Rock painting in caves are the earliest specimens we have of folk-art, as conventionally understood.

Floor painting:
When we come to a later period, we find a definite established tradition of paintings on various objects, particularly floors, walls and on intimate objects of everyday use, and in most instances the act being associated with some ritual. The origin of painting is traced to a moving legend recorded in the Chitralakshana-the earliest Indian treatise on painting. When the son of a king’s high priest died, Lord Brahma (the Creator) asked the king to paint a likeness of the boy so that he can breathe life into him again. This is how the first painting was made.

The Chola rulers in the south made extensive use of kolam, floor designs. These decorations done only by women are amongst the most expressive of folk-arts. They are known by different names in different parts of the country, alpana in Bengal and Assam, aripana in Bihar, mandana in Rajasthan, rangoli, chowkpurana in Uttar Pradesh (except the Kumaon region) and kolam in the South.

The Rajasthani mandana is equally rich. Floor paintings in Andhra are known as muggulu and Himachal Pradesh has its own distinctive floor paintings with geometrical patterns.

Wall Paintings:
The paintings on walls have deeper themes, also narratives in a series of panels. Apart from their decorative purpose, they also constitute a form of visual education like picture books from which one learns of one’s heritage.

Wall paintings in Punjab, outer Delhi and Rajasthan are usually made at festivals and special occasions like marriages.

Folk paintings in Rajasthan attained a high standard and artists won great fame in this art. The themes are from epics and heroic Rajput tales. In the Kumaon, the usual wall pictures are known as bar-boon (dash and dot). The pattern is done by first putting down a number of dots to make the outline of the design, then joining them together by lines in different colours. This calls for intense concentration and immense patience, for an errors in a single dot or dash can upset the entire composition. Each pattern is known by the number of dots used. One is known as mast-barmat design, a composition of ten dots and the colours used are yellow, violet and green. There are all-over designs of roses and jasmines covering the entire wall.

Phad Paintings:
Phad paintings are predominantly yellow, red and green coloured long scrolls carried by the ‘Bhopas’, itinerant balladeers of Rajasthan, who narrated in song the legend of Pabhji - a local hero - on auspicious occasions to the accompaniment of the folk instrument ‘Ravahatta’ made by the Joshis of Shahpur, near Bhilwara. Phads are now also available in smaller panels portraying single incidents or characters from the epic.

Mughal Miniature Paintings:
Miniature paintings, which flourished during the Mughal period, are painstakingly painted creations that depict the events and lifestyle of the Mughals in their magnificent palaces. Other paintings include portraits or studies of wildlife and plants. This art is still alive and popular in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Madubani:
The wall paintings of Mudhubani are joyous expressions of the women of Madhubani, Bihar. The lively compositions and the vibrant colours are drawn from Indian mythology.

Ideal places to shop: Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal.

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The textiles of India demonstrate skilful weaving techniques, inimitable colour combinations and fascinating designs that make them a class apart in domestic & overseas markets.

Brocade Textiles:
Extreme softness, vivid colours and translucent texture characterises the silk weaving of India.

Varanasi, an important silk weaving centre is famous not only for its brocade or kinkab (superb weaving in gold and silver), but also for the wide variety of techniques and styles.

The brocades are distinguished by apt poetic names like chand tara (moon and stars),. dhupchhaon (sunshine and shade), mazchar (ripples of silver), morgala (peacock’s neck), bulbul chasm (nightingale’s eyes)

Varanasi is also famous for the tanchoi saree which resembles a fine miniature. Its origin can be traced to three Indian Parsi brothers by the name of Choi. In tanchoi sarees the designs are always floral with interspersing of birds.

Mubarakpur is one of the important silk weaving centres in the area.
Jamdani or ‘figured muslin’ traditionally woven in Dacca is now the specialty of Tanda in Faizabad. The cotton fabric is brocaded with cotton and sometimes with zari threads.

Each region has its typical technical skills and variations and the silk of Mysore, Kanchipuram, Murshidabad and Kashmir are as well known as the cotton sarees of Bengal or the cotton and silk maheswaris of Madhya Pradesh.

The famous ikat technique is used in the Patolas of Gujarat and Orissa.

Embroidery:
In the field of ornamentation, embroidery alone can match jewellery in splendour. It is an expression of emotions, rendered with patient labour which induces grace and elegance into articles of everyday use.

Noor Jehan, the wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, is said to have introduced the chikan embroidery to Uttar Pradesh.

The chikan work of Lucknow, patterned on lace is delicate and subtle. The stitch by its sheer excellence provides ornamentation to the material. The charm lies in the minuteness of the floral motifs. Stitches used are satin stitch, buttonhole stitch, dar stitch, knot stitch, netting and applique work which brings a charming shadowy effect on lace.

Embroidery done in metal wires by kalabattu, or zari as it is popularly called, is in a class by itself. The heavier and more elaborate work is called zardozi. The ground material used is heavy silk, velvet or satin . Salma sitara, gijai. badla, katori, seed pearls are used for decoration. Kamdani, a lighter needle work done on lighter material, produces a lovely glittering effect, especially in designs known as hazara booti, thousand dots, done with zari thread. Kamdani is used for weaving apparel such as scarves, veils, caps etc.

Hand Block Printing:
The fabric is further decorated by printing designs on it. Hand block printing in India was the chief occupation of the chhipas- a community of printers. They used metal or wooden blocks to print designs on the fabrics by hand. This technique is in vogue even today.

Besides Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh is also a veritable treasure house of traditional designs which range from the classical booties, known as dots of Kanauj, to the universal Mango and the famous Tree of Life.

The great colour belt in India extends from the interior of Sind through the deserts of Kutch, Kathiawar, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Rajasthan and Gujarat are particularly noted for its bandhini design.

Ethnic Dresses:
Smile, but do not laugh, if you see a young French woman wearing a Kashmiri Shikara dress or Rajasthani ghagra and choli. India being a land of various communities, you can be sure of falling to the temptation of buying at least half a dozen ethnic dresses from various parts of the country. These are freely available in the respective local markets.

Ideal place to Shop: Varanasi, Mysore, Kashmir, Lucknow, Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Chennai, Kerala.

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Cane & Moonj:
For those who prefer ethnic with the raw look, India offers a superb selection of baskets made of moonj grass. These are available in attractive blends of traditional designs and modern functional utility.

Durable and decorative cane furniture and other articles made here are a major draw as items for export. World imports of basketwork and related products are quite substantial.

Ideal Places To Shop: Kashmir, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Decorative work:
Patra furniture is plated with white metal which is intricately carved and engraved. This exquisite metal work which once adorned their furniture in the palaces of royalties is popular even today and is the pride of Rajasthan.

Lac furniture from Gujarat is exquisite in variety and embellished with workmanship called Sankheda.

From Kashmir and many parts of Rajasthan come exquisitely carved furniture.

Ideal Places to Shop: Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kashmir, Assam, Tripura, Orissa and Punjab.

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Carpets:
Pleasing to the eye and soothing for the mind, the floor coverings of India are heart-winners.

The main centres are Bhadohi, Agra, Amritsar, Jaipur, Gwalior and Kashmir. Being mostly export-oriented the weavers can produce almost any design. However they have a few distinctive designs of their own like the Raj Mahal. The carpets are so exquisitely made that they are often used as wall hangings. Improvements in the techniques of washing, have given them a more lustrous shine.

The Mughal emperors provided patronage to this art and raised it to lofty heights, with Agra being one of the oldest carpet centres. Today it is a compact industry and does both traditional as well as modern designs.

The "calling out" or "pher bolna" system still prevails in Agra. The master weaver alone follows the design and keeps calling out to the weavers about colours to be used for each knot.

High quality carpets are produced mostly in three varieties: Persian (Ispahan & Kashan), Turkoman and Aubusson (French).

Indo- Ispahan is done with the long leaf & flower and the Indo-kashan with the small leaf and flower. In the Indo-Turkoman the Mohra Bokhara is made with the typical octagonal patterns. An interesting point in its colouring is the use of the same colour in different shades. For instance, a red background will have a dark blue border with two shades of blue, one light, another medium. Similarly there may be two greens, two shades of browns and gold, etc. In the more sophisticated, even four shades of one tint are mixed.

The carpets of India are universally admired not only for their originality but also for being produced in sizeable quantities of acceptable commercial quality.

The carpet industry in Shahjehanput is barely a century old and here, both cotton and woolen carpets are made - the woollen ones being in three sizes, the ordinary with 16 knots, medium with 25 and the best with 36 knots. The designs are based on the old Persian styles. In one of the more exciting ones, the overall ground colour is a clear soft scarlet, and field covered with flattened, irregularly lineated diamond shapes of warm golden yellow, apparently separated, yet imperceptibly linked.

Durries:
The brilliantly coloured durries are also an expression of the imagination of the craftspersons of India. Exciting colours, forms, shapes and vibrant images characterize this delightful art form.

Jute Floor Covering & Runners:
Being an important centre of the world’s jute production, the craftsmen of West Bengal have made use of this product extensively in an exquisite manner to create several types of floor covering in several hues, sizes and designs, which represent Indian skills at their best. Moreover, it is for certain that it will not pinch your pocket.

Ideal Places To Shop: Agra, Amritsar, Jaiput, Gwalior,Kashmir, Bengal.