Handmade in India

RESOURCES
Craft Raw Materials Sources
Wood and
lac turnery
Repousse
Wood
carving
Carpet and
dhurrie
weaving
Dhurri
weaving
Meenakari
Zardozigold
embroidery
Eucalyptus
Kuraiya
Lac
Kesar leaf
Copper, Brass,
German Silver
Wood-Burkhand,
Gullad, Rehma,
Simer, Savai, Kahema
Wool
Wool , Cotton
Meena(enamel),
Gulabi (pink) paint,
Chandan ka tel -
Sandalwood oil
Badla,kora,sitara,
Katori,tilli,seed,
Pearls,beads,Pipe
beads,Imitation
stones,Resham,
Cotton thread & cord
Lucknow,Lakhimpur,
Kheri,Sitapur
Bihar, Mirzapur,
Tenduli, Karvi
Purulia in Bihar
Locally available
Varanasi
Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh,
Gorakhpur, Naintial
Bikaner in Rajasthan,
Panipat in Haryana,,
New Zealand, Saudi
Arabia, Italy
Varanasi
Amritsar, Kolkata
Locally available
Crafts of Varanasi
Wood and lac turnery
Repousse
Wood carving
Carpet and dhurrie
weaving
Meenakari-enamel
work
Block printing
Zardozid-gold
embroidery
Subclusters of
VARANASI
Varanasi district:
Varanasi
Mirzapur district:
Mirzapur
Sant Ravidas Nagar
district:
Bhadohi
Inset A brocaded
ambia or mango buta.
1 Setting the wrap for
a silk sari in
Varanasi.Silk and
brocade weaving are
the city`s biggest
industries.
2 Embroidering a
badge in Zardozi.
3 With a flick of the
wrist,the
churra,knife,held in the
right hand,cuts the
yarn after each
knot.Most carpet
weavers around
Bhadohi are farmers.
4 Detail of konia
corner motif of a large
mango buta brocaded
in silk.The gold thread
known as kalabatun,a
silk core thread over
which gold was
wrapped,is typical of
Varanasi brocade.
5 Metal Repousse in
Varanasi.The plate is
fixed in a bed of lac.
VARANASI OR BENARAS largely lies in the flat
alluvial plain of the River Ganga and its
tributaries.Mirzapur,which is to the south,is located in
the rocky and picturesque uplands of the Vindhya
Ranges.The numerous streams draining thw uplands
have created ravines.The plains become stiflingly hot in
summer and the countryside is dotted with mango
groves.
Varanasi is famous for its langda mango.The rural economy is
agrarian,though Varanasi,Bhadohi and Mirzapur earn the country
considerable foreign revenue in silk and carpets exports.Varanasi is located
on a bend in the Ganga huddled close to the river.Flights of steps lead down
its ghats all along the river.Its labyrinthine lanes throb with life;alive with
priests,poets,philosophers,holymen,pilgrims,musicians,weavers,silversmiths
and traders.Varanasi,also called Kashi,city of spiritual light,it is considered
as one of the holiest cities in the country and among the oldest in the
world.For 3000 years it has been a centre of learning and spirituality for
Hindus and Buddhists.Varanasi has always been an important centre of
culture,art and religion.Traders from China and the Far East came to trade
in silks on the silk Route.Across the river is Ramnagar which houses a
museum where ivory antiques made by the royal craftsmen are
preserved.The stone carvers,descendents of the royal ivory carvers,live in
Ramnagar as well.Sarnath is an important Buddhist pilgimage since the
Buddha delivered his First Sermon after achieving nirvana,
enlightenment.Mirzapur lies south of Varanasi in the Vindhyan tract.It is
located on the bank of the Ganga,about halfway between Allahabad and
Varanasi.The river front is lined with stone ghats,flight of
steps,mosques,temples and houses.
ACCESS
Varanasi is well connected to all major cities by road,air and rail.Mirzapur is
200 km from Varanasi by road.Bhadohi is accessible by road from Varanasi.