Heritage crafts
From 4,000-year-old Dhokra to 22-carat-gold Tanjore — each tradition has its place, its people, and its lineage.
Mithila, Bihar
Madhubani
Traditional folk painting from Bihar known for vibrant colors, intricate geometric patterns, and mythological themes.
ExploreHimalayan regions of India (Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh)
Thangka
Thangka are intricate Tibetan Buddhist scroll paintings, traditionally used as meditation aids and devotional objects in Himalayan regions.
ExploreRajasthan
Jaipur's cobalt-and-white glazed pottery made from quartz paste, without clay.
ExploreChhattisgarh
Dhokra
Lost-wax brass casting producing rustic tribal figures and jewellery.
ExploreTamil Nadu
Tanjore Painting
Devotional panels rich with gold foil, gem-like stones and rounded divine figures.
ExploreKerala
Coconut-fibre craft woven into mats, furnishings and decor.
ExploreKashmir
Fine needle embroidery that adorns Pashmina shawls with delicate motifs.
ExploreKashmir
Hook-needle chain-stitch embroidery worked at speed in fine detail.
ExploreUttarakhand
Ritual rice-paste patterns drawn on red ground for festivals and ceremonies.
ExploreGujarat
Complex multi-stage natural-dye block printing in indigo and madder.
ExploreMadhya Pradesh
Natural-dye block printing named for the Bagh river, in deep red and black.
ExploreAssam
Woven bamboo and cane household objects and furniture.
ExploreUttar Pradesh
Luxurious silk brocade weaving with gold and silver zari from Varanasi.
ExploreGujarat
Tie-dye craft of thousands of tiny hand-tied dots forming patterns.
ExploreWest Bengal
Terracotta craft famed for the stylised Bankura horse.
ExploreJammu & Kashmir
Bold, vivid Pahari miniatures with glowing colour and beetle-wing detailing.
ExploreWest Bengal
Scroll paintings unfurled by singing storytellers (patuas), narrating myth and contemporary events.
ExploreMadhya Pradesh
Bhil tribal painting where stories emerge from fields of multicoloured dots.
ExploreKarnataka
Blackened zinc-alloy metalware inlaid with shimmering silver.
ExploreMadhya Pradesh
Sheer, lightweight silk-cotton weaving with a glossy texture and zari.
ExploreKarnataka
Lacquered, lathe-turned wooden toys finished with food-safe colours.
ExploreTelangana
Vivid narrative scrolls painted in the Nakashi tradition for storyteller communities.
ExploreUttar Pradesh
Chikankari
Delicate white-on-white shadow embroidery from Lucknow.
ExploreRajasthan
Mud-resist hand block printing yielding rich indigo patterns.
ExploreAndhra Pradesh
Lacquer-turned wooden toys coloured with natural dyes.
ExploreOdisha
Hand-painted circular playing cards illustrated with mythological themes.
ExploreMadhya Pradesh
Adivasi art of dots and dashes forming vivid animals, trees and folklore of the Gond people.
ExploreWest Bengal
Fine muslin weaving with supplementary-weft motifs that seem to float.
ExploreKerala
Powdered-colour floor drawings of deities made for temple rituals.
ExploreAndhra Pradesh
Kalamkari
Hand-painted or block-printed cotton using a pen (kalam) and natural dyes.
ExploreWest Bengal
Bold, brush-swept Kolkata bazaar paintings on paper, satirising society and depicting gods.
ExploreHimachal Pradesh
Pahari miniature style of lyrical, naturalistic romance and Krishna themes.
ExploreTamil Nadu
Heavy, lustrous mulberry-silk sarees woven with contrast borders and zari.
ExploreWest Bengal
Running-stitch embroidery that quilts old cloth into story-rich textiles.
ExploreKarnataka
Intricate counted-thread embroidery traditionally worked on sarees.
ExploreKerala
Temple wall paintings in the five-colour panchavarna palette depicting Hindu epics.
ExploreHimachal Pradesh
Handloom woollen shawls with bold geometric end-borders.
ExploreRajasthan
Resist tie-dye creating rippling diagonal wave patterns.
ExploreManipur
Wheel-less black stoneware hand-shaped from serpentine rock and clay.
ExploreWest Bengal
Floor mats woven from madurkathi reed in fine patterns.
ExploreMadhya Pradesh
Reversible silk-cotton sarees with distinctive striped borders.
ExploreRajasthan
Floor and wall motifs drawn in chalk and ochre to welcome and protect the home.
ExploreGujarat
Hand-painted and block-printed temple cloths made for the Mother Goddess.
ExploreRajasthan
Vibrant enamel work fired onto metal jewellery and objects.
ExploreRajasthan
Hollow votive terracotta plaques of deities, hand-modelled in relief.
ExploreUttar Pradesh
Engraved and embossed brassware from the 'Brass City'.
ExploreAssam
Golden, naturally lustrous wild silk woven in Assam.
ExploreKarnataka
Classical South-Indian painting noted for gesso relief and delicate gold-leaf detailing.
ExploreKashmir
Lacquered paper-pulp objects painted with fine floral motifs (naqashi).
ExploreKashmir
Featherlight shawls hand-woven from fine Changthangi goat wool.
ExploreGujarat
Double-ikat silk weaving from Patan, dyed thread-by-thread before weaving.
ExploreRajasthan
Long horizontal scroll paintings narrating the epics of folk deities like Pabuji and Devnarayan.
ExplorePunjab
Phulkari
Floral darning embroidery worked in bright silk floss on coarse cotton.
ExploreRajasthan
Large devotional cloth paintings of Shrinathji, hung behind the deity in Nathdwara temples.
ExploreGujarat
Ritual wall paintings of horses by the Rathwa and Bhil communities.
ExploreTelangana
Resist-dyed ikat weaving producing geometric, softly blurred motifs.
ExploreRajasthan
Finely detailed court paintings of royal life, ragas and romance.
ExploreGujarat
Painting with thick, sun-thickened castor-oil paint laid in fine threads onto cloth.
ExploreUttar Pradesh
Deep floral relief carving on sheesham wood.
ExploreKarnataka
Fragrant, finely detailed figurative carving in sandalwood.
ExploreRajasthan
Fine floral block printing on white ground from Sanganer.
ExploreUttar Pradesh
Intricate paper-stencil craft used to make devotional Krishna imagery.
ExploreOdisha
Tribal icon-paintings (idital) of the Saora people — geometric and ritualistic.
ExploreBihar
Golden sikki-grass coiled and woven into baskets, boxes and figures.
ExploreJharkhand
Seasonal mud-and-charcoal wall art made by women for harvest and marriage.
ExploreTamil Nadu
Lost-wax bronze icons cast in the Chola sculptural tradition.
ExplorePunjab
Hand-hammered brass and copper utensils of Jandiala Guru.
ExploreTamil Nadu
Distinctive red-and-black counted embroidery (pukhoor) of the Toda people.
ExploreMaharashtra
Warli
Tribal wall art of monochrome geometry — circles, triangles and stick figures depicting daily and ceremonial life.
ExploreUttar Pradesh
Opulent metal-thread embroidery with sequins, beads and gota.
ExploreHelp us grow the catalog
India’s craft map is huge — there are regional traditions we haven’t documented yet. Suggest one, or tell us how an existing tradition is practised differently where you’re from.