The toys are handmade and are either hollow or solid. They are made usually by women. Animal figures like horses, elephants, dogs, lions,
Read Full DescriptionClay Toys of Tamil Nadu
The terracotta toys of Tamil Nadu are the most popular of the variety of toys made here and the craft is well entrenched in Chennai, Kanchipuram and parts of Arcot district.
Read Full DescriptionCloth & Wire Dolls of Karnataka
A world in miniature, Karnataka's dolls depict everyday aspects of life: a melting pot of regional, professional and social diversities.
Read Full DescriptionCloth Dolls & Toys of West Bengal
Although the craft of making rag dolls is not traditional to West Bengal, yet over the years it has grown from the production of common craft dolls given to young children,
Read Full DescriptionCoir Toys of Orissa
Both fine and coarse varieties of coir fibre, locally found in the coastal areas, are used. The artisan conceptualises the motifs.
Read Full DescriptionDolls & Toys of Assam
The most common traditional toys in Assam, which are made of clay, pith, wood and bamboo, cloth, and cloth and mud, are dolls,
Read Full DescriptionDolls & Toys of Bihar & Jharkhand
Dolls and toys in Bihar are made with different materials such as clay, cloth, and wood, with each material having its own style and designated areas where the the craft is practised.
Read Full DescriptionDolls & Toys of Haryana
The cloth dolls of Haryana range from 6 inches to 36 inches in height. They depict typical rural scenes, with models of village women with a water pot or baskets of vegetables.
Read Full DescriptionDolls & Toys of Kerala
Kerala is blessed with luxuriant wood and is an important area for toys. The main toys crafted are animals made out of rose wood.
Read Full DescriptionDolls & Toys of Madhya Pradesh
Rag dolls of a special traditional variety are made in Gwalior. The faces are painted and the eyes are lively and expressive.
Read Full DescriptionDolls & Toys of Maharashtra
Lacquerware of Sawantwadi, (once a princely state) is a traditional craft, and the fruits and vegetables crafted from a light wood such as pangara and hale, are completely realistic.
Read Full DescriptionDolls & Toys of Manipur
Diverse religious influences are visible in the toys of Manipur. Beautiful dolls and toys of straw and clay are made,
Read Full DescriptionDolls & Toys of Orissa
Burgarh in the Sambalpur district of Orissa is famous for its stylised wooden toys. The animal figures are richly caparisoned and, at times, even carry riders,
Read Full DescriptionDolls & Toys of Rajasthan
Udaipur is a big centre for wooden toys. The wood used is doodhia which is soft and can be finely chiselled and shaped.
Read Full DescriptionDolls & Toys of Tripura
The dwellers of this bamboo rich state have made ingenious toys using the most abundant resource of the state.
Read Full DescriptionGanjifa/Playing Cards
Ganjifa is a word signifying playing cards and card games in India, Nepal, Iran, some Arab countries and Turkey.
Read Full DescriptionHill Crafts of Darjeeling
The original inhabitants of Darjeeling are the Lepchas, with people from neighbouring Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim, and Tibet, as well as from the plains of West Bengal and Bihar also there.
Read Full DescriptionKite Making
The passion and enthusiasm for kite fighting, as against kite flying, is what singles out India, from other kite-flying nations.
Read Full DescriptionMasks & Puppets of Orissa
Orissa is well-known for crafting masks in wood, sholapith, and papier mache. These masks are used by the itinerant performers who stage plays based on the great epics.
Read Full DescriptionMasks of Assam
With the tribal art and folk elements forming the base of Assamese culture, masks have found an important place in the cultural activities of the people.
Read Full DescriptionNirmal Painting & Products of Andhra
This artform has been in existence from the early 14th century and was patronised by the Deccan nawabs. It takes its name from the village of Nirmal in Adilabad district.
Read Full DescriptionPuppets of Rajasthan
The marionettes of Rajasthan are known as kathputhlis or string puppets. The community that makes them and performs with them are the bhatts who wander
Read Full DescriptionSaw Dust Toys of Andhra
These are mainly made in Varigonda village in Nellore district and Vemulavada and Nupuram villages in East Godavari district.
Read Full DescriptionString Puppets of Karnataka
String puppetry shows in Karnataka are based on the popular local folk-drama called yakshagana; the doll-show or puppet-show is called as bombeyatta.
Read Full DescriptionThread Craft of Orissa
This is done on coloured paper which is used as the base. The figure is traced out with small iron nails fixed on the board with coloured paper.
Read Full DescriptionTirupati Dolls of Andhra
In Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, the red sandal wood (red sanders or raktachandan), so called due to its rust-red tint, is used to carve dolls.
Read Full DescriptionToys of Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry
Toy-making is a widely practised craft and different materials are used in their production. Shell toys, are cheap and easy to make,
Read Full DescriptionWire Toys and Puzzles
Intricate and mind-boggling puzzles, scaled down copies of cycles, rickshaws, and motorcycles, decorative items, and several other products are made with wire.
Read Full DescriptionWooden Dolls of Kondapalli, Andhra
The fame of these dolls and toys is spread all over Andhra Pradesh. They are stylised in form and colour and are crafted by artisans known as arya kshatriyas.
Read Full DescriptionWooden Lacquerware of Chennapatna, Karnataka
Chennapatna, about 65 km from Bangalore, is well-known for its unusual wooden lacquered toys and products.
Read Full DescriptionWooden Lacquerware of Ettikopaka, Andhra
Etikoppakka, a village (about 80 km from Vishakapatnam) in Andhra Pradesh is well-known for its lacquered toys and products.
Read Full DescriptionWooden Lacquerware Toys of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh was once one of the largest toy producing centres in India. It is an ancient craft, where the toys are made in wood with sets of birds, animals, orchestras,
Read Full DescriptionWooden Toys of Gokak, Karnataka
In Gokak, a village in Belgaum district, artisans create wooden fruits, vegetables, animals and birds using a specialised soft variety of wood --- usually hariwala, polki, and hale.
Read Full DescriptionWooden Toys of Kinhal, Karnataka
Wooden Toys of Kinhal, Karnataka Kinhal, a tiny village in Raichur district of Karnataka, has an immensely rich artistic heritage.
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