Uttar Pradesh, a state with most religious, cultural and agricultural significance, has a craft tradition equally rich and old. From Benaras Brocade and Lucknow Chikankari to the Aligarh metal craft and Saharanpur woodcraft, there is so much to explore.
Weaving is one of the main crafts of Uttar Pradesh and the center of this craft is Varanasi or Benaras. Brocade, tanchoi and silk are the speciality of the weavers of Benaras. Benaras has also perfected the various style of brocade weaving. Brocade is described as a figured textile with the patterning woven in supplementary, usually discontinuous weft threads.
The other embroidery work of Uttar Pradesh has an aristocratic background and is known as Chikankari. Done predominantly in the Lucknow town, this embroidery is believed to be the embroidered imitation of Jamdani weaving of Bengal. This embroidery is done on sari,salwar kurta, men's kurta, mens cap, table linen and bed linen. As it is always done on cotton or fine muslin apparels, it sells the best in summer time in India.
The woodcraft in the country has a long history. We fine references of wood carving in the Rig Veda, in which the carpenters are called Taskans. In different regions and states of India, different styles have evolved down the ages. The specialization depends on factors like the kind of wood available and the craft tradition of the different regions. In Uttar Pradesh specializes in crafts made of Shesham wood. Shesham is a rich medium brown wood with deep grains.
Brass, an alloy that was achieved by fusing zinc with copper, exists in India since the third century BC. The fusion was done ensuring that the percentage of zinc was strictly maintained between twelve to fourteen percent. In Uttar Pradesh, there are two main centres of brass work. The first one is Moradabad, where the craft has a history as long as four hundred years and another one is Aligarh that is newer as copared to the former.
Weaving is one of the main crafts of Uttar Pradesh and the center of this craft is Varanasi or Benaras. Brocade, tanchoi and silk are the speciality of the weavers of Benaras. Benaras has also perfected the various style of brocade weaving. Brocade is described as a figured textile with the patterning woven in supplementary, usually discontinuous weft threads.The other embroidery work of Uttar Pradesh has an aristocratic background and is known as Chikankari. Done predominantly in the Lucknow town, this embroidery is believed to be the embroidered imitation of Jamdani weaving of Bengal. This embroidery is done on sari,salwar kurta, men's kurta, mens cap, table linen and bed linen. As it is always done on cotton or fine muslin apparels, it sells the best in summer time in India.The woodcraft in the country has a long history. We fine references of wood carving in the Rig Veda, in which the carpenters are called Taskans. In different regions and states of India, different styles have evolved down the ages. The specialization depends on factors like the kind of wood available and the craft tradition of the different regions. In Uttar Pradesh specializes in crafts made of Shesham wood. Shesham is a rich medium brown wood with deep grains.Brass, an alloy that was achieved by fusing zinc with copper, exists in India since the third century BC. The fusion was done ensuring that the percentage of zinc was strictly maintained between twelve to fourteen percent. In Uttar Pradesh, there are two main centres of brass work. The first one is Moradabad, where the craft has a history as long as four hundred years and another one is Aligarh that is newer as copared to the former.
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