INDIA

Ancient Artisans of Sanganer

Spend a day in Sanganer, an ancient village just 16km south of Jaipur, to visit the craft workshops where skilled local artisans excel in making handmade paper, blue pottery and traditional textile printing…

Sanganeri block printing dates back almost five centuries and is known for its subdued colours and flower motives including poppies, lotus, sunflowers and roses. The bright colours are always printed on white backgrounds, making the colours even more vibrant. We’ll see how these beautiful prints are made.

The area is also famous for blue pottery – although these days it’s available in assorted colours including pink, yellow and green. Prepared from Egyptian paste, the pottery is shiny and low-fired – some items are semi-transparent and decorated with animal and bird designs. The use of blue polish on pottery made from Multanimitti, or Fuller’s Earth, is an imported technique, first introduced by Mongol artisans who combined Chinese finishing technology with Persian ornamental arts.

In the paper village we can meet craftsmen who are known as Kagazis. These ancient artists use a variety of raw materials to create paper with a myriad of attractive finishes – some even infused with petals and leaves. We’ll witness the biggest paper making centre in western India – humming with the rhythmic sound of the stamper and the other paper making activities.