Kutch Handicrafts of Gujarats
Kutch is one of India’s largest districts. Surrounded by the Arabian sea and the salt encrusted desert wilderness of the rann of kutch, this district is the last frontier of Many crafts and traditions that have changed little over the centuries.
Best described as a ‘cradle of craftsmanship’, kutch is the land of weaving, block-printing, bandhini tie- and dye, Rogan-painting and various styles of embroidery, pottery, wood –carving, metal-crafts, shell-work and other handicrafts.
The district also has a long history dating from the harapan civilization that thrived At cities like dholavira in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC to the jadeja Rajput rulers Who reigned from the1540s to the merger of states in the 1940s and endowed their Princely state with forts, palaces, temples and other monuments of historic and religious Importance.
For those interested in natural history, Kutch is the habitat of the endangered and Interesting wildlife species like the Indian wild ass. This district is widely reputated As a paradise for birdwatchers. Besides the reservoirs in the state that are important Habitats for water and waterside birds, and flyways for migrating birds, Kutch is also The breeding ground for critically endangered birds like the Indian bustard and the lesser florican.
EMBROIDERY
Inherited by the bequest of craft making the Kutchi people weave their dreams in different forms of embroidery. Kutch is world renowned for its mirrored embroideries. Most of these were traditionally stitched by village women, for themselves and their families, to create festivity, honor deities, or generate wealth. Embroideries contributed to the substantial economic exchange required for marriage and fulfilled other social obligations which required gifts. Be it, thread work or leather every village has a different and a unique style of making embroidery.HAND BLOCK PRINTING
Kutch is the homeland of a variety of hand printing textiles. Important among them are Ajrakh prints, Batik prints and Rogan painting.WOOD CARVING
Wood carving is one of the best handicrafts of Kutch. The Harijan people living in Dumaro and Ludia are master crafts persons of wood carving. They make various utensils like pastel roller, chapati disc, bottles, small table, glass etc. of the wood doing attractive carving. Generally, they use the teak wood and locally available `bahuv wood to prepare the fine artifacts.MUDWALL PAINTING
House in the Banni area are living museums of beautiful paintings Rabari and Harijan women folk are traditionally experts in depicting their dreams in painting. They turn houses into homes.The clay collected is mixed with camel dung and kept for a few days. Then it is kneaded to obtain sufficient plasticity and designs are worked on the mud wall using this clay mixture. Designs of mor (peacock) Popat (Parrot) anghadi (Fingers) Vinjno (Fan).