Indian Handicrafts
1. Overview
- Handicrafts = non-mechanised, hand-made artefacts using indigenous raw materials.
- India = largest cottage-sector employer after agriculture (≈ 70 lakh artisans).
- Share in global handicraft exports: 2 % (≈ US $ 3.8 billion FY 2022-23).
- GeM portal & ODOP (One District-One Product) 2018 → boost e-marketing.
2. Historical Milestones
| Year / Period | Event |
|---|---|
| 3000 BCE | Indus Valley – stone, bead & terracotta crafts |
| 1556-1605 | Akbar – royal karkhanas in Agra, Fatehpur Sikri |
| 1851 | First Indian crafts display – Great Exhibition, London |
| 1905 | Swadeshi movement – boycott foreign goods, revival of hand-spinning |
| 1952 | All India Handicrafts Board (AIHB) constituted |
| 1965 | Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) set up |
| 1986 | Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana started (Ministry of Textiles) |
| 2000 | Handicrafts Mega-Cluster Scheme launched |
| 2015 | “Make in India” – 0% duty on 100 handicraft items |
| 2021 | Amazon Karigar, Flipkart Samarth onboard 10 lakh artisans |
3. Classification & Raw-material Base
| Category | Prime States | Typical Raw Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Textile & Embroidery | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal | Cotton, silk, wool, zari |
| Wood & Lac | Kashmir, Rajasthan, Karnataka | Walnut, teak, rosewood, lac resin |
| Metalware | Uttar Pradesh (Moradabad), Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh | Brass, bell-metal, wrought iron |
| Pottery/ Terracotta | Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh | Alluvial clay, quartz |
| Bamboo/ Cane | Assam, Tripura, Nagaland | Bamboo, rattan cane |
| Stone craft | Rajasthan, Odisha, Tamil Nadu | Marble, sandstone, granite |
| Jewellery | Rajasthan, Kerala, Telangana | Gold, silver, lac, glass |
4. GI-Tagged Masterpieces (Selected)
| Handicraft | State | GI Certificate No. & Year |
|---|---|---|
| Pashmina Shawl | J & K | 46/2008 |
| Blue Pottery | Rajasthan | 80/2009 |
| Channapatna Toys | Karnataka | 52/2005 |
| Kondapalli Bommalu | A.P. | 35/2007 |
| Madhubani Paintings | Bihar | 95/2007 |
| Thanjavur Painting | Tamil Nadu | 101/2007 |
| Bankura Terracotta | West Bengal | 119/2008 |
| Bastar Dhokra | Chhattisgarh | 129/2008 |
| Moradabad Metal Craft | U.P. | 147/2012 |
| Pipili Appliqué | Odisha | 172/2009 |
5. Export Performance (2022-23)
| Product Group | Value (US $ million) | % Share in handicraft exports |
|---|---|---|
| Handmade carpets | 1,410 | 37 % |
- India = world’s largest handmade carpet exporter (≈ 40 % global share). | Zari/ Zari goods | 520 | 14 % | | Art-metal ware | 470 | 12 % | | Wood-ware | 420 | 11 % | | Misc. handicrafts | 980 | 26 % | Total handicraft exports ≈ 3.8 billion US $
6. Government Schemes at a Glance
| Scheme | Launch Year | Key objective |
|---|---|---|
| Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana (AHVY) | 1986 | Integrated development of artisans’ clusters |
| National Handicraft Development Programme (NHDP) | 2012 | Design, marketing, R&D |
| Mega Cluster | 2000-01 | 100 % grant for common facility centres (CFC) |
| Craft Village / Hastkala Gram | 2015 | Live craft tourism hubs |
| SFURTI (PM Modi) | 2015 | 5 lakh artisans, 5 years, 710 clusters |
7. Famous Craft Clusters & Their Monikers
| Place | Nickname | Specialty |
|---|---|---|
| Moradabad, U.P. | “Brass City” | Brassware, electro-plating |
| Panipat, Haryana | “City of Weaver” | Durries, carpets |
| Bhagalpur, Bihar | “Silk City” | Tussar silk handicrafts |
| Sanganer/Jaipur | “Block-print Capital” | Bagru & Sanganer prints |
| Kanchipuram, TN | “Silk Loom City” | Hand-woven silk saris |
| Mirzapur-Bhadohi belt | “Carpet Belt” | 90 % of India’s handmade carpets |
| Chanderi, M.P. | “Royal Loom Town” | Lightweight silk-cotton mix |
| Firozabad, U.P. | “Glass City” | Glass bangles, beads |
8. Quick-Revision One-liners
- India has over 3,000 craft forms documented by the Crafts Council of India.
- EPCH headquarters: Noida (UP); CEPC (Carpet) HQ: New Delhi.
- World Crafts Council (WCC) founded 1964; HQ – New York; India joined 1964.
- Padma awards to crafts: 2023 – Shri Abdul Gafur Khatri (Tie-dye), Gujarat.
- Handicrafts Week celebrated every year from 8-14 August.
- Largest handicrafts fair – IHGF Delhi Fair (spring & autumn editions).
- e-Commerce portal for artisans: IndiaCraftsMart (2020) by EPCH.
- ODOP products: 1062 districts mapped; Varanasi – wooden lacquer ware & toys.
- Dhokra is the oldest known lost-wax casting technique (2500 BCE).
- Pattachitra paintings use natural stones & coconut shells for colours.
- Blue Pottery contains no clay; uses quartz, glass, multani mitti.
- Zardozi is Persian embroidery using gold/silver coils on silk.
- Cane & Bamboo Technology Centre (CBTC) – Guwahati, Assam.
- Handmade carpet export earns more foreign exchange than handicraft + handloom combined.
- Craftmark is the certification label of Crafts Council of India (CCI).
9. Practice MCQs for Railway Exams
Q1. Which state is famous for the GI-tagged “Blue Pottery” handicraft? a) Gujarat b) Rajasthan c) Uttar Pradesh d) Karnataka
Ans: b) Rajasthan
Q2. The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) was set up in
a) 1952 b) 1965 c) 1975 d) 1982
Ans: b) 1965
Q3. “Brass City of India” is the sobriquet of
a) Moradabad b) Firozabad c) Bhagalpur d) Panipat
Ans: a) Moradabad
Q4. India’s share in global handicraft exports is approximately
a) 1 % b) 2 % c) 5 % d) 10 %
Ans: b) 2 %
Q5. Which of the following handicrafts uses the lost-wax casting technique?
a) Blue Pottery b) Dhokra c) Zardozi d) Channapatna toys
Ans: b) Dhokra
Q6. The All India Handicrafts Board was constituted in
a) 1947 b) 1952 c) 1957 d) 1962
Ans: b) 1952
Q7. “Carpet Belt” of India is primarily located in
a) Mirzapur-Bhadohi b) Jaipur-Sanganer c) Kanchipuram d) Nadia-Murshidabad
Ans: a) Mirzapur-Bhadohi
Q8. Which craft is NOT clay-based?
a) Blue Pottery b) Terracotta c) Black pottery d) Khavda pottery
Ans: a) Blue Pottery
Q9. The headquarters of EPCH is situated at
a) New Delhi b) Mumbai c) Noida d) Kolkata
Ans: c) Noida
Q10. One District One Product (ODOP) initiative was launched in
a) 2014 b) 2016 c) 2018 d) 2020
Ans: c) 2018
Q11. Which of the following is a GI-tagged wooden toy craft?
a) Kondapalli b) Pattachitra c) Pipli d) Kalamkari
Ans: a) Kondapalli
Q12. The oldest evidence of bead-making craft in India comes from
a) Mauryan period b) Gupta period c) Indus Valley Civilisation d) Vedic period
Ans: c) Indus Valley Civilisation
Q13. Which ministry implements the Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojana?
a) MSME b) Textiles c) Culture d) Tourism
Ans: b) Textiles
Q14. India is the largest exporter in the world of
a) Blue pottery b) Handmade carpets c) Terracotta jewellery d) Cane furniture
Ans: b) Handmade carpets
Q15. “Craftmark” label is issued by
a) EPCH b) CCI c) NHDC d) TRIFED
Ans: b) CCI (Crafts Council of India)
Q16. Handicrafts Week is observed during
a) 1-7 Aug b) 8-14 Aug c) 15-21 Aug d) 2-8 Oct
Ans: b) 8-14 Aug
Q17. Which of the following is a GI craft of Bihar?
a) Channapatna toys b) Madhubani painting c) Blue pottery d) Pattachitra
Ans: b) Madhubani painting
Q18. The World Crafts Council (WCC) was founded in
a) 1950 b) 1964 c) 1971 d) 1980
Ans: b) 1964
Q19. Which city is known as the “Silk City” for Tussar silk handicrafts?
a) Varanasi b) Bhagalpur c) Mysuru d) Kanchipuram
Ans: b) Bhagalpur
Q20. The raw material of traditional Blue Pottery does NOT include
a) Quartz b) Glass c) Multani mitti d) Clay
Ans: d) Clay
Last-minute cheat: Remember “2-3-8” → 2 % global share, 3 k craft forms, 8 days (8-14 Aug) Handicrafts Week!
BETA
