South Asia
Tang (camel girth belts of Jaisalmer)
In the past decorative accessories were crafted for animals serving the courts and temples with special armour fitted for those that served in battle....
Sarkanda (grass furniture of Haryana)
The knowledge of plant fibres and its processing into bridges or containers or mats or other items is based on age old learnings, innovative...
Sanjhi (hand-cut stencils for patterning)
Talismanic symbols and patterns invoking protection and wish-fulfillment are created on floors, courtyards and entrances with rice paste and dry colored powders across India....
Pith craft of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal
The craftsperson’s knowledge of seed and tree, grass and leaf and other plant material available in their surrounding habitats distinguish the making, skills and...
Pata (cotton handloom weaving in Kotpad, Odisha)
Fragments of woven madder-dyed cotton excavated at the Indus Valley site dating to the third century BCE provide evidence of an advanced knowledge of...
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...