26 Textile arts of India

Bagh print is a traditional Indian handicraft originating in Bagh, Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, India. The process is characterised by hand printed wood block relief prints with naturally sourced pigments and dyes. Bagh print motifs are typically geometric, paisley, or floral compositions design, dyed with vegetable colours of red and black over a white background, and is a popular textile printing product. Its name is derived from the village Bagh located on the banks of the Bagh River.

A Banarasi sari is a sari made in Varanasi, an ancient city which is also called Benares (Banaras). The saris are among the finest saris in India and are known for their gold and silver brocade or zari, fine silk and opulent embroidery. The saris are made of finely woven silk and are decorated with intricate design, and, because of these engravings, are relatively heavy.

Bandhani is a type of tie-dye textile decorated by plucking the cloth with the fingernails into many tiny bindings that form a figurative design. The term bandhani is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root bandh. Today, most Bandhani making centers are situated in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Sindh, Punjab region and in Tamil Nadu where it is known as Sungudi. Earliest evidence of Bandhani dates back to Indus Valley Civilization where dyeing was done as early as 4000 B.C. The earliest example of the most pervasive type of Bandhani dots can be seen in the 6th century paintings depicting the life of Buddha found on the wall of Cave 1 at Ajanta. Bandhani is also known as Bandhej Saree, Bandhni, Piliya, and Chungidi in Tamil and regional dialects. Other tying techniques include Mothra, Ekdali and Shikari depending on the manner in which the cloth is tied. The final products are known with various names including Khombi, Ghar Chola, Patori and Chandrokhani

The Chamba Rumal or Chamba handkerchief is an embroidered handicraft that was once promoted under the patronage of the former rulers of Chamba kingdom. It is a common item of gift during marriages with detailed patterns in bright and pleasing color schemes.

The Chhipa are a community or clan of people with ancestral roots tracing back to India. They are found in the state of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh of India. A few Chhipa are also found in the city of Karachi in Pakistan.

A dhurrie is an Indian term for a handwoven rug or a thin flat carpet, an item of home furnishing. The dhurries have unique designs inspired by the state of origin such as multicolor stripes, one of the most popular patterns. Dhurrie weaving was a big industry in rural India. Dhurries are used traditionally in South Asia as floor-coverings.

Godadi is a Gujarati word for a blanket. It is a special kind of blanket, embroidered and made by patching various pieces of cloth. Godadi used to be handmade by housewives from Gujarat, especially from the Kutch district. Today in Gujarat, the "Godadi" word is taken as a general term for blanket that is available in the supermarkets and shopping malls. However, people who know the "Godadi" word will always picture embroidered cloth that is used as a blanket.

Gopalpur is a village known for producing Tussar fabrics. It is in Jajpur District in the Indian state of Odisha. This handicraft received the Geographical Indication tag by the Government of India in 2009. Tussar textiles are related to dhoti, joda, Shawl stole, scarves and saris.

Habaspuri is a cotton-based traditional handloom textiles of Odisha, India. Habaspuri sari is a major product of this textile. The Kondha weavers of Chicheguda, Kalahandi district, Odisha are originally attributed for weaving of the Habaspuri fabric. For its uniqueness in weaving, design and production, it has been identified as one of the 14 Geographical Indications of Odisha. The textile has traditional patterns of the region like kumbha (temple), fish and flowers.

Handloom saris are a traditional textile art of Bangladesh and India. The production of handloom saris are important for economic development in rural India.

Himroo is a fabric made of silk and cotton, which is grown locally in Aurangabad. Himroo was brought to Aurangabad in the reign of Mohammad Tughlaq, when he had shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad, Aurangabad. The word himroo originated from Persian word Hum-ruh which means 'similar'. Himroo is a replication of Kinkhwab, which was woven with pure golden and silver threads in olden days, and was meant for the royal families.

Indian Institutes of Handloom Technology (IIHTs) are government run public institutes of higher education in the handloom sector. There are six institutes in central sector and four in State sector. All IIHTs provide a three-year Diploma in Handloom and Textile Technology. The Varanasi and Salem campuses also offer a one and half year Post Diploma in Textile Processing.The Salem campus also offer a four-year B.Tech. Degree in Handloom and Textile Technology.

Kalamkari is a type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile produced in Isfahan, Iran, and in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Only natural dyes are used in Kalamkari, which involves twenty-three steps.

Khadi, derived from khaddar, is a hand spun and woven natural fibre cloth coined in 1918 by Mahatma Gandhi during freedom struggle of the Indian subcontinent, 'Khadi' term is used throughout India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The first piece of the hand-woven cloth was manufactured in the Sabarmati Ashram during 1917-18. The coarseness of the cloth led Gandhi to call it 'khadi'. The cloth is usually hand spun and woven from cotton. However, it may also include silk or wool, which are all spun into yarn on a spinning wheel called a charkha. It is a versatile fabric, cool in summer and warm in winter. In order to improve its looks, khādī/khaddar is sometimes starched to give it a stiffer feel. It is widely accepted in various fashion circles. Popular dresses are made using khadi cloth such as dhoti, kurta, and handloom sarees such as Puttapaka Saree, Kotpad Handloom fabrics, Chamba Rumal, Tussar silk etc. Gajam Anjaiah, an Indian master handloom designer and a recipient of the Padma Shri, is known for his innovation and development of tie-dye handloom products along with the Telia Rumal technique of weaving products based on the Ikat process.

Khes is a thin cotton blanket cloth of the Indian subcontinent; it is a damask cloth used for blankets and winter wraps. Khes is generally hand-woven with coarse cotton yarns. Khes as a garment is a simple clothing item to wear loosely to cover upper body parts by men in Pakistan and Punjab, India. Khes is an important cloth of Punjab region, a region which is famous for its production and historically has been known for not only the production of Khes but also many other coarse cotton textiles, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. Khes is a comfort object used in bedding, and also usable as a cover.

Mashru is a woven cloth that is a mix of silk and cotton. Historically, it was a hand-woven satin silk fabric variety found in the Indian subcontinent, and its proper use is described in the 16th-century Ain-i-Akbari.

Odisha Ikat is a kind of ikat, a resist dyeing technique, originating from Indian state of Odisha, adapted from ikat in Indonesia. Also known as "Bandha of Odisha", it is a geographically tagged product of Odisha since 2007. It is made through a process of tie-dying the warp and weft threads to create the design on the loom prior to weaving. It is unlike any other ikat woven in the rest of the country because of its design process, which has been called "poetry on the loom". This design is in vogue only at the western and eastern regions of Odisha; similar designs are produced by community groups called the Bhulia, Kostha Asani, and Patara. The fabric gives a striking curvilinear appearance. Saris made out of this fabric feature bands of brocade in the borders and also at the ends, called anchal or pallu. Its forms are purposefully feathered, giving the edges a "hazy and fragile" appearance. Ikat's equivalent usage in Malay-Indonesian language is ikat or mengikat, which means "to tie or to bind".

A palampore or (Palempore) is a type of hand-painted and mordant-dyed bed cover that was made in India for the export market during the eighteenth century and very early nineteenth century. Only the wealthiest classes could afford to buy palampore; therefore, the few examples that have survived are often quite valuable today. Palampore were primarily exported to Europe and to Dutch colonists in Indonesia and what was then called Ceylon.

Pedana Kalamkari also known as Machilipatnam style of Kalamkari work which involves vegetable dyed block-painting of a fabric. it is produced at Pedana a nearby town of Machilipatnam in Krishna district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was registered as one of the geographical indication from Andhra Pradesh under handicraft goods by Geographical Indications of Goods Act, 1999.

Rogan painting, is an art of cloth printing practiced in the Kutch District of Gujarat, India. In this craft, paint made from boiled oil and vegetable dyes is laid down on fabric using either a metal block (printing) or a stylus (painting). The craft nearly died out in the late 20th century, with rogan painting being practiced by only two families in the same village.

Silk in the Indian subcontinent is a luxury good. In India, about 97% of the raw mulberry silk is produced in the Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. Mysore and North Bangalore, the upcoming site of a US$20 million "Silk City", contribute to a majority of silk production. Another emerging silk producer is Tamil Nadu where mulberry cultivation is concentrated in Salem, Erode and Dharmapuri districts. Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and Gobichettipalayam, Tamil Nadu were the first locations to have automated silk reeling units.

Silk weaving is a manufacturing industry in Varanasi. Varanasi is known throughout India for its production of very fine silk and Banarasi saris.

Solapur Terry Towel is terry towel weaving or knitting work that are manufactured in the Solapur district of Maharashtra state, India. The terry towel work has been protected under the Geographical indication (GI) of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement. It is listed at item 9 as "Solapur Terry Towel" of the GI Act 1999 of the Government of India with registration confirmed by the Controller General of Patents Designs and Trademarks.

Srikalahasti Kalamkari is a style of Kalamkari work which involves dyed hand-painting of a fabric. It is produced in Srikalahasti of Chittoor district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was registered as one of the geographical indication from Andhra Pradesh, under handicraft goods by Geographical Indications of Goods Act, 1999.

Toran, 'Toranam (Tamil), also known as Bandanwal, refer to a decorative door hanging in Hinduism, usually decorated with marigolds and mango leaves, or a string that is tied on the door with the flower on it as a part of traditional Hindu culture on the occasion of festivals and weddings. A toran may feature colours such as green, yellow and red. They can be made of fabrics or metals which are usually made to resemble mango leaves. Peepal tree leaves are also used to make torans at some places in India. They also have other decorative features depending on the region.

Vrindavani Vastra is a drape woven by Assamese weavers led by Mathuradas Burha Aata during 16th century under the guidance of Srimanta Sankardeva, a Vaishnavite saint and scholar who lived in present-day Assam. The lead weaver Mathuradas Burha Aata a disciple of Sri Sir Madhabdev was the first Satradhikar of the great Barpeta satra. Mathuradas Burha Aata along with his 12 assistant weavers wove the Brindavani Bastra. The large drape illustrates the childhood activities of Lord Krishna in Vrindavan. Parts of the original Vrindavani vastra are presently owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and Musee Guimet in Paris. The piece of cloth demonstrates the skillful weaving methods developed during medieval times and such complexity is rarely seen in present-day Assam.