14 places to discover
Ajrakhpur Craft Village is a dedicated artisan village located about 15 km from Bhuj in Kutch, Gujarat. Established after the 2001 Bhuj earthquake to rehabilitate Ajrakh block-printing artisans from Dhamadka, it is now the main centre for the traditional Ajrakh craft. The village is known for workshops where Khatri artisans create hand-block printed textiles using natural dyes and intricate geometric patterns.
Charida Chhau Mask Village is a renowned artisan village located in Baghmundi block of Purulia district, West Bengal, at the foothills of the Ayodhya Hills. The village is home to around 300 families of traditional Chhau mask makers who craft vibrant papier-mâché masks used in Purulia Chhau dance. Recognized for preserving this UNESCO-listed heritage art form, Charida offers visitors direct interaction with artisans, workshops, and colorful mask displays lining the village street.
Chuong Conical Hat Village is a traditional craft village in Phuong Trung Commune, Thanh Oai District, about 30 km southwest of central Hanoi. Renowned for more than 300 years of conical hat (non la) making, it is one of Hanoi's most famous handicraft villages. Households and small workshops throughout the village produce palm-leaf hats using traditional techniques, preserving a distinctive rural craft heritage closely associated with Vietnamese culture.
The Kannauj Attar Craft Cluster in Kannauj, Uttar Pradesh, is a concentration of traditional perfume workshops in the city known as the perfume capital of India. Located on the Ganges plain, the cluster preserves the centuries-old deg-bhapka hydro-distillation method for making natural attars from flowers, herbs and wood. Visitors can observe small family-run distilleries, earthen stills and sandalwood oil base production that has defined Kannauj's craft identity for generations.
Kondapalli Toy Craft Village is a traditional artisan settlement in Kondapalli, NTR district, Andhra Pradesh, about 16 km west of Vijayawada. It is renowned for the 400-year-old craft of Kondapalli wooden toys made from soft Tella Poniki wood and natural dyes. The village houses generations of artisan families who carve and paint figures of mythology, village life and animals. Recognized with a Geographical Indication tag, it preserves a living handicraft heritage.
The Nizamabad Black Pottery Craft Cluster in Nizamabad town, Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, is the production centre of the Geographical Indication-tagged Nizamabad black pottery. Practiced traditionally by the Prajapati community, the craft is known for its distinctive shiny black surface achieved through a unique firing technique using rice husk and mustard oil. The cluster comprises artisan workshops where visitors can observe pottery making and purchase authentic terracotta items.
Phuc Sen Forging Village is a traditional blacksmithing village in Phuc Sen Commune, Quang Hoa District, Cao Bang Province, about 30 km east of Cao Bang City. Inhabited by the Nung An ethnic group, the village has preserved manual forging techniques for several centuries, producing knives, hoes, and farm tools renowned for durability and sharpness. Visitors observe open workshops, furnaces, and artisans hammering red-hot steel, offering insight into northern Vietnam's living craft heritage.
Saharanpur Wood Carving Craft Cluster in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is a renowned centre for traditional wood carving spread across workshops and showrooms in the city. Famous for intricate carvings on Sheesham, teak and mango wood, the craft is known for jali work, furniture, and decorative items. Recognized under Uttar Pradesh's One District One Product scheme and awarded a Geographical Indication tag, the cluster preserves centuries-old artisan skills and supports thousands of craftspeople.
Samaguri Satra and Mask-making Centre is a Vaishnavite monastery on Majuli Island, Assam, renowned as the principal centre for traditional Bhaona mask-making. Established in the 17th century in the Ekasarana Dharma tradition of Srimanta Sankardev, it preserves handcrafted masks made from bamboo, clay, dung and natural colours used in devotional theatre. The satra is noted for its living craft heritage and monastic cultural practices.
Sankheda Furniture Craft Cluster is a traditional handicraft centre located in Sankheda town in Chhota Udaipur district, Gujarat, about 45 km from Vadodara. It is renowned for its distinctive lacquer-coated teak wood furniture, known as Sankheda furniture, crafted by the Kharadi community. The craft features translucent lacquer work and hand-painted motifs, holds Geographical Indication status, and represents a centuries-old woodworking tradition sustained across family workshops.
Son Doc Rice Paper Village is a traditional craft village in Hung Nhon Hamlet, Son Doc Commune, Giong Trom District, Vinh Long Province (formerly Ben Tre Province), in the Mekong Delta. Established for over a century, it is renowned for handmade rice paper, especially coconut-flavored banh trang. The village preserves traditional methods of steaming, drying and grilling rice paper and remains a notable cultural and culinary destination for visitors exploring Ben Tre's coconut-based crafts.
Srikalahasti Kalamkari Craft Centres are artisan workshops in Srikalahasti, Tirupati District, Andhra Pradesh, known for the Srikalahasti style of Kalamkari. This hand-painted cotton textile art uses a kalam (pen) and natural dyes to depict mythological and temple-inspired motifs. Centres cluster around the town and near Srikalahasteeswara Temple, where visitors can observe artisans at work and purchase authentic GI-tagged textiles directly from makers.
The Swamimalai Bronze Casting Craft Cluster is a traditional artisan settlement in Swamimalai near Kumbakonam, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu. Renowned for Chola-style bronze icons made using the ancient lost-wax (cire perdue) technique, the cluster is home to generations of Vishwakarma Sthapathy craftsmen. Recognized with a Geographical Indication tag for Swamimalai Bronze Icons, it preserves a craft tradition dating to the Chola period and offers insight into sculpting, moulding and finishing processes.
The Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre is a rehabilitation and handicraft centre located on Gandhi Road at Lebong in Darjeeling, West Bengal. Established in 1959 to provide livelihood and vocational training for Tibetan refugees, it is known for its workshops producing hand-knotted Tibetan carpets, woolen garments, woodcrafts and other traditional handicrafts. Visitors can observe artisans at work, browse the showroom and learn about Tibetan craft traditions in a hillside setting near Darjeeling town.