Indian handicrafts grew as a result of two needs of mankind - the utility and the need for beauty. Former one led to comparatively plain 'useful' objects, which also served the needs of common people. Latter one produced much aesthetic products. These items took much time and labor was spent catering to aristocracy and nobility of land. These were also exported as choice gifts and objects of art. Making these items may be complex involving numerous processes, but each craft is individualistic and localized in its appeal. We can take the example of hand-printing in Rajasthan, which is very different from printing in Andhra Pradesh. These crafts may differ from region to region. These crafts have their traditional ways of production, individual shapes, patterns, designs and colors. The tools used producing these handicrafts cannot be anyhow compared against spectacular structures or noisy machines, but silent and subtle beauty of resulting artifacts keeps them apart from rest of others. Handicrafts of India are beautiful and conceptually pure remaining popular not only in India but admired, bought and displayed all over the world. Some of the most popular items of handicrafts are being mentioned here onwards.

Furniture of India
Indians have been using their aesthetic sense even while making items of daily use. They have been using different materials while making these things. For example, cane and Moonj is used while making furniture. A broad range of baskets made of Moonj grass is available in attractive blends of traditional designs and modern functional utility. Decorative and durable cane furniture and other articles made here are a major draw as items for export. Basket work and related products are very substantially exported world over.

Where to Shop
Kashmir, Tripura, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan
Decorative Work
Plated with white metal, Patra furniture is intricately carved and engraved. Once adorned the furniture in the palaces of the royalties, this exquisite metal work is very popular even today and is pride of Rajasthan. Gujarat's Lac furniture is exquisite in variety and embellished with workmanship named as Sankheda. Exquisitely carved furniture comes from Kashmir and many parts of Rajasthan.

Where to Shop
Kashmir, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tripura, Punjab and Orissa

Costume Jewelery
There's nothing quite like the offbeat style of self adornment for hi-fashion woman of today. You can pick the style which suits you most. Even after passing of centuries, the old appears offbeat till date. It has an irresistible lure for women world over. This amazing country is one of the most important countries for manufacture and export of costume jewelery as it has the largest production base for glass beads.

Where to Shop
Rajasthan, Kashmir, Mumbai

Glass & Bead Jewelery
The age-old city of Varanasi is famous for its glass beads which are made of fused glass rods. Black glass beads of Purdilpur are also very famous. You can shop lovely glass beads, stringing glass and wooden beads in necklaces together with Rudraksha {sacred seeds ) and Tulsi (basil) in a variety of interesting combinations. A very rich selection of fragile and delicate lightweight beads is available at Ferozabad. 'German Silver' jewelery is designed according to modern tastes in Agra. Meerut produces exquisite metal jewelery. silver ornaments are very popular in Rajasthan, while hollow silver beads are available in Karnal in Haryana. Graceful head ornaments are prepared in Maharashtra and Rohtak has well made peasant jewelery.

Wall Paintings
Having narratives in a series of panels, Paintings on walls have deeper themes. They have their their decorative purpose, but they also constitute a form of visual education as picture books from where one can take the inspiration of one's heritage. These wall paintings are usually made at festivals and special occasions like marriages in Rajasthan, Punjab and outer Delhi. Rajasthan's folk paintings attained a high standard and artists won great fame in this art. These themes are inspired from epics and heroic Rajput tales.
Where to Shop
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal