These suggested routes link places where you can see crafts being made, the museums that explain them, and the heritage sites that inspired them. Each one can be a trip on its own or part of a longer journey.
Rajasthan: printers, painters and puppeteers
A classic first trip, with crafts within easy reach of Jaipur and Udaipur.
| Stop | What to see |
|---|---|
| Jaipur, Sanganer and Bagru | Hand block printing in Sanganer and Bagru, blue pottery, and the city’s gem and enamel workshops. |
| Nathdwara | The temple town where Pichwai paintings of Krishna are made. |
| Udaipur | Miniature painting studios and the City Palace collection. |
| Bhilwara and Shahpura | The home of Phad scroll painting. |
| Jodhpur and western Rajasthan | Bandhani tie-dye, Pokhran pottery, and Kathputli puppet makers. |
Suggested length: 7 to 10 days. Best season: October to March.
Kutch, Gujarat: villages of craft
Kutch has one of the densest clusters of craft villages in India, most within a short drive of Bhuj.
| Stop | What to see |
|---|---|
| Bhuj | A base for the craft villages, with local museums and craft centres. |
| Ajrakhpur | Ajrakh block printing with natural dyes. |
| Nirona | Rogan painting, copper bell making and lacquer work. |
| Bhujodi | Hand weaving of shawls and rugs. |
| Banni villages | Embroidery and mirror work by many different communities. |
| Ahmedabad | The Calico Museum of Textiles, one of the world’s great textile museums. Visits are by guided tour and need advance booking. |
Suggested length: 5 to 7 days. Best season: November to February, when the Rann Utsav festival is also held.
Odisha: temples and painted cloth
A compact route around the temple towns of Bhubaneswar, Puri and Konark.
| Stop | What to see |
|---|---|
| Raghurajpur | A heritage crafts village where almost every house paints Pattachitra cloth and palm-leaf manuscripts. |
| Pipili | Bright appliqué work for umbrellas, canopies and hangings. |
| Puri | The Jagannath temple town. Only Hindus may enter the temple itself. |
| Konark | The Sun Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site carved as a giant stone chariot. |
| Cuttack | Silver filigree (tarakasi). |
Suggested length: 4 to 6 days. Best season: October to March.
Bihar and Bengal: painters and potters
From the painted homes of Mithila to the clay workshops of Kolkata.
| Stop | What to see |
|---|---|
| Madhubani district | Villages such as Jitwarpur and Ranti, home to many Madhubani painters. |
| Kolkata | The Kumartuli potters’ quarter, where festival idols are made, and the Indian Museum. Kalighat painting grew up around the city’s Kali temple. |
| Pingla | The village of the Patachitra scroll painters, who also sing the stories they paint. See Bengali Patachitra. |
| Bankura and Bishnupur | Terracotta horses, terracotta temples and Baluchari silk weaving. |
Suggested length: 6 to 8 days. Best season: October to March; Kolkata is busiest during Durga Puja.
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh: bronze, silk and Kalamkari
The heartland of temple art in south India.
| Stop | What to see |
|---|---|
| Swamimalai | Bronze casters who still use the lost-wax method to make temple images like the Chola Nataraja. |
| Thanjavur | The Brihadisvara temple, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Thanjavur painting with gold leaf. |
| Kanchipuram | Silk weaving and temples. |
| Srikalahasti and Pedana (Machilipatnam) | The two main schools of Kalamkari, one hand-painted with a pen and one block-printed. |
Suggested length: 7 to 9 days. Best season: November to February.
Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh: tribal arts and weaving
For Gond painting, Dhokra metalwork and two famous weaving towns.
| Stop | What to see |
|---|---|
| Bhopal | The Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum and Bharat Bhavan arts centre. |
| Maheshwar and Chanderi | Fine handloom saris. |
| Bagh | Bagh block printing. |
| Bastar (Kondagaon) | Dhokra metal casting and wrought-iron work. |
Suggested length: 6 to 8 days. Best season: October to March.
Before you go
Use the Craft Map of India to add stops, and the GI crafts directory to see which crafts are protected where. Read our guide to buying from abroad before you shop, and check the festival art calendar to time your trip.
Sources
Main sources: Ministry of Tourism, Incredible India; state tourism websites for Rajasthan, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh; Intellectual Property India, Geographical Indications Registry; UNESCO, World Heritage properties in India; Calico Museum of Textiles.
Last checked: November 2026.