Ancient Indian

Craftmanship
“ Hastkala, hastshilp, dastkari, and karigari are typical Indian terminology for handicrafts.
They all indicate workmanship, but they also refer to products manufactured with
craftsmanship, i.e., specialized hand skills that are also beautiful.
The aesthetic element of such products is an integral aspect of their worth, implying that
the object of usefulness has a value that extends beyond its utility and is also attractive to
the sight.

”
A handcrafted product is rarely purely ornamental, and whether it is unadorned or heavily
embellished, its real purpose is served only when it is both functional and beautiful.

What are Handicrafts?

Types of Handicrafts

1. Glassware 2. Ivory Carving 3. Terracotta Craft

4. Silver Crafts 5. Metal Crafts 6. Clay and Pottery Work
7. Leather Products 8. Toy Making 9. Stoneware
10. Embroidery Craft 11. Floor Designs 12. Wooden Work
13. Cloth Handicrafts including Tie and Dye
Glassware:
Glassmaking in India, like most other artisan traditions,
has a long history. The Mahabharata, India's great epic,
contains a reference to it.
However, there is no evidence of glass beads in the early
Harappan civilisation based on material evidence.
The first material evidence comes in the form of beautiful
glass beads from the Ganges Valley's Painted Grey Ware
culture (c. 1000 BC).
Glass was referred to as kanch or kaca in the Vedic text
Satapatha Brahmana.
Glass archaeological evidence was discovered in the
southern part of India at Maski, a Chalcolithic site in
Deccan.
Glass bangles are an important component of Indian
jewelry history.
The most beautiful and elegant ones are made in
Hyderabad and are known as 'Churikajodas.'
Ferozabad, in Uttar Pradesh, is famed for its glass bangles
and utilitarian glassware.
Ivory Carving:
Ivory carving has been practiced in India since the Vedic time
when it was referred to as 'danta,' most likely as a reference to the
elephant's tusk, which provided the ivory.
Recent discoveries have revealed that ivory and ivory-based
products such as ivory dice were traded from India to
Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and areas of the Persian Gulf during
the Harappan period.
An inscription from Sanchi has been discovered dating from 2
BCE. It mentions the Vidisha guild of ivory workers and the
carved sculptures in the Sanchi Stupa.
Aside from these literary references, archaeological remains of
an ivory comb from Taxila have been discovered, demonstrating
that ivory was popular even in 2 A.D.
There are numerous ivory artefacts from the Mughal period that
were used for combs, dagger handles, and other ornaments.
Traditional ivory carving centres include Delhi, Jaipur, and parts
of West Bengal. They have created beautiful works of art,
caskets, palanquins, and the well-known Ambari Hathi. Other
important areas include:
Kerala - It is well-known for paintings on ivory.
Jodhpur - It is famous for ivory bangles.
Jaipur - It is well-known for its ivory jali work, which is used in
homes and small art objects.
Terracotta Crafts:
Terracotta, which literally means "baked earth," is a type of semi-fired ceramic
clay.
This process makes it waterproof and hard, making it ideal for sculpting and
architectural edifices.
It has also been widely used in the production of pottery and bricks.
Bankura Horse, Panchmura Horse, and Terracotta temples are some of the best
examples of terracotta craftsmanship in the Bankura district of West Bengal.
The Buddhist viharas, which date back to the ancient Pala period, are India's finest
examples of terracotta art.
Silver Crafts
Filigree work is one of the most well-known methods utilized by silver jewelry
designers.
The silver anklets known as painri and paijam are very popular in Odisha.
Gunchi is silver crocheted decorations that are one-of-a-kind.
The Bidri work done in Karnataka's Bidri village is also well-known for its beauty.
It employs silver inlay work against dark backgrounds.
Clay and Pottery Work
Pottery has been referred to as the "Lyric of handicrafts" because it is shaped like a
poetic composition and has a sensual appeal to the senses.
Making objects out of clay was one of the first crafts started by man.
The earliest evidence was discovered in the Neolithic site of Mehrgarh, which is
now located in Pakistan.
The relics show that the art of making clay pottery was highly developed in 6000
BC.
The most well-known pottery from the ancient period is Painted Grey Ware
pottery, which is typically grey in colour and was associated with the Vedic period
(1500-600 BC).
Silver Crafts:
Filigree work is one of the most well-known methods utilized by
silver jewelry designers.
The silver anklets known as painri and paijam are very popular in
Odisha.
Gunchi is silver crocheted decorations that are one-of-a-kind.
The Bidri work done in Karnataka's Bidri village is also well-known
for its beauty. It employs silver inlay work against dark backgrounds.
Wooden Work:
India has a large forest cover, and one of the main
products derived from these resources is wood.
Furniture is one of the most important products made from
wood. We can find exquisitely carved woodwork furniture
in sheesham wood, pinewood, and other materials.
Kashmir, where this art form has flourished since the 13th
century, is one of the most important centres for making
wooden furniture. They make extensive use of walnut and
deodar wood.
Because of the cold and wet climate, Kashmiri artists are
also skilled at creating wooden houses, houseboats, and
other structures.
Kashmiri lattice work, such as acche-dar, khatamband,
and azlipinjra, is some of the most exquisite woodwork.
Metal Crafts:
Metal casting in iron, copper, bell metal, and other
metals can be accomplished in a variety of ways.
These crafts are distinguished by the use of
ornamentation on metal through techniques such as
engraving, embossing, and damascening.
One of the most well-known techniques is
Rajasthan's Marori work, which involves using metal
to create etchings on the base metal and filling the
gaps with resin.
Clay and Pottery Work:
Pottery has been referred to as the "Lyric of handicrafts"
because it is shaped like a poetic composition and has a
sensual appeal to the senses.
Making objects out of clay was one of the first crafts started
by man.
The earliest evidence was discovered in the Neolithic site of
Mehrgarh, which is now located in Pakistan.
The relics show that the art of making clay pottery was
highly developed in 6000 BC.
The most well-known pottery from the ancient period is
Painted Grey Ware pottery, which is typically grey in colour
and was associated with the Vedic period (1500-600 BC).
Leather Products:
The art of leather tanning has been documented since 3000 BCE.
Although tigers and deer were among the first animals whose skins
were tanned, camels quickly became the most popular animal for
skinning.
It is said that in ancient times, the rishis, or wise men, who lived in the
forest, used animal skins as mats.
Even though leather was used during the Mughal period, the
degenerative nature of leather makes finding material evidence
difficult.
Currently, leather is primarily used in the manufacture of footwear,
bags, and wallets.
Rajasthan has the largest leather market, where camel leather is used to
make bags of various shapes and sizes.
Jaipur and Jodhpur are well-known for their Mojadis, which are
specialised types of leather footwear.Kanpur is another important city
in Uttar Pradesh, with a thriving economy based on leather and tanned
products. Kolhapuri chappals are also popular in Maharashtra.
Even Chennai and Kolkata are important leather bag and footwear
manufacturing centres. Punjabi juttis are also well-known due to the
use of an applique technique on the footwear, which makes them very
attractive. Manoti Art, which involves decorating articles with camel
skin, is another major technique of leather art practised in Bikaner.
Cloth Handicrafts:
Cloth is used for a variety of handicraft techniques, including
weaving and printing.
The artists create patterns on other materials by using wooden
blocks or printed cloths.
Tie and dye creates beautiful designs on fabrics, and there are
various techniques in India.
Bandhani or Bandhej, often known as the 'Tie and Dye' method
in English, is one of the most significant arts. This technique is
prevalent in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Kalamkari, which uses the art of hand painting on fabrics with
vegetable dyes of deep colours, is another ancient process that is
still used today. It is widely used in Andhra Pradesh.
Another lovely method of fabric decoration is Batik Art, in
which one end of the fabric is permeated with molten wax and
then dyed in cold to produce multicoloured batik saris and
dupattas.
Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal are well-known for their
batik art.
Embroidery:
The skill of creating elevated patterns using
threads or wooden blocks is unique among
textile crafts. This is known as embroidery,
and it is done with the use of needles and
gold, silver, silk, or cotton threads on cloth.
Weaving refers to the process of interlacing
yarn to produce textiles and fabrics.
The vertical thread is called the warp, while
the horizontal thread is referred to as the
weft.
Warp and weft are usually laced in fixed
patterns using a loom. The different ways of
lacing result in varied types of weaves.
Bronze Crafts:
Metals were used more for spears and arrows in ancient India than for
art.
Metal casting, on the other hand, has been used in craftsmanship for
over 5000 years.
Bronze work is one of the oldest art forms, as evidenced by the bronze
statue of a Dancing Girl from Mohenjodaro, which dates between 3500
and 3000 BCE.
We know that the first nonferrous metals used by humans were copper
and tin, which were combined to form bronze.
The Matasya Purana contains the earliest literary evidence about
various methods of casting bronze. Later texts, such as Nagarjuna's
Rasa Ratnakar, mentioned metal purity and zinc distillation.
Uttar Pradesh is the leading producer of bronze crafts, with major
centres such as Etawah, Sitapur, Varanasi, and Moradabad.
They make decorative items such as flower pots and images of Gods
and Goddesses.
They are also known for making ritual objects such as tamrapatra,
kanchantal, and panchpatra.
Tamil Nadu is another important centre for producing beautiful ancient
statues resembling art forms from the Pallava, Chola, Pandyan, and
Nayaka periods.
Toy Making:
Toy manufacturing is both an art and a thriving business.
The first evidence for toy carts can be found in the Harappan civilisation
and dates back to the early historic period.
Archeological sites from the Harappan period, such as Alamgirpur,
Ambkheri, Kalibangan, and Lothal, have models from which toy carts of
copper, bronze, and terracotta can be made.
Early historic sites such as Atranjikhera, Nagarjunakonda, Sambhar,
Sonapur, Ujjain, and Brahmpuri have similar cart models.
Toys were made of various materials in the ancient and mediaeval
periods, including clay, paper, papier-mâché, and painted or lacquered
wood.
Beautiful dolls were made of red wood, such as the Tirupati dolls popular
in Andhra Pradesh.
Rajasthan is well-known for its colourful cloth dolls and stuffed animals.
Traditional Assamese dolls are made of pith or Indian cork.
Southern Indian states are known for their expertise in making toys out of
various types of wood.
Because they are so exquisite, special toys made of lacquered wood are
also substituted for crafts in Mysore and Chennapatna.
Local soft wood known as ponki is used to make the Ambari Hathi, a
popular toy in Kondapalli, Andhra Pradesh.
Stoneware:
Stone masonry and crafting is one of the most popular arts in the country.
To create exquisite monuments during the ancient period, artisans needed carving
and sculpting skills.
South Indian towns have the best examples of stonework.
The artisans worked with a variety of stones to create their masterpieces, including
soft-brittle sandstone, patchy red stone, and hard granite.
The task was to create lifelike structures that resemble natural human postures.
The evidence of sculptures and architectural facades from Mauryan Period
monuments can be seen.
The rock-cut caves of Ajanta and Ellora, the erotic sculptures of Khajuraho, and
the Buddhist carvings of Sanchi and Bharhut are the best examples.
A good example in the hilly areas is the monolithic carving of the rock cut temple
at Masrur in the Kangra district.
This trend shifted dramatically during the Mughal period, when stonework gave
way to marble stonework.
They concentrated on Pietra Dura Work, which is inlay work with colourful stones
on marble.
They also erected numerous monuments out of sandstone. The Taj Mahal and
Itmad-ud-tomb, Daulah's both made of white marble, are among the most
magnificent monuments.
Rajasthan, which produces the renowned 'Sang-e-Marmar' or white Makrana
marble, is a major source of marble.
Another important location is Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, which produces articles made
of dark brown stone known as Sang-e Rathak.
Floor Designs:
This diverse art form transcends regional boundaries and can be found in a variety of states. They are frequently made under religious or family auspices.
In general, the designs are created freehand, beginning with a dot in the centre and expanding in concentric patterns of geometrical shapes such as circles, squares, triangles, straight lines,
and curves.
It is a natural way of drawing, starting in the centre and expanding with the repetition of a pattern.
The basic motif of the Chowkpurna designs of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, as well as the Aipan designs of Himachal Pradesh, is squares, circles, and triangles.
Mandana of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh means "mandan" (decoration). Patterns include squares, hexagons, triangles, and circles.
To make a mandana, the ground is cleaned with cowdung and several times finished with crimson red, which is made by mixing reticulated iron with water (red earth).
In Gujarat, Santhias are made to decorate the entrance of houses on special occasions.
In Maharashtra, Rangoli employs elegant shapes and motifs such as lotus, swastik, and others.
South Indian Kolam designs are drawn to connect an array of dots that vary in number, combination, and form.
The thin lines are created on a wet ground with powdered rice or white crushed stone powder. Red geru is used to outline kolam designs.
Hase is another name for it in Karnataka, Muggulu in Andhra Pradesh, and Golam in Kerala. Cosmological bodies, particularly the Sun and Moon, are also depicted.
Mandapa Kolams are large floor designs created specifically for marriage ceremonies.
The Odisha Jhonti and West Bengal and Assam Aripana designs are highly stylized. Conch shells, fish motifs, serpents, flowers, and other motifs are frequently used.
Conclusion:
Crafts are so tightly linked to the concepts of shape, pattern, design,
and usage, all of which contribute to its overall aesthetic appeal.
Crafts become a part of a country's cultural history when all of these
elements are embedded in the culture of the people in a certain region
or among specific communities. Handcrafted goods are valuable not
just for their aesthetic value, but also as ceremonial and religious
objects made by traditional craftsmen and women, and most
importantly as a source of income.