Medium: fabric, cardboard, cotton twine

Area: Rajasthan

Interesting Fact: 

Old Bahi Khatas have been a great resource for telling us about life and materials in the past. In many parts of western India—particularly in Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra—families still purchase these ledgers each year during the festival of Diwali to invoke prosperity for the coming year.

Medium: cotton yarn

Area: Assam

Interesting Fact: 

This gamocha, or shoulder cloth from Assam includes the jhaapi, a beautifully woven bamboo hat used by farmers, and the Bihu dhol, the festive drum played during the harvest celebrations of Bihu. Together, they symbolise joy, hard work, and the vibrant spirit of Assam’s harvest season.

Medium: wood and paint

Area: Andhra Pradesh

Interesting Fact: 

Toys are carved with Tella Poniki wood, a soft white wood that grows in the Kondapalli hills of Andhra Pradesh. Every detail is shaped and painted with precision, while the limbs are created independently. Then everything is joined using a paste of sawdust and tamarind seed powder.

Medium: moonj and rara grass

Area: Allahabad, Uttra Pradesh

Interesting Fact: 

Moonj baskets are used to store foodgrains and flour. Rotis stay fresh in a Moonj basket. 

Medium: paper and paint

Area: Bihar and Orissa

Interesting Fact: 

The paper mache masks and figurines are inspired by the patachitra art tradition. They use cloth and newspaper, with local gum to make the object. In the earlier times, paints were made from seashells and rocks.  

Medium: sikki grass

Area: Bihar

Interesting Fact: 

Sikki grass is so shiny and golden that villagers call it “nature’s own gold.” Long ago, girls would gather Sikki grass after the monsoon and weave bangles for their friends during festivals—each bangle was believed to bring luck and laughter to the wearer.

Medium: clay, paper, cloth and paint

Area: West Bengal, Jhaharkhand, Orissa

Interesting Fact: 

The colourful Chhau masks of Purulia are made from layers of soft paper and clay. Skilled artisans shape them by hand and then decorate them with bright feathers and sparkling foil—just like the masks worn in the lively Chhau dance during spring festivals.

Medium: metal, lac and enamel 

Area: Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh

Interesting Fact: 

To increase their weight, hollow silver forms are filled with lac. For enameling, the meena is finely milled and mixed with water, to which a small amount of itra (rose oil) is added to facilitate fusion.

The craft traces its origins to Persian artisans who traveled to the Avadh court in Lucknow in the 17th century and passed on their skills.

Medium: wood, chalk and paint 

Area: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Interesting Fact: 

Kahema wood, with its fine grain, can be carved with the precision of ivory. Its pale color, resistance to splintering, and ability to take on a gloss with minimal buffing make it highly valued. The majority of artisans reside in Ramnagar, across the Ganga, and are descendants of ivory carvers who served the royal court.

Medium: glazed ceramic 

Area: Jaipur, Rajasthan 

Interesting Fact: 

According to legend, Maharaja Sawai Ram II of Jaipur witnessed two artisan brothers, cut the thread of the royal kite. They had coated their kite string with a blueish glass-like dust. Impressed by them, he invited them to work at the School of Art in Jaipur and that is how the blue pottery came to Jaipur. 

To get the perfect blue, early artisans crushed Persian-style cobalt glass into a fine powder. The mixture was so magical that the craft never needed clay—Jaipur’s blue pottery is one of the only pottery styles in India that uses no clay at all!

Medium: terracotta clay 

Area: West Bengal

Interesting Fact: 

The Bankura terracotta horse is made in two halves. After firing, the potter joins them so perfectly that you can’t see the seam—children in Bengal often believe the horses “grow from the earth in one piece.

Medium: cloth and string 

Area: Rajasthan

Interesting Fact: 

A community of performing artists known as the Putli Bhats made puppetry popular in Rajasthan. They normally told stories about the king's bravery and kindness. 

Medium: silk

Area: Delhi

Interesting Fact: 

Gara is a traditional embroidery that is popular with the Parsi community of India. This rich silk embroidery often has floral motifs, animals, and sometimes even people and homes. 

Medium: cotton, wood, mirror

Area: Punjab

Interesting Fact: 

People from Punjab use this embroidered textile Phulkari - which literally means flower work (phul - flower, kari - work). This textile is used my Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities alike.

Medium: sarkanda sticks and nylon rope

Area: Haryana and Uttar Pradesh

Interesting Fact: 

The low stool, moodha, is an ubiquitous part of Indian homes. As a stool to sit, rest your feet, stand on to reach something high, or even as a table - it finds a use in every home. 

Medium: mother of pearl and marble 

Area:  Agra, Uttar Pradesh

The intricate art of Pachchikari is found across India's grand monuments and palaces. Made by fitting tiny pieces of colorful stone into marble, these delicate floral patterns have decorated walls, pillars, and tombs for centuries, turning stone into everlasting works of art.

Medium: terracotta and paint

Area: Kutch, Gujarat 

Interesting Fact: 

Black and white patterns are made on a red ochre (geru) base giving these pots a striking appearance. 

Medium: alloy and silver foil

Area: Kerala

Interesting Fact: 

Horns are made of keratin, the same protein that human hair is made of. It is thus believed that these combs reduce static and increase shine in our hair. Common motifs are birds, fish and peacocks. Each tooth of the comb is carved and polished by hand. 

Medium: animal horns, white chalk, glue

Area: Andhra Pradesh

Interesting Fact: 

Bidriware uses an alloy of zinc and copper that is rust proof and non corrosive, which was developed in Bidri, Karnataka. The characteristic black colour is credited to the black soil of Bidar fort. Popular motifs are floral and geometric, and sometimes even verses of the Quran. 

Medium: wood

Area: Udaygiri, Andhra Pradesh

Interesting Fact: 

There is a variety of wood used, such as kaldi chakka and bitti chakka. Smaller utensils are made of the bitti chakka wood, and bigger ones, used to serve curry and rice, are made of kaldi chakka. First, holes are drilled and then files are used to create the intricate patterns. 

Medium: yarn

Area: Gujarat

Interesting Fact: 

The entire cap is crocheted using a single length of thread! These caps are made by the women for the men of the Bohra community. 

Medium: gold leaf, silver wire, coloured glass or enamel

Area: Udaipur, Rajasthan

Interesting Fact: 

In earlier times, the craft showed hunting and war scenes from the lives and times of the kings who were patrons of the craft. In contemporary objects made by the artisans of Thewa, the motifs are generally floral or depict animals. 

Medium: gold and silver wire, leather

Area: Patiala, Punjab

Interesting Fact: 

The left and right juttis are the same, imagine being able to wear a shoe on either foot! The shoes are made by stitching and embroidery, no nails are used.