The Villg

BEAUTY OF BANARAS AT ITS BEST

BANARSI FABRIC CRAFT VARANASI

The Banarsi fabric is one of the finest fabrics to be found all over India and is famous for its gold and silver borders or zari, the fine silk used and simple and beautiful embroidery. The sarees are made of finely woven silk and are decorated with simple yet elegant designs, and are heavy because of these gold and silver engravings.

The eccentric characteristics of these fabrics are their designs inspired from the exertion of Mughals. Banaras, since ancient times, has been widely known for its fabric. The earliest mention of ZARI work can be found in the early nineteenth century. With the migration of silk weavers from Gujarat to the cities in Varanasi the silk cloth weaving started in Banaras in the seventeenth century and developed to its greater extent during the 18th and 19th century. Before silk weaving, Banaras was known for its growing cotton textile industry.

Silk fabric is an evergreen sector. The fabric produced is not only used in India but is also exported to various countries. Every tourist visiting Banaras definitely buys one saree made of this exclusive fabric. The fabric is not just beautiful but is also known for its unique patterns, amazing stitching details and skin-friendliness.

THE ANTIQUITY OF AZAMGARH THROUGH ITS LEGACY OF BLACK POTTERY

BLACK POTTERY- AZAMGARH-25%

Black pottery is a much different handicraft from the regular pottery due to its dark coloured texture along with fine silver decorations. The history of this beautiful art is traced back to the Kutch region of Gujrat. Some artisans from that region moved to Nizamabad during the Mughal rule. The craft was developed with the use of locally available fine textured clay. This particular smooth black clay is available all over the district in plenty of amounts. Inspiration of the unique element that is the silver geometric and floral design is taken from the craft of Hyderabad where they use silver wire to design their pottery. This art is of extreme historical importance due to its resemblance with the art and craft of iron age.

Due to poor industrial establishment in Azamgarh, the main occupation of the people here is either agriculture or pottery. Around 200 families are involved in the development of this craft which is mainly used to attract tourism and is exported to other countries. The potters make tea-pots, sugar-bowls and other decorative articles like the earthen wares and statues of Gods and Goddesses are also made. These products are popular during major festivals and local fairs. Over ages the art has been forwarded as a legacy in families of Azamgarh.

You will find such fine work of pottery on The Villg. The products are premium quality and nurtured with hand of artisans. We aim to provide a International platform work such pieces of art. Help save these antique art and craft from Azamagrh.

JUTE WALL HANGING – GHAZIPUR

An established image of the artwork by Ghazipur Artisans

Since the past few years, the artisans of Ghazipur have engaged in various crafts work amongst which the most famous is Jute Wall Hangings. These are mainly for house decorative purposes and are designed with utmost keenness. The design relates a lot to regular lives. These include scenes from farms, sunset, sunrise, women going to fetch water, boats in the river, etc. The designs also have animals carefully woven in a unique and bright pattern.

Beautiful *SCENERY* on Jute Wall -Hanging

These wall hangings are magnificent products for home decorations, offices, restaurants, hotels, etc. and are widely used all over India to give a classy look to the walls. Due to poor industrial development, most of the families are involved in agriculture and wall hanging crafts. Other jute crafts are also developed in Ghazipur district.

Jute is a 100% natural and biodegradable fibre that makes these handicrafts eco-friendly and green. The cost of jute is comparatively less to various farm products used for craft purposes thus allowing the sale of these wall hangings at a reasonable price, which also makes it high in demand.

HANDICRAFTS – THE SECTOR AT ITS EVOLUTION

Handicrafts depict the culture, dignity and the elegant style of India. Handicrafts from various parts of the country has their own stories to tell, a tale of hard work and dedication of the artisans making them.
The oldest crafts age around 5000 yrs. The tales behind them shows the religious, cultural and administrative diversities, thus plays a major part of knowing the glorious history of the country.
The modern handicrafts are the shadows of its ancient forms and are used as decorations to get a classy and elegant look. In the countryside of India, handicraft is a major occupation and contributes greatly to the Indian economy. It captures a great market in tourism and heritage sector.
The beauty of handicraft is that every piece is unique and designed separately. The fact that a piece is always original increases its cost in the market.
Despite of being in demand in the foreign countries and being an essential part of higher living standards, the artisans and designers face a lot of financial problems due to the mediators involved. These artisans do not receive the entire credit which is now leading towards the deterioration of this art.
It is important to help nurture and cultivate this art to regain its former glory.