Textiles & Weaving Traditions

Karnataka

Mysore silk weaving

Fine silk sarees woven with pure zari, a Mysore tradition dating to the Wadiyar dynasty.

Kerala

Balaramapuram handloom

Fine cotton handloom weaving known for the off-white Kerala kasavu mundu and saree with a gold border.

Tamil Nadu

Kanchipuram silk weaving

Heavy mulberry-silk sarees with contrasting borders and pallus, woven in the temple town of Kanchipuram.

Maharashtra

Paithani weaving

Silk sarees with ornate zari borders and pallus featuring peacocks and lotuses, from Paithan and Yeola.

Gujarat

Patan Patola weaving

Double-ikat silk sarees from Patan in which both warp and weft are dyed before weaving.

Gujarat

Kutch embroidery

Dense, colourful embroidery with mirror work, practised by the many communities of the Kutch region.

Rajasthan

Sanganeri and Bagru block printing

Hand block printing on cotton, from the towns of Sanganer and Bagru near Jaipur.

Rajasthan

Bandhani tie-dye

Resist-dyed textiles made by tying thousands of tiny knots before dyeing, worn across Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Madhya Pradesh

Chanderi weaving

Sheer, lightweight sarees of silk and cotton with fine zari motifs, from the town of Chanderi.

Madhya Pradesh

Maheshwari weaving

Cotton and silk sarees with reversible borders, woven in Maheshwar on the Narmada.

West Bengal

Kantha embroidery

Running-stitch embroidery that layers and quilts cloth, traditionally from old saris.

West Bengal

Baluchari saree weaving

Silk sarees whose pallus are woven with narrative scenes from epics and daily life.

Punjab

Phulkari embroidery

Bright floral darning-stitch embroidery on shawls and dupattas, made in Punjab.

Odisha

Pipili appliqué

Bright appliqué textiles of cut and stitched cloth, from the village of Pipili.

Uttar Pradesh

Banarasi silk weaving

Rich silk sarees and brocades with zari work, from Varanasi.

Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow chikankari

Fine white-on-white shadow embroidery on light cotton, from Lucknow.

Bihar

Bhagalpuri silk

Tussar silk fabric woven in and around Bhagalpur, known as India's 'silk city'.

Chhattisgarh

Kosa silk

Tussar (Kosa) silk woven in Chhattisgarh, with Champa known as a centre.

Assam

Muga silk weaving

Weaving of Assam's naturally golden Muga silk, unique to the state.

Jharkhand

Jharkhand tussar silk

Tussar silk produced and woven in Jharkhand, one of India's main tussar regions.

Haryana

Panipat handloom

Handloom furnishings, durries and rugs from the weaving centre of Panipat.

Telangana

Pochampally ikat

Geometric ikat textiles from Pochampally and nearby weaving villages.

Himachal Pradesh

Kullu shawl weaving

Woollen shawls with bright geometric borders, woven in the Kullu valley.

Himachal Pradesh

Chamba rumal

Embroidered handkerchiefs and covers that look the same on both sides, from Chamba.

Delhi

Zardozi embroidery

Rich metal-thread embroidery on silk and velvet, worked in Delhi's old workshops.

Manipur

Manipuri handloom

Handloom textiles woven by women across Manipur, including the phanek and innaphi.

Mizoram

Puan weaving

Handwoven Mizo textiles, including the traditional puan wrap.

Nagaland

Naga shawl weaving

Handwoven shawls whose patterns identify the tribe and status of the wearer.

Meghalaya

Ryndia (Eri silk) weaving

Weaving of Eri silk, known locally as Ryndia, especially in Ri-Bhoi district.

Tripura

Risa weaving

The Risa, a handwoven upper cloth worn by Tripuri women.

Sikkim

Lepcha weaving

Traditional textiles woven by the Lepcha community of Sikkim.

Arunachal Pradesh

Apatani weaving

Handwoven textiles of the Apatani community of the Ziro valley.

Jammu and Kashmir

Kashmir pashmina

Ultra-fine shawls hand-spun and handwoven from pashmina wool.

Ladakh

Ladakhi carpet weaving

Hand-knotted woollen carpets with Tibetan and Buddhist motifs.