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Handcrafted For You

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Heritage Matters

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Lippan Art

Best Seller

Handcrafted Home Decor For You

In the Kutch, materials such as mud and mirrors are magically fashioned into one of the region’s most unique crafts – Lippan Kaam. Decorating walls and other spaces with lippan art. 

Lippan Kaam: The Glittering Art of the Kutch

Embroidery is synonymous with Kutch and, in the last few decades, the craft has undergone a great revival. In our online discussion, Heritage Matters, meet some of the people who support local artisan communities and have helped reinvent Kutchi embroidery to ensure its longevity

How the handicrafts of Kutch have seen a revival

Heritage Matters: Kutch Crafts – A Story of Revival

Did you know that the fabulous embroidery of the Kutch might have originally been done by cobblers in the 16th century? Trace the story of one of the region’s signature crafts and the communities identified by it today

Threads of the Kutch

The Vankars of Bhujodi in Kutch weave the magical story of their heritage into the shawls, stoles and blankets they make. Follow the highs and lows of their craft, and its resurrection.

Bhujodi Weaving: A Unique Kutchi Art

A poster girl for the Rabari community in Kutch, Gujarat, Pabiben took her raw talent and turned it into an enterprise that empowers 200 women. Catch the incredible story of how the gutsy ‘craftpreneur’ created her own label and took traditional embroidery to the next level

Pabiben: A Stitch In Time

Lost Cities



The story of the rise and fall of a powerful port

Mandvi - Once Upon a Port...

The quiet port town of Mandvi in Kutch is a popular destination for tourists. A sleepy port known for its white sandy beaches, with wooden sailboats bobbing on the sea, it is idyllic. But it wasn’t always like this. Once upon a time, in the late 18th and early 19th century CE, Mandvi was among the greatest and busiest ports in India. At the epicenter of sea and land trade which spread from Central Asia to the West coast of Africa and India, it was a key point in the triangular trade route between Oman, Mandvi and the hinter land of Punjab and Sindh.

The port of Mandvi is located on the coast of Kutch, around 60 kms from Bhuj. Through history, political change has always been the reason for the rise and fall of great cities and the same is true in the case of Mandvi. The most authoritative work on the rise and decline of Mandvi port is the book ‘Globalization before its time-The Gujarati Merchants from Kachchh’ by Chhaya Goswami, a noted historian who has studied the Kachchhi community extensively. Goswami says the story of the Mandvi port is the story of the visionary rulers of Kutch, its administrators and merchants.

The story of the rise and fall of a powerful port

Mandvi -  Once Upon a Port...

A ghost town on the western edge of India preserves the essence of Guru Nanak. Find out why Lakhpat is special to the Sikh community, on the Guru’s birth anniversary today

Lakhpat: The Last Bastion

Only the hopelessly romantic or intrepid traveller ever really makes it here, for the town of Lakhpat is perched literally on the edge of India. As you head out for this once thriving port city hidden away at the mouth of the Kori Creek, in the Kutch district of Gujarat, you are swallowed by the vast emptiness that stretches out before you. Not far along is India’s border with Pakistan.

During the 134-km-long drive from Bhuj, it’s just you, nature and the open road, interrupted occasionally by a maaldhaari and his herd. But at journey’s end, the most breath-taking sight awaits – the majestic walls of a fortified city edged by the Arabian Sea.

A ghost town on the western edge of India preserves the essence of Guru Nanak

In the centre of Bhuj in #Gujarat are the earthly reminders of the Jadeja royals. Find out what makes the chhatardis of this dynasty so special and why they are central to the region’s history

The Royal Cenotaphs of Bhuj

Find out what makes the chhatardis of Jadejas so special and why they are central to the region’s history

At a time when there is a National debate on our rivers, here is a story that underlines how fresh water bodies play such a crucial role and lessons history can teach.

Bhuj’s Lake of Life

Hamirsar Lake is a unique 450-year-old water management system, which has sustained the city of Bhuj for centuries.

Treasures

Bihar Museum Exhibition: Women and Deities

Trails

The Making of Jaipur

Pune before the Peshwas 

Tales of Shahjahanabad

Shola Durga

Lippan White Wall Mirror

Handmade Harappan Dancing Girl Replica in Dhokra Metal

Bastar Handmade Wrought Iron Spiral Tealight Holder

The region of Kutch is famous for its embroideries, but did you know that it was a famine that triggered the great revival of this art? Catch the story of how an attempt to create livelihoods led to a revolution in this episode of Heritage Matters.

You can now buy a variety of Ajrak products crafted by artisans in Kutch, keeping its ancient legacy alive. Just check out Peepul Tree India and click 

Shrujan: Reviving the Embroideries of Kutch

The story of how an attempt to create livelihoods led to a revolution

The Secrets of Ladakh: A Rare Journey

Dholavira: Tracing the Story of the Harappans

South Asian Masterpieces at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Revisiting India’s First Port City: Lothal

Join us on unforgettable journeys week after week and meet those who are defining the way we look at history

Shrujan: Reviving the Embroideries of Kutch

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