East India

Terracotta temples, painted scrolls and lost-wax bronze — Bengal, Bihar and Odisha.

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A Pattachitra painting from Raghurajpur, Odisha
Painting · East India

Pattachitra: The Cloth Paintings of Raghurajpur

In a village where every house is a workshop, the hereditary painters of Raghurajpur still tell the stories of Jagannath on cloth prepared with tamarind and chalk.

Raghurajpur, Odisha · November 4, 2026
A Madhubani artist at work, painting at a craft fair
Painting · East India

Madhubani: The Painted Walls of Mithila

From the mud walls of Mithila to museums in Japan, Madhubani painting is a women's art of gods, fish, and weddings that has survived two and a half millennia by never leaving home.

Madhubani, Bihar · November 4, 2026
A weaver at work on a Jamdani loom, inserting the supplementary weft by hand
Textiles · East India

Jamdani: The Woven Air of Phulia

In Phulia, the weavers who crossed a border in 1947 still weave flowers into muslin, one thread at a time.

Phulia, West Bengal · November 4, 2026
A Dokra figure, its surface textured with the wax-thread work characteristic of the craft
Metalwork · East India

Dokra: The Lost-Wax Bronze of Bikna

In Bikna village, every Dokra figure is cast once and only once, because the mould must be broken to free it.

Bikna, Bankura, West Bengal · November 4, 2026
A group of finished Bankura terracotta horses standing together
Pottery · East India

Bankura Terracotta: The Clay Horses of Panchmura

In a village of potters in Bankura district, river clay is still coaxed by hand into the long-necked terracotta horse that became the emblem of Indian handicrafts.

Panchmura, West Bengal · November 4, 2026
A Baluchari sari from Bishnupur, its pallu filled with woven narrative scenes
Textiles · East India

Baluchari: The Woven Epics of Bishnupur

A silk sari from Bishnupur whose pallu retells the Ramayana and the Mahabharata in woven thread.

Bishnupur, West Bengal · November 4, 2026