Ujjwal Khullar takes you on a Color and Creativity guided tour of the souvenirs of Rajasthani royalty.
Renowned for its blue pottery, handcrafted Lac jewelry, mojaris, puppets, textiles, leather work, embossed Bajots and wooden furniture, Rajasthan is well and truly a shopper’s paradise. While all these are a great buy for one self, people also love them as gifts.
Take for instance, mojaris, which are the traditional foot wear of the land. These exquisite hand crafted pieces, which once adorned the feet of kings and queens, are now mostly worn on special occasions. An interesting trivia about mojaris these are crafted in such a manner that they can be interchanged and worn on either foot! Available in various hues, designs and styles, they stand testament to the land’s fascination with colors. Churning out comfortable yet royal mojaris out of wood, cloth, leather and thread is an exquisitely special craft. The ornamentation is done with beads or embroidery. Interestingly, different designs are made in different districts . For example, in Jaipur, the designs are subtle and delicate. “They are so different and beautiful! I’m very fond of footwear, but have not seen any such thing before!” exclaimed Shilpa, a guest from the southern part of India.
Blue pottery, an ancient Persian art form is a mosaic of color schemes featuring blue, green, yellow, brown and white. Made out of Egyptian paste which is glazed and low fired, the decorative items mostly carry motifs of animals, birds and flowers. Classy and fragile, the beautiful flower vases, pots, jars, ash trays, surahis and even door knobs immediately catch the eye. According to interior designer Sheet al Nakarani, “Blue pottery lends a touch of class to interior décor.”
Renowned for its jewelry industry, Rajasthan is one of the world’s largest centers for hand cutting of gems. A source of many precious and semiprecious stones like ruby, emerald and topaz, it is the place to be to shop for extremely attractive hand crafted jewelry. Known for its Theva, Kundan, Minakari, Silver and Lac jewelry, the land boasts of artists whose beautiful designs for anklets, bangles, pendants and necklaces are desired by women the world over.
The glittering glass or precious stones on beautiful bright colors of lac jewelry; the gold on red, blue or green background in Thewa jewelry portray flora-fauna, while scenes from Hindu mythology or Mughal courtly scenes are depicted in the elegant kundan minakari All these are a glimpse into the royal traditions of the state. In Jaipur, the hub of jewelry is Jauhri bazaar (market of jewelers). The famous jewelry of Jaipur has made its way into films like Jodha Akbar, Umraao Jaan and Devdas. Jaipuri jewelry is much sought after by would-be brides for their weddings.
Another interesting souvenir is the embossed bajot, which is a low lying table that can be found at Bapu Bazaar. Mostly on a silver background, the fascinating minakari is coiffed in various shades to showcase the intrinsic and exquisite artistry of Rajasthan.
Bikaner is world famous for Usta the art of gold embossing on camel hide. Mohammad Haneef, Hisamud- din Usta, Javed Hasan, Ayub Usta and Iqbal are some of the leading Usta artists. While the art originated in Iran, it flourished in India during the Mughal period. Major manifestations of the art can be seen at places like Phool Mahal, Chandra Mahal, Karan Palace and Ajmer Dargah Shareef. Articles of Usta art range from hand bags to table lamp covers.
Made on fine translucent cloth called Masuria Malmal the delicate Kota Doria saris of Kota are woven in such a way that a special type of pattern called Khat appears in the weave. The beautiful lightweight saris are made using various techniques of design like hand block printing, embroidery, or tie and die.
The elegant and traditional wooden furniture; the light weighted and warm quilts of Jaipur, the hand block printing of Sanganer and Bagru; the strikingly colorful clothes ranging from a casual kurti to lehengas in bright colors with bandhej and leheria (tie & dye) hand block prints, zari, the stylish bags and stoles; the leather goods ranging from wallets to handbags of Jaisalmer…. each of these depicts just how much Rajasthanis love colors in their lives. As Craig, a tourist from Ireland commented, “I am taking these things as souvenirs of Rajasthan’s history and its love for art and creativity. I loved to visit the colorful markets of Rajasthan and was amazed at the creativity on display.”
