There was a time when India was known as the land of snake-charmers. Then people started identifying it as the land having the majestic Taj, the ferocious Tiger and the great desert Thar. But with each turn that the wheel of time took, Indians have proven to be a lot more. And so has India proved the belief to be wrong. From time immemorial, India has been seen as a mystery land. A land full of paradoxes, it causes travellers to marvel and also to despair during their journey through India. Like an enigmatic lady, India has always attracted the attention of the world for various reasons.

Culture makes people into a nation. The culture in India although diverse and varied, still binds the country together in some form of common identification. The Indian culture, particularly drama and the arts, in spite of having passed through many changes, is characterized by an unmistakable unity and continuity. Though there are diverse languages, religions, traditions, festivals and attire, the rich heritage of the culture survives!

All branches of knowledge, other than sciences, are classified under humanities. The 64 arts, Chatushshashti kalas, include ordinary arts and fine arts. The Lalit kalas or fine arts appeal to the sense of beauty in us. Fine arts are important in promoting human culture and progress. They chasten men's minds and help them lead fuller and happier lives. They develop the sense of beauty. A better man and a better society  result by the promotion of the study of fine arts

An example of Indian Art

Indian Handicrafts

In India today, we have at our disposal a superb abundance of folk art material, representing the end product of what is a historical development. This has also resulted in a vast treasure of handicrafts of various styles. Each handicraft is made by tightly knit communities, according to traditional methods that have been passed down the generations.

The evolution of Indian handicrafts can be traced to three principal sources - the royal courts, religious and folk art. The kings of the princely states patronized some of the country's greatest art traditions. Religious sources include the brass lamps used in Hindu temples, and in most households. Folk art and objects of everyday use that range from pots to embroidered leather, indicate India's ongoing traditions of crafts.

Metal Work:

Ancient India used to have an international reputation for her brass and bell metal work. The technology of metalworking had been well developed by 2500 B.C . This manifested itself in exquisite yet sturdy images and icons in temples and household niches, lamps, platters and other items required for acts of worship, in gold, silver, copper, brass, bronze,  and other mixed metals and alloys. The world-famous dancing figure of Nataraja, a work in the Chola tradition, epitomises this achievement. Villages from Tamil Nadu mould and assemble brass oil-lamps (dipa), standing as well as hanging ones, adorned with decorative swans or women.

But what is even more remarkable is that many everyday household equipments in India are art objects. The kitchen ladle, the nut-cracker, the water-pot, are all imbued with the artistic spirit. The water-pot (ghara, kalash, churru) itself can take on myriad forms and shapes and have embossed borders. Benares and Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh are famous for their hand-made or hand-finished brass, copper and even stainless-steel implements of traditional shapes. The blacksmith is traditionally a most important part of the village community. Tribal metalware, for example that of Bastar, Madhya Pradesh, is mainly of iron hammered and twisted into oil lamps.

Wood Work:

The temple craftmen of Ancient India were famous for their delicate Woodwork. They decorated  temples with carved doors and doorposts. Wooden gateways are found in Orissa, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. The speciality of Tamil Nadu was the vahana (temple chariot), a massive structure thick with delicate figurines.

Andhra Pradesh, Mysore and Karnataka are famous for their elephants and combs, carved mostly out of sandalwood. Many havelis (mansions) of Rajasthan displayed screens, friezes, windows, and canopies of wooden fretwork. Domestic items like the karahi and the khanta too are crafted out of wood.

Textiles:

India had possessed early the knowledge of cotton and fast dyestuff. Dyed and patterned cotton cloth from India has been exported from pre-Roman times.

A lot of methods are used to enhance the look of fabrics in India. One of them is through embroidery work. Other methods are dyeing and weaving. Karnataka is famous for dyeing and weaving of silk, Rajasthan for the dyeing of cotton with indigo and alazarin. Gujarat and Rajasthan have especially developed bandhni work (tying-and-dying of pinprick patterns on woollen shawls and fine cotton cloth).

Block-printing with the help of wooden blocks and vegetable dyes is another speciality of Sanganer, Bagru, Jodhpur, Kota and other centres in Rajasthan. Gujarat and Orissa are renowned for ikat work (a complex process where, before the cloth is woven, the warp or weft threads, or both, are bundled and bound with bands resisting dye-stuffs, and then repeatedly dyed to create bands of patterns). In Gujarat there used to be a thriving centre of silk patola saris of double ikat work in Ahmedabad, Surat, Patan etc. Sambalpur and Cuttack in Orissa, Pochampalli, Chirala and Puttapaka in Andhra Pradesh are still flourishing centres of ikat textiles.

Pottery:

Pottery is an improtant art form in India. Earthen pots have been in usage since the early vedic times for various purposes like: drinking pots, food storage, decorative purposes etc.
 

An example of The Blue Pottery

Over the years most of the regions have developed their own distinct style of pottery that display the makers skill and workmanship. For example The Blue pottery of Jaipur is an art which has been handed down for generations among the potters of this city. The potters over here specialize in blue colored pots and items giving it this name. This pottery is very popular for its delicate design and long life. The Image above is an excellent example of The Blue Pottery of Jaipur.

Another Pottery example

Another fine example of the pottery skills developed in India can be seen in the skill of the craftsmen of Khurja(a small town in Uttar Pradesh). They have a distinct style of their own in which they use warm shades of autumnal colors like orange, brown, and light red. The background is often a floral design in sky-blue colour. The pots are often bright in design and can be used as premium tableware or as dinner-sets, jugs, flower vase etc.