India
Pata Chitra narrative scroll paintings of West Bengal
The intersection of art and the narration of religious tenets have an enduring antiquity in India. Evidence from the third century BCE attests to...
Pacchi kari (marble inlay work of Agra)
Many myths surround the making of the Taj Mahal, including the apocryphal tale of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592-1666) having the hands of...
Loin loom weaving of Nagaland
Nagaland in the North-East of India is home to 16 main tribes and several sub-tribes each distinguished by custom, dress and dialect. The symbolic...
Lacquer craft of Etikoppaka
The small village of Etikoppaka in Andhra Pradesh has been known for its coloured lac coated turned wood objects for over two centuries. In...
Korai grass mats of Pattamadai
The interlacing of grasses, reeds, splits and leaves to weave mats finds mention in ancient Sanskrit texts of the Atharva Veda (1200 - 1000...
Kar-i-qalamdani (the painted papier-mâché of Kashmir)
It is believed that the craft of Kar-i-qalamdani—the skill of pen craftsmanship—was introduced in Kashmir in the fifteenth century when the then King Ghiyas-ud-Din...
Kani shawl of Kashmir
Myths abound about the genesis of the patterned kani pashmina weave in Kashmir. One legend ascribes the origin of the craft to the weavers...
Kalchatti (traditional cookware of Tamil Nadu)
In the small village of Thandankoundanpalayam, in Tamil Nadu, the locally available pale grey soapstone cookware, the kalchatti, is crafted in shapes that suit...
Kaavad (miniature portable shrines of Rajasthan)
The evidence of the antiquity of painted narrative traditions extends from architectural remains and mural paintings to textual evidence dating back to the third...
Horn carving of Kerala
Archeological findings of the finely carved ivory comb, unearthed in Mohenjodaro (2300-1750 BCE) and excavations from other later sites, have revealed the enduring use...
Jaipur quilted razai
Both the domestic and professional craft of hand-quilting in India extends across many living genres. This includes the visually detailed kantha and satgaon quilts...
Hand papermaking in Jaipur
In India the earliest extant texts on paper can be dated to the tenth century, when it is believed that the art of papermaking...