Rugs

Hi! I am Laljibhai Vankar a Kharad weaver & I present an art from Kutch, generations of artists and cultures migrated during and after the ancient civilizations of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, influencing their work. Pastoral communities were home to large herds of camels as well as other livestock like goats and lambs. Originally, Kharad carpets were made of goat and camel hair wool. Hand-spinners who specialized in creating wool from goat and camel hair were then given the hair. This wool was then used by the craftspeople. Kharad art is currently in decline. Only two of the ten families who practiced this craft prior to the 1990s remain.

Carpet-weavers manufacture knotted pile carpets without the use of modern technology. A knife is used to cut the weft once the knot has been knotted, an iron panja is used to beat in the weft and pile tufts, and a pair of scissors is used to trim the pile level. Weaving is traditionally done on vertical wooden looms.