Art & Craft

Materials for Hand Embroidery The materials used for Hand Embroidery in India includes cotton, silk, tusser, wool etc. Wool has been traditionally used as  hand embroidering material both for garments and rugs and carpets. Such work was…

Nakshi Kantha Nakshi Kantha, also known as Nakshi Katha, is the popular hand embroidery art form of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Meaning The word ‘nakshi’ derives its origin in the Bengali word ‘naksha’. “Naksha” means design or pattern.…

Alpana or alpona (Bengali: আলপনা) is a South Asian folk art style, traditionally practiced by women, and consisting of colored motifs, patterns, and symbols that are painted on floors and walls with paints made from rice flour, on religious…

The designs of Alpana are always associated with beliefs that have come down through generations.  The Alpana rangoli designs are generally round, with Hindus and Muslims using different paintings.  Both, however, share the practice of…

What is Kantha Quilt and Kantha Quilting? Kantha Quilt is a blanket or bed covering traditionally composed of three or more layers of fabrics tied together through the stitches of Kantha Work. Kantha Quilting refers to the technique of…

The variety of Motifs used in India  are limitless. Let us take a look at the different motifs and what they symbolize : Palki Motif Palki means Palanquin. The palanquin was a common mode of transport in rural areas. Indian have…

The history of the needlework suggests that owes its origin to the need to stitch skins of dead animals using sharp stones and bamboo needles. Even during the Iron Age, the man knew to cut and join. Then, they learned to pick cotton plants…

The Bengal Kantha or Kantha of Bengal can be discussed under the following heads, based on location : West Bengal Kantha Kantha of Bangladesh West Bengal Kantha West Bengal districts deserve special mention in the context of Nakshi…

Border Motifs of Nakshi Kantha Rich Bengali cultural identity is shared by the people of West Bengal thorough these Border Motifs. The borders of the Nakshi Kantha effectively provide a vast treasure of folk art and one can only marvel at…