Sourcing handmade items from India could be a task that has its own challenges. If you are planning to add a range of handmade products to your offering catalog and wish to add the Indian range of handicrafts then you must read this before sourcing any handmade product from India.
India is a nation with amalgamation of vibrant cultures this makes it one of the top choice for Handmade & Handicraft lovers. In this article we explain you the variety of options that are available in India when it comes to handicrafts. We explain the possible Pros & Cons and what precautions needs to considered while ordering Indian Handicrafts.
The rich history of India developed a huge manufacturing market for handicrafts , Starting from the Top North from the State of Jammu and Kashmir where you get some of the finest embroidered pashmina shawls and dresses down to the state of Karnataka where you get sandal wood & incense masterpieces, In between there are states & cities with a variety of offerings. We will briefly introduce and talk about some of the most popular cities are what Indian Handicrafts are they known for.
1. Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh :- Located in the largest state of India Moradabad is known for brass & copper handicraft items, In fact Moradabad has a variety of offering from traditional casting of metals to the modern day stainless steel utensils. If you are looking for fine metal crafts then Moradabad is a place to visit for sure.
2. Jaipur, Rajasthan :- Jaipur has some of the magnificent Forts, temples & Palaces , however it has its own culture of crafts, from handmade women's dresses Kantha work , Lehenga to block printing curtains and sheets, The wood carving & carved wood figurines are certainly a place of attraction but the biggest market is that of Gems & Stones.
3. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh :- Capital city of Uttar Pradesh , Lucknow is famous for its fine hand embroidery know as CHICKAN work popular on fine cotton fabrics for women's dresses , kaftan, kurti & tunics. Apart from this the adjacent areas of Shahjahanpur to Hardoi also offer a variety of hand zari work (the fine gold thread hand embroidery work) Heavy Bridal Dresses and handmade Carpets , Rugs.
4. Sambhal , Uttar Pradesh :- A small town adjacent to Moradabad has recently grown itself as a hub for natural horn & bone crafts. Sambhal offers a wide range of handmade bone & Horn products like fruit trays , picture frames, wall decorative, Utensils & jewellery handmade from mother of pearl shells.
5. Khurja, Uttar Pradesh :- Ceramic pottery and handmade pots in finest quality can be sourced from this small town of Uttar Pradesh.
6. Aligarh , Uttar Pradesh :- Known for door Locks specially the pad locks , Aligarh has recently grown as a production hub for metal figurines, Some of the finest statue & figurines in all sizes from miniature to life size animals , deity etc are made here with great detailing.
7. Roorkee, Uttarakhand :- City in the Foothills of Himalayan State of Uttarakhand, Roorkee offers a variety of hand made precision instruments in brass & aluminum, A small city just 200 kms from the National Capital of India New Delhi , Roorkee offers a variety of indigenous brass instruments for survey & drawing. For Nautical & antique era enthusiasts who wish to source replica and reproduction items Roorkee is a paradise. Visit Roorkee if you are looking for Brass Compasses, Brass Telescope, Nautical Sextant, Surveying Tripods and bipods, Sundial Compass, Vintage style reproduction of medieval armory and lot more. This small city has a lot of variety when it comes to handmade items.
8. Saharanpur & Nagina :- Saharanpur & Nagina are two different cities almost 150 kms apart but if you are looking for wood handicrafts or anything handmade of wood then you cant afford to miss these two cities with a long history of artisans offering high quality hand carved wooden decorative , furniture, desktop decors and lots of utility items. From beautiful wall hanging to incense & bakhur burning holders you get to see a lot of variety of handmade wood items in these two cities.
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The list is long and we will continue updating more information on the specific cities and what hand made items they are famous for.
Its a dream for every reseller to get the best quality products directly from these cities , but the challenges are enormous. As these are small towns and cities visiting each is pretty difficult task for international clients, Further most of the artisans are not very well educated and the sector is totally unregularized. This makes dealing with them extremely difficult & Risky. While language is a challenge but that's not the biggest challenge while sourcing directly from these small city artisans. The biggest challenge is lack of professional approach, being small scale artesian the importance of deadlines and quality is something you would be at risk with.
We at Aladean bridge this gap. Being almost 3 decades old in the business of exporting handmade items from India we have our expertise in sourcing the items. Infact we have a facility where we hire the artisans to work in our facility on a contract basis and that way we can assure the best quality of raw material, the best quality checks on craftsmanship and timely delivery on deadlines. That not all our highly professional sales and after sales team is fully equipped to serve you in the most professional way. We understand your requirements and like the Gennie of of aladean recreate your imagination.
We follow transparent price policy and this way we are the most trusted and reliable exporter & supplier of handmade items from India giving opportunity to artisans of smaller cities of India to get onboard the international platforms. We are supplier to some of the top sellers of Amazon, Ebay, Etsy etc.
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