Handmade in India

THE DEHRADUN METACLUSTER comprises craft
clusters lying in the Garhwal region.Dehradun is
situated in the fertile Doon Valley at the foot of the
Shivaliks.The best basmati,long-grained and fragrant
rice comes from here.The town is an important
educational centre and many offices of the central and
state government like the Oil and Natural Gas
Commission and Forest Research Institute are located
here.Mussoorie is said to be the queen of the Garhwal
Hills.It straddles a ridge in the Garhwal Himalayas-a
region which is developing into a major tourism
destination.The holy River Ganga is visible from one
end of the ridge and River Jamuna from the other
Uttarkashi is home to the Gujjar and Bhotia tibes,bothe
agrarian pastoralists.Women of the Bhotia community
weave heavy woollen textiles for their own use.Angora
rabbitds are being reared.Rabbit hair is spun with sheep
wool to make yarn for handloom weaving centres.The
newly formed statehood has brought independence as
well as challenges to Uttaranchal-of building a basic
infrastructure for development of the region and for
improving the quality of people`s lives.The region has
several crafts based on plant fibresbamboo,lantana,nettle
and ringaal.These can be vital
for linking organic agriculture with crafts,as
conservation of forest resource is one of the regions
chief concerns.
ACCESS
Dehradun is a railhead and many trains including the
Shatabdi Express are available from Delhi.The nearest
airport is Jolly Grant with a daily flight to Delhi.The
other clusters are all accessible by road.State transport
buses connect the villages.
1. Detail of wood
carving depicting
scences from the
Ramayana at the
entrance of the
Mahasu Temple in
Hanol,Dehradun
district.
2. A traditional fivestorey
house,made
of wood and stone.
3. Weaving in
chamoli.
4. Man carrying a
carpet
home,Chamoli
5. Carpet weaver in
Chamoli.
RESOURCES
Craft Raw Material Sources
Rambaans
fibre craft
Carpet
weaving
Lantana
furniture
Ringaal
basketry
Nettle fibre
craft
Rambaans
Woollen yarn
Lantana
Ghad ringaal,
Jhumra ringaal
Stinging nettle
Subclusters of
DEHRADUN
Dehradun district:
Dehradun
Pauri district
Chamoli district:
Chamoli
New Tehri district:
Kedarnath
Crafts of Dehradun
Rambaans-fibre craft
Nettle fibre craft
Hemp rope making
Carpet weaving
Handloom weaving
Lantana furniture
Wood carving
Ringaal basketry
Pauri, New Tehri, Kedarnath
districts
Ludhiana,Panipat,Amritsar in
Punjab
Uttaranchal Hills
Lower Garhwal Hills
Uttaranchal forests.