Rajasthani Handicrafts are the ideal handicrafts of Rajasthan. These handicrafts were first crafted in the 18th century when Raja Sawai Maan Singh II was ruling the state. He was a very creative person and wanted to decorate his huge palace only with Handicrafts. The king brought some artisans from different parts of the country who were experts in crafting different kinds of Handicrafts. He ordered them to manufacture beautiful handicrafts based on the Rajasthani Culture and tradition. The artisans crafted as the king told them to and presented before the king.
Rajasthani Handicrafts: Details
On seeing these beautiful handicrafts Raja Sawai Maan Singh II was very happy and he rewarded those artisans. Also, he asked them if they can teach this skill to the natives of Rajasthan. The artisans agreed and all the expenditure was given by the king. Initially, there were only a few people who joined in and learned the art of producing Rajasthani Handicrafts. Not all people took initiative to learn although it was free of cost.
The king was pleased with those who learned the skill of crafting Rajasthani Handicrafts. Also, when the production of Handicrafts was started there were only a few types of Handicrafts produced. Slowly this industry started gaining popularity. In the 19th century, Handicrafts were at the topmost level. Rajasthan was known as the biggest producer of Handicrafts and everything was smooth going. But then came a sudden twist in the history of Rajasthani Handicrafts.
Handicraft Items: History
After almost 100 years of Rajasthani Handicrafts, the Britishers started ruling India. This was one of the biggest challenges for Handicrafts as they has to survive the cruel British Policy. It stated that “From Now Onwards, we Impose a heavy duty on the exports of Rajasthani Handicrafts”.
They wanted to out-excel the Handicraft items of India from the Indian Market as well as the foreign market. And to do this, they implemented a very unfair rule. They imposed a very heavy duty on the exports of Handicrafts and made the import of English goods duty-free. They also forced many artisans to shut down their industries. Handmade Indian Handicrafts were very expensive compared to machine-made British goods.
Conclusion:
Thus, people started shifting from Indian Handmade items to Machine made English goods. They imposed several other policies as well to out-market Handicrafts but they were never able to do that. The Rajasthani Handicrafts Industry survived this obstacle as well and became one of the best industries of all time.
At present, Rajasthan accounts for over 0.5 million artisans that live in different parts of the state. These artisans produce thousands of Handicrafts every day. These handicrafts are then exported to different parts of the world. If you wish to see these handicrafts you can search for Rajasthani Handicrafts Online. If you have any queries you can let us know in the comment section below.
