Rajasthan Shopping
A
magical sojourn reverberating with age old culture and traditions, the state enfolds
in its lap a diverse kaleidoscope of breathtakingly beautiful and fascinating
art-de-facts. The range is unparalleled even while it is sophisticated in its
simplicity.
It has something for almost every kind of traveler, revealing
a vast range of arts and crafts, which is a treat for the visuals and are ready
to be picked. The Bazaars spill with products and there is a magnificent glow
of colours all over.
Intricate work carved on handicrafts or the wonders
of gems and stones, it has it all and even more like the colours dancing on the
textiles and fabrics with silver or gold threads settings and complimented with
the variety of Silk-threads, Beads, Gota, Zari, Zardosi, Banarasi, etc. designed
by the age old families of skilled artisans.
The amazing use of clay
in the form of sculpture and decorative arts, the paintings from different schools
like Miniature, Mughal and the different Rajasthani shailis (school of art) and
more are piled up, revealing the medieval splashes and recording historic and
dramatic events. Almost capturing the senses!
The age old art of dyes
and colours hold the centre of attraction.
Every part of the state, every
town, every village is associated with the rich heritage of craftsmanship so particular
to Rajasthan. Entire villages practice crafts - sometimes a vast spectrum, on
other occasions just a single skill that can range from dhurrie weaving to terracotta
products.
These traditions once helped to form the different layers
of a self-supporting society in villages and towns, and it is this that has ensured
their survival. Most crafts are still practiced because they find use in local
society - the painters, for example, still do frescos on temple walls, and the
village cobbler makes thick-soled shoes for the farmers, reserving the more delicate
versions for visitors.
Today, Rajasthan's markets spill with an exciting array of goods: paintings, jewellery,
fabrics and textiles, soft-as-gossamer quilts, clay pottery and blue pottery,
dhurries and carpets, wood, metal and stone sculpture, leatherware and terracotta...
Little bells dance in the breeze, puppets dangle from strings, embroidered
footwear brightens up stores, lights glow in huge glass candelabra and gemstones
spill across pavements: in Rajasthan's treasure-trove, you could spend days simply
exploring the world of the artisan.
