on the ground without adhesive or glue, as the art work is not meant to be permanent, but done afresh each day. Kolam is a floor design made by women at the entrance of their homes with white rice powder in Tamil Nadu. Such decorations are usually more elaborately executed during religious festivities and celebrations. Artists in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan make wooden temples with doors that can be opened up to reveal elaborately painted stories of historical and religious importance. Warlitribals of Maharashtra decorate their house walls with paintings depicting village life and activities. Mithila paintings are popularly known as Madhubani from the district of the same name in Bihar. JharanapataChitra of West Bengal is a long vertical paper scroll used to tell stories from religious epics. Odisha s Pattachitra depicts stories from the poemgeetgovind.

9 Jaipur is a city famous for traditional blue pottery items made by local craftsmen. Larger cities have grown as a source of income for the tertiary sector, which deals with services more than raw products. Cities have seen a decline in their traditional output with increase in industrial output, and today most handicrafts are restricted to villages and smaller cities. However, many large cities are still famous for their contribution to handicraft. HandicraftCentres Metal ware and Bronze sculpture: Major manufacturing units are located in Moradabad, Sambhal, Aligarh, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Delhi, Thanjavur, Jagadhari, Pembarthi (Telangana), Kamrupi(Assam) etc.bidriware from Bidar in Karnataka is prized for its fine filigree work. Wooden artware and sculpture: Major manufacturing units are located in Saharanpur, Nagina, Hoshiarpur, Srinagar, Amritsar, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mysore, Behrampur etc.channapattana in Karnataka and Kondappally in Telangana are known for colourful

wooden toys. Channappattana Scooter in colourful polished wood Embroidered items: Manufacturing units are located in Kutch, Jaisalmer, Baroda, Lucknow, Jodhpur, Agra, Amritsar, Kullu and Srinagar.

10 wooden toys. Channappattana Scooter in colourful polished wood Embroidered items: Manufacturing units are located in Kutch, Jaisalmer, Baroda, Lucknow, Jodhpur, Agra, Amritsar, Kullu and Srinagar. Marble and stonecraft: Mahabalipuram near Chennaiis famous for stonecraft including artifacts, statues and daily use objects. Agra and Rajasthan are renowned for beautiful marble inlay work using semiprecious stones and stone chips. Paper Crafts: Kashmir and Jaipur are known for papier mâché items like jewellery and snuff boxes, decoration items and even small pieces of furniture. Terracotta: Terracotta units are located in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and West Bengal. Hand printed textiles and scarves: Amroha, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Farrukhabad and Sanganerhave manufacturing units making textiles. Zari Products: Zari and zari products are manufactured at units located at Surat, Agra, Varanasi and Amritsar.

Which of the following is an important center of Kalamkari in Andhra Pradesh?

1 In which state do you find the tradition of Phad paintings? Bihar West Bengal Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh 2 Which of the following is an important center of Kalamkari in Andhra Pradesh? Tanjavur Srikalahasti