Handicraft items speak about the rich cultural heritage of a particular place. Kashmir has been one of the most ancient places of human civilisation and thus has a rich cultural heritage. Over a period of time, it has seen he Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic culture flourishing in the valley. There a number of handicraft items associated with Kashmiri culture which are equally popular in the local society as well as at national and international level. These handicraft items are made from the raw materials available locally and speak volumes about the skills of artisans who make them. These handicraft items symbolise Kashmiri culture and are known to be second largest contributor to the local economy after the fruit growing industry. Most prominent and popular item of Kashmiri handicraft is shawl and winter dresses. It has a very attractive embroidery work and it appeals to the buyer in very first sight. These dresses are designed to provide comfort during the winters as well as give a sense of pride to the person wearing them due to beautiful craftsmanship. Pheran, shawl, scarf, stoll, suit materials, doshala with beautiful embroidery work attract the tourists and are widely sold at all places in Kashmir. The embroidery work is also done with silver or golden threads in some cases that adds on to the beauty of the product with enhanced costs. Shawls made of shahtoosh or pashmina are very popular. Wood work made of walnut and chinar wood is the second most popular handicraft item of Kashmir. The designs and carvings on wooden articles are unique and depict the expertise of the craftsmen. Tray, bowl, decoration pieces, frames, chair, table, bedrest, walking stick, jewelry boxes, pen stand, spoons etc made of wood with beautiful carvings are very popular amongst the tourists and are bought widely as a souvenir for trip to Kashmir. Papier mâché articles are next handicraft items that are equally popular among those visiting Kashmir. It is believed that the knowledge of papier mâché articles was brought by a Muslim Saint Mir Sayyid Ali Hamdani from Persia in 14th century. Paper pulp is mixed up with glue and various articles like jewellary box, tray, plates, flower vases, lampstand, penholder, decorative pieces etc are made. Thereafter decorative painting is done on these articles which adds on to their aesthetic value. Traditional Jewellary of Kashmir includes semi-precious stones embedded in gold and silver. The ornaments are made by skilled craftsmen and have a sound reputation for their exquisite artisanship through out the world. Some of the main jewellary items are Kendal, Nupura, Chaunk Phool, Tika, Balu, Kada, Bala, Alchoor, Atta Hor, Kanadoor etc. The prices keep varying depending upon the material of the jewellary and standard of craftmanship. In case tourists are not able to buy these jewellary pieces then they prefer getting themselves clicked with these jewellaries on them. In addition to the jewellary; there is also a big choice for Kashmir silver and copper ware which has very delicate craftsmanship. This famous handwork is called “Naqash”. Particularly samovar which is a traditional tea pot with beautiful design is quite popular. Kashmiri qualeen, carpet, gabba, namda have a big reputation in the world market for their specialty of being handwoven and rich in texture. The quality of carpet is judged depending upon number of knots per square inch and Kashmiri carpets are the best in the world. Namda is a woolen felt which is a popular product and finds its usage in Turkey, Central Asia countries and Kashmir. Kashmiri carpets are found to be made of silk, wool, cotton and mixed blend to cater for needs of buyers of all economic sections of the society. Beautiful handwoven wooden baskets for decoration purpose, fruit baskets, vegetable basket, tandoori – naan basket, Kangdi basket are other popular handicraft items of Kashmir. In addition, Kashmiri cricket bats are world famous for their quality of material and craftsmanship. Kashmiri willow is very popular for making these bats at Sangam in Ananthnag District. We find that entire Kashmir is having rich cultural heritage and has got a large variety of handicraft items being produced for the local people as well as for the tourists. In addition to these handicrafts items; fresh fruits like cherry, plum, kiwi, apple as well as dry fruits like walnut, almond, apricot etc also very popular worldwide. Without their mention, the description of local products of Kashmir will be incomplete. With improvement in modes of transportation and road infrastructures as well as online business, there has been a huge jump in the fruits and handicrafts business in Kashmir. The graph of trade and business as well as happiness and prosperity is moving upwards with stability and development in the Union Territory and there is definitely a very promising future in the store.
