The Central Indian Crafts are unique in style and distinct in composition. The Central Indian Crafts have passed on from generation to generation and can best be described as mirror of the perennial glory and heritage of the region.
Central Indian States like Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh are known for making crafts. Rewa and Indore in Madhya Pradesh are known for lac jewellry where the lac is placed over the tin foil and melted so that the jewellry is fully covered with lac. The lac jewellry include chokers, earrings, hair ornaments. Madhya Pradesh has a very attractive anklet where clove shaped beads are casted in one piece called lauang kasauthi. Jewellery from Chattisgarh is available in gold, silver bronze and mixed metal. Ornaments made of beads and feathers are also very attractive.
Craft of Madhya Pradesh is known for different types of printing like direct dyeing and printing, resist dyeing and printing, rogan printing and screen-printing which are practiced in this region for printing on fabrics. The important Craft centers for printed textiles are Jawad, Bhairongarh, Tarapur, Umedpura and Sheopur. The traditional saris of Madhya Pradesh are the Maheswari sarees, which are made in cotton, pure silk and artificial silk. Madhya Pradesh is also well known for papier-mache items, which are very attractive and realistic. Decorative papier- mache items include, statues of birds, animals, furniture and pottery. Some places of Madhya Pradesh are known for making durries in attractive combination of colours. Leather craft of central India are renowned for their texture and artistic carvings on them, which are copied from structures such as palaces and mosques. The leather is embellished by excessive curing and adorning them with jewellery.
The famous leather craft centers in Madhya Pradesh which are known for making leather products are Gwalior, Indore, Bilaspur and Dewas. The various leather items produced are shoes, jutties, bags and garments. While Gwalior is famous for leather shoes leather garments are made in Indore and Dewas. Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh is known for making various items of glass out of which glass tumblers in a variety of designs are very famous. The glasses have tribal designs like leaves and creepers etched on them. Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh is known for stone craft where a magnificent green tone is used to make small decorative items like animal boxes, trays etc.
Chattisgarh has a rich tradition of making decorative and utilitarian items of bamboo. Some of the well-known bamboo products of the state include agricultural implements, fishing traps, hunting tools and baskets. The craftsmen of Chattisgarh are also known for making decorative items out of wood. Different kinds of wood are used like shisham, teak, dudhi sal and kikar for making wooden items. The various wooden craft items are pipes, masks, doors, window frames and sculptures.
