Kachchh is known for the colourful silken threads that decorate traditional odhnis and batuas worn by Kachchhi women.  Embroidery is the region’s most visible and recognized craft.  Here there are 18 forms of embroideries; each represents Kachchh’s diverse cultures, communities, and unique landscapes.  Colour and craftsmanship are not limited to Kachchh embroideries.

There are over 20 other textile and non-textile craft sectors which constitute artisans’ primary source of income.  KHAMIR Craft Resource Centre currently works intensively with seven textile and non-textile crafts.  These crafts include: with ajrakh block printing, leather craft, lac turned wood, metal bell, pottery, silver jewellery, and handloom weaving.

There are over 20 textile and non-textile craft sectors in Kachchh

Below is a general overview of Kachchh’s predominant creative industries:

Ajrakh Block Prints

Blocks carved in traditional designs are coated in dye and pressed onto cloth. Layers of colours and prints are added between stages of rinsing, dyeing and sun drying.
Villages: Ajrakhpur and Dhamadka

Bandhani Tie and Dye

Delicate traditional designs are bunched and tied into cloth with a skillful stitching technique. The cloth is dyed in community-specific colours.
Villages: Tera, Mandvi, and Mundra

Batik

Artistic representations of flora, fauna and geometrical designs are painted or hand-printed in paraffin wax on fabric.  The wax resists the colorful shades of natural and chemical dyes.
Villages: Bhujpur, Anjar, Mundra and Mandvi

Carved Wood

Decorative deep and shallow relief designs are carved into architectural focal points, bird houses, and furniture merging styles from Gujarat and surrounding regions.
Villages: Ludiya and Meghpar

Copper Coated Metal Bells

Recycled metal is shaped into bells, finely tuned, and coated in burnished copper and brass.  Though sizes are standard, each bell has a unique coating and tone.
Village: Nirona, Jura, and Bhuj

Embroidery

18 types of hand embroidery bring culture and identity to the colourful silken threads which Kachchh women use to decorate fabrics and traditional dress.
Villages: Dhordo, Kuran, Vayor, Guneri, Dholaviar, and Sumrasar

Handcrafted Knives

Traditional knives include the chari with a steel or iron blade and a handle made from wood, plastic, or brass.  The chappu has an added spring and folds.
Village: Reha

Handloom Weaving

Traditional shawls, stoles, textiles, and carpets are hand woven with traditional motifs on pit and shuttle looms in local wool, cotton and silks.
Villages: Bhujodi and Sarli

Kharad

Hand loom artisans weave geometric patterns from camel hair and local desi wool on nomadic hand looms that were traditionally set up throughout Kachchh’s Great Rann.
Village: Kukma

Lac Turned Wood

Wood is turned on iron pegs as artisans carve it into kitchenware and furnishings and colour it with lac, a resin secreted by an indigenous insect.
Village: Nirona

Leather Work

Leather artisans skillfully decorate tanned leather with varnish, colourful ribbons and cut outs.  Leather craft products include fans, footwear, mirror frames, and lanterns.
Villages: Pragpar, Khavda, and Nirona

Mashroo

Colourful fabric is hand woven using a traditional technique where silk (rayon) is woven as fabric’s surface and cotton is retained at its base.
Villages: Don and Rayan

Mud Craft

Local clay, mirrors, and metal work decorate walls and furniture in traditional bungas.  Designs replicate embroidery motifs and local flora and fauna.
Villages: Throughout Kachchh

Namda

Felted motifs and designs are created by hand pressing and weaving local desi wool into floor mats and coverings for the backs of camels and horses.
Village: Gagodar and Mundra

Pottery

Local clay is sculpted, sun dried and fired into hand painted earthenware and ornamental pieces.  Decorative painted motifs differ depending on the buyer’s community.
Villages: Lodai

Rogan

Intricately painted fabrics are made by hand twisting colourful castor-based gum from a metal rod or stick into designs. The fabric is folded to create a mirror image of the painting.
Village: Nirona

Silver Craft

Silver, known for its white quality that resists tarnishing, is shaped into jewellery and vessels. Colourful work with meena brightens traditional designs.
Village: Dhori and clusters throughout Bhuj, Anjar and Nakhatrana