Handmade in India

Subclusters of
NALBARI
Nalbari district:
Nalbari
Barpeta district:
Baniakuchi
Kokrajhar district:
Kokrajhar, Salakati
Kamrup district:
Guwahati, Hajo
Darrant district:
Mangaldoi
Crafts of NALBARI
Bamboo craft of
Assam
Bamboo nesting
baskets
Coiled cane work
Brass ware
Eri silk spinning
Craft
Bamboo craft of
Assam
Whole cane
containers
Raw
Materials
Bamboo
Jatti cane
RESOURCES
Sources
Nalbari, Kamrup district,
Barpeta district, Silchar district
Mangaldoi
Brass ware Brass sheet Guwahati
Inset : Craftsman scoring the surface of a brass sarai, brass tray, to
mark the pattern that has to be cut out. Hajo, Kamrup district.
Nalbari is bound in the
north by the foothills of
Bhutan, in the south by
Brahmaputra river,, the
districts of Darrang and
Kamrup in the east, and
Barpeta district in the
west.
Originating from the foothills of the Himalayan range, the
Brahmaputra and its tributaries - Nona, Buradia,
Pagaladia, Nora, Bonolia and Tihu - form the lifeline of
the region. There are widespread production clusters of
bamboo, cane, muga silk, cotton weaving and brass ware.
Trade and other activities in the region are all related to
agriculture. Darrang is a major tea producer. Guwahati is
increasingly getting modernized and serves as a nodal
collection centre for the cane and bamboo products of the
surrounding districts, linking the region with the rest of
India. Kokrajhar district likes in the western part of
Assam. The eri silk textiles of the Bodos are traditional to
the Bodo community in Kokrajhar, Barpeta and
Bongaigaon districts, the Assamese in Kamrup district and
the Mishing community in Dhemaji district. Eri is known
as ahimsa (non violent) silk, as the silkworms are allowed
to emerge out of the cocoons. Eri spinning and weaving is
being encouraged as an economically viable activity in
rural areas.
ACCESS
1. Rust coloured eri cocoons unique to Kokrajhar district.
2. Cane craftsman in Mangaldoi. Locally grown jatti cane is used to make containers for
export.
3. The white eri cocoons are processed to soften the gum and loosen the fibres. Water is
squeezed from the cocoons and the flattened forms are dried in Salakati, Kokrajhar
district.
Guwahati is well linked with Delhi, Kolkata, and with
connecting flights to other cities. Nalbari is linked by rail
and roadways to Guwahati. National Highway 37 links both
Nalbari and Mangaldoi with the other districts in Assam.
Kokrajhar is on the main railway routs which links
Guwahati with other states.
Large grain storage baskets sold in a weekly market in
Mangaldoi. These baskets are lined with cowdung and clay
mixture to store and protect grain.
Women transplanting rice seedlings in a field in Kamrup district. Agriculture is the
economic mainstay of the region.
An artisan carrying jhappi, bamboo rain shields, to the weekly market in Nalbari.