Shopper's Paradise: Floor
Covrings
CARPETS
Pleasing to the eye and soothing for the mind, the
floor coverings of India are heart-winners.
The main centre are
Bhadohi, Agra, Amritsar, Jaipur, Gwalior and Kashmir. Being mostly export-
oriented, the weaves can produce almost any design. However they have a
few distinctive designs of their own like the Taj Mahal. The carpets are
so exclusively made that they are often used as wall hangings.
Improvements in the techniques of washing, have given them a mcre lustrous
shine.
The Mughal emperors provided patronage to this art and
raised it to lofty heights, with Agra being one of the oldest
carpets centres. Today it is a compact industry and does traditional as
well as modern designs.
The "calling out" or "pher
bolna" system still prevails in Agra. The master weaver alone
follows the design and keeps calling out to the weavers about colours to
be used for each knot.
High quality carpets are produced mostly
in three varieties - Persian (Ispahan & Kashan), Turkoman
and Aubusson (French).
Indo-Ispahan is done with the long
leaf & flower and the Indo-kashan with the small leaf and flower. In
the Indo-Turkoman the Mohra Bokhara is made with the typical
octagonal patterns. An interesting point in its colouring is the use of
the same colour in different shades. For instance, a red background will
have a dark blue border with two shades of blue, one light, another
medium. Similarly there may be two greens, two shades of browns and gold,
etc. In the more sophisticated, even four shades of one tint are mixed.
The carpets of India are universally admired not only for their
original patterns, fine wool and rich colours, but also for being produced
in sizeable quantities of acceptable commercial quality.
The
carpet industry in Shahjehanpur is barely a century old and here,
both cotton and woollen carpets are made. The woollen ones being in three
sizes, the ordinary with 16 knots, medium with 25 and the best with 36
knots. The designs are based on the old Persian styles. In one of the more
exciting ones, the overall ground colour is a clear soft scarclet, and
field covered with flattened, irregularly lineated diamond shapes of warm
golden yellow, apparently separated, yet imperceptibly linked.
DURRIES
The brilliantly coloured durries are also an expression of the imagination
of the craftspersons of India. Exciting colours, forms, shapes and vibrant
images characteristics this delightful art form.
JUTE FLOOR
COVERING & RUNNERS
Being an important centre of world's jute
production, the craftsmen of West Bengal have made use of this
product extensively in an exquisite manner to create several types of
floor covering with several hues, sizes and designs, which represent
Indian skills par exellence. Moreover, it is for certainm that it is will
not pinch your pocket.
IDEAL PLACES TO SHOP
Agra,
Amritsar, Jaipur. Gwalior, Kashmir, Bengal.