Hariyali Teej - The Festival of Rajasthan

 Hello Everyone,             

When we talk about Rajasthan, the immediate things which came to our mind are cheerful, colourful and vibrant people of Rajasthan with full of festivities. Just like its people, are the numerous colourful, ethnic and traditional festivals of Rajasthan. These festivals showcase the celebration of true Rajasthani style, culture and traditions. They are as grandeur and rich as the traditional Handicrafts of Rajasthan which includes traditional dresses, jewellery and sculptures etc.

Haryali Teej
pic courtesy- timesofindia

Hariyali Teej

The most popular festival of Rajasthan, Hariyali Teej is celebrated at the advent of Monsoon replicating the rejuvenation of nature with Rains, Greenery and an air of freshness all over.

Teej is the favourite festival of Rajasthan which is celebrated in the month of Shraavana, also known as “Hartalika Teej” or “Sinjhara Teej”. 

Teej Celebration
pic courtesy- exploreindiavacations

The Hariyali Teej festival is celebrated to remember the reunion of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, the day when Lord Shiva accepted Goddess Parvati as his wife. Goddess Parvati fasted and was austere for many years and was accepted by Lord Shiva as his wife in her 108 birth. Goddess Parvati is also known as Teej Mata. Women on this day observe fast and worship Lord Shiva for the long life of their husbands.

On this day, ladies particularly newly married girls wear brightly coloured Lahariya Sarees and apply Mehendi on their arms and feet.

Mehendi

They took to Swing playing under the trees, Sing and Dance. A day before Teej, Sinjhara is celebrated. On Sinjhara, married daughters receive the gifts from her mother such as clothes, bangles, bindi, mehandi etc. "Ghevar", a special Rajasthani sweet is also given to her.

Teej ki Savari at Jaipur

In Jaipur there is a grand procession of goddess Teej which includes-Golden royal palanquins, Chariots and Bullock carts, decorated camels and dancing folk artists. It starts from the royal city palace and make its way to Chaugan stadium through Tripolia bazar and choti chaupar. This Teej ki savari as it is known popularly attracts lakhs of national and international tourists.

Ghevar (Devanagari:घेवर) is a Rajasthani sweet traditionally associated with the Teej Festival. 

Malai Ghevar

There are many varieties of Ghevar, including plain, mawa and malai ghevar. It is generally prepared for the Teej or Rakshabandhan festival. 

Leheriya saris are traditional wear of Teej festival. These saris are tie-dyed in a unique design that originates from its name, 'Leher', which means a wave, symbolic of the dyeing technique, which is used to produce the wave pattern.

Leheriya Sari

The wave like pattern on these colourful saris creates a visual impact of water flowing. The Gota work on these saris gives them a royal look. The colourful sari alongwith traditional jewellery gives girls the bridal look.

पेड़ों पर झूले,

सावन की फुहार,

मुबारक हो आपको,

हरियाली तीज का त्‍योहार !

About Us - The author is a young woman entrepreneur, owner of Jaipur, Rajasthan based Nandini Handicrafts - a leading Wholesaler & Trader for the Home Furnishing | Home Decor Items | Bed Sheets | Cushion Covers | Diwan Sets | Fashionable Handbags | Wedding Gifts | Corporate Gifts | Handicraft Items

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Rajasthan Stone Artwork

Hello everyone,

Welcome again to my blog "Handicrafts of Rajasthan". In my earlier posts, I discussed about the "Overview of Handicrafts of Rajasthan" (click here), "Rajasthani Jewellery" (click here), "Rajasthani Pottery" (click here). Now let's  dwell a little about the beautiful and marvelous Stone Artwork of Rajasthan.

Stone Carving (Artwork)

Amer Fort

Rajasthan is famous for its wonderful artwork and marvelous architecture all over the world. Stone carving is the beautiful art work of Rajasthan which can be seen not only in its different Forts, Palaces, Havelies, Temples and various other Heritage sites but also in the splendid art pieces. Marble, Granite, Slate, Quartz and Metamorphic rocks are the various stones available in Rajasthan.

Patwon ki Haveli, Jaisalmer

White marble, Green Kota stone and Sand stone are commonly used for carving idols and statues as they are available in abundant quantity. The beautiful Jaali work is very fine stone carving and is found in most of the old buildings all over the state.

Jaali work

The Forts of Amer in Jaipur, Sonar Quilla of Jaisalmer, Ranthambore and Jalore were built by Rajput rulers with huge walls and temples inside the forts. Jain Temples of Ranakpur and Delwara, Mount Abu are the finest example of stone artwork and carvings. The sculptures found in ancient and medieval temples of Bharatpur, Barolli, Ramgarh, Nagda, Amer city, Chittor, Mandore, Jaisalmer, Bikaner and Udaipur are extraordinary examples of artistic skills of Rajasthani stone carvers. This sort of stone art work is not only limited to the walls of temples and forts but also done in Domes and Nauchakis as well. Later the stone artwork combines both Rajput and Mughal style of art and architecture.

Ranakpur Jain Temple

Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan is the hub for stone artwork. Khajanewalon ka Rasta, Nehru Bazaar, Tripolia Bazaar, Badi Chaupar are the places in Jaipur famous for Marble Handicrafts. Other than marble handicraft, you can also shop blue pottery and Kundan jewellery from Johri Bazaar. Ajmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur and Udaipur are the other centres of Rajasthan famous for stone carving. The different items of stone art work are Idols, Statues, Utensils, Decorative goods, Stone chaukhats and Jewellery etc.

Marble Handicraft

Rajasthan is also the largest centre for Precious and Semi-precious stones which is used for decorating stone artwork and in Jewellery making. Ruby, Topaz, Emerald, Amethyst, Lapis, Lazuli, Agate etc are the stones used for making beautiful jewellery. Classy and elegant Pendants and Ear rings are made by using various Semi-precious stones for both Men and Women.

Precious Stone Necklace
pic courtesy- Ajio

This is a short insight into the Stone Artwork of Rajasthan. Further in-depth into individual art type will be elaborated later on.

Hope u all like it. If you enjoyed this blog post, share it with a friend. 

About Us - The author is a young woman entrepreneur, owner of Jaipur, Rajasthan based Nandini Handicrafts - a leading Wholesaler & Trader for the Home Furnishing | Home Decor Items | Bed Sheets | Cushion Covers | Diwan Sets | Fashionable Handbags | Wedding Gifts | Corporate Gifts | Handicraft Items

Visit our Website:- www.nandinihandicrafts.com

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Pottery

Hi all!!

In my previous post I gave a brief introduction about Rajasthani Jewellery. In this post let’s discuss another popular Handicraft item of Rajasthan i.e., Pottery

Potters Wheel

Pottery - The clay work of Rajasthan

Pottery is another famous art work of Rajasthan and is very attractive and fascinating due to its varied and colourful designs. Rajasthani pottery can be used for both decoration as well as in daily use (like mataka and surahi). Cities like Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Alwar and Bikaner are the prominent centers in Rajasthan for Pottery products or likewise artifacts.

The different varieties of pottery are:- Blue pottery, kagzi pottery of Alwar, Glazed pottery, Bikaneri pottery and Pokhran pottery. The capital city, Jaipur is a city known for its majestic blue pottery that was introduced in India by some early Muslim rulers.

Let’s discuss the various forms of pottery individually.

Blue Pottery - Blue Pottery is a traditional craft of Jaipur, the pinkcity. Its origin is Turko-Persian. The name 'blue pottery' comes from the eye-catching cobalt blue dye used to color the pottery.   

The art of making blue pottery flourished in Jaipur under the sway of Maharaja Ram Singh. Some of this pottery is semi-transparent. They are mostly decorated with bird and other animal motifs.

The items are primarily decorative, such as ashtrays, vases, coasters, small bowls and boxes for trinkets. Jaipur Blue pottery is different from other pottery. It is made by mixing quartz stone powder, powdered glass, Multani Mitti, borax, gum and water.

Blue Pottery
(Pic courtesy - Ohmyrajasthan.com)

Today, blue pottery is an industry that provides livelihood to many people in Jaipur. The traditional designs have been adopted, and now, apart from the usual urns, jars, pots and vases, you can find tea sets, cups and saucers, plates and glasses, jugs, ashtrays and napkin rings among other items.

Kagzi Pottery of Alwar - Alwar district in Rajasthan is famous for its paper thin pottery referred to as Kagzi Pottery. The roots of this type of pottery are often traced back to the medieval era. It is a rare art, very few artisans know the art to make this type of pottery.

Kagzi pottery can be classified in three distinct types -

First, A simple thin biscuit colour pottery.

Second, the pottery is polished and painted with white and red slips. The outline of the planning is incised. This system is named scrafito and it reveals the bottom colour.

Third,a very unique variety; a really fine and highly polished pottery decorated with strong, deeply incised, stylized patterns of arabesques. The remaining area is painted with rows and black dots. The contrast in colour and pattern bring out the incised area adding to the charm of the pottery.

Kagzi Pottery of Alwar
(Pic courtesy - Swadesi.com)

Pokhran Pottery - Pokhran has stylized forms with incised decorative patters, which are distinctive. In Pokhran, the potters produce traditional utensils like Surahi (round spherical bottle with narrow mouth), Lotas with long spouts. The camel riders used these pots with pottery plugs and slings as they take on their journey into the great desert.

Pokhran Pottery
(Pic courtesy - Sawdust.Online)

Bikaner Pottery - In Bikaner, Nohar region is famous for producing painted pottery. Lac colours are used for painting. Golden shade in the painted pottery of Bikaner resembles the sand dunes of the region and makes it more beautiful.

Bikaner Pottery & Ceramics
(Pic Courtesy - picxy.com)

Glazed Pottery - In Rajasthan, Jaipur is the centre of this type of pottery. White background with blue and green patterns is the unique feature of this style of pottery. It is originated in eight century by Multans and then spread by the Arabs to other parts of the world.                           

Glazed Pottery

Terracota Pottery - The Rajasthan terracotta items includes paper-thin pottery, white and red clay articles, painted pottery and terracotta wall plaques. The black pottery is better sourced in South India and making its mark up north in the district of Dausa, West of Jaipur.

Terracotta Pottery

About Us - The author is a young woman entrepreneur, owner of Jaipur, Rajasthan based Nandini Handicrafts - a leading Wholesaler & Trader for the Home Furnishing | Home Decor Items | Bed Sheets | Cushion Covers | Diwan Sets | Fashionable Handbags | Wedding Gifts | Corporate Gifts | Handicraft Items

Visit our Website:- www.nandinihandicrafts.com

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Rajasthani Jewellery

Hi all,

In the previous post I introduced you to the Handicrafts of Rajasthan (Handicrafts of Rajasthan - An overview). Now let's explore the Handicraft items individually. We will start with Jewellery.

Jewellery

Jewellery is a symbol of femininity which makes the women more beautiful and confident. The vast variety of Jewellery is available in Rajasthan like Silver, Lac, Meenakari, Kundan and Jadau, Thewa etc. All are traditional as well as very stylish and hand crafted. The Rajasthani Jewellery is famous worldwide and attracts Tourists from all over the world.

Silver Jewellery:- Rajasthan is famous for its Tribal and Banjara jewellery which is made up of Silver, Beads, Shells and Metallic mesh etc.

 Silver is an affordable option in jewellery. Johri bazaar market in Jaipur is famous for its silver jewellery.

Silver Haar

Lac Jewellery :- Jaipur is a hub of Lac jewellery. Jodhpur and Udaipur is also famous for Lac ornaments.Lac is also known as"Lacquer" which is derived from insects (Tachardia lacca) and then collected to make jewellery. Lac is used for making different jewellery items but Bangles need a special mention. Bangles are made in amazing varieties with lovely stones, colours and metal embedding etc.

Lac Necklace

Kundan and Jadau Jewellery :- It is traditional form of Indian jewellery. Kundan jewellery is mainly made in Rajasthan and parts of Gujrat. It is also known as Bikaneri or Jaipuri jewellery where enameling with colour and design is on reverse and Kundan setting is in front. Jaipur in Rajasthan is the centre for kundan jewellery.

Kundan Haar

Meenakari Jewellery:- Rajasthani is famous for its Meenakari jewellery. Meenakari is enameling and ornamenting to define the design details.The beautiful meenakari jewellery is famous not only among tourists but among Indian new brides because of its royal and elegant look. The capital city Jaipur is the Hub for the beautiful meenakari jewellery.

Meenakari Kada

Thewa Jewellery (Pratapgarh jewellery):- Thewa jewellery is an fusion of 23k gold with multicolored glass. It evolved in Pratapgarh district in Rajasthan. Thewa is available in various styles and presents a completely different style statement.

Thewa Jewellery

Jewellery that are famous in Rajasthan are Rakhdi /Borla /sheeshfool, Nath, Surliya /Kaanbali /jhaale , Aad or kanthi , Necklace , Bajubandh , Bangadi , Ivory bangle, Hathfool, Kardhani /Tagdi, Anklet /Kada, Bichuwa etc.

Rajasthani Jeweller

About Us - The author is a young woman entrepreneur, owner of Jaipur, Rajasthan based Nandini Handicrafts - a leading Wholesaler & Trader for the Home Furnishing | Home Decor Items | Bed Sheets | Cushion Covers | Diwan Sets | Fashionable Handbags | Wedding Gifts | Corporate Gifts | Handicraft Items

Visit our Website:- www.nandinihandicrafts.com

Please do reach us at the following links - 
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(Facebook) (Instagram)

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