The Rug Library

The Jaipur Rugs Foundation, registered in 2004 under the Rajasthan Public Trust Act, trains rural people to become home-based carpet artisans and connects them to markets.

Mirzapur weaver families interviewed by PARI include members of the Bind community, many of whom learned knotting from their fathers as children.

PARI reports that over the past couple of decades many Mirzapur weavers have moved from hand-knotting to hand-tufting, because knotting is harder and pays less, and that daily earnings of about Rs 200–350 have led some to leave weaving.

Long hours at the carpet loom can affect weavers' health; one Mirzapur weaver with 35 years' experience told PARI the work had harmed his eyesight.

A Google Arts & Culture short film on Mirzapur weaving features Abdul Kalam and his weaving community, who adapt designs to requests from buyers in India and abroad.

After Partition in 1947, weavers from Jhang, Multan and Sindh in present-day Pakistan resettled in and around Panipat and expanded its handloom industry, particularly woollen blankets and shawls.

Weaving families in Agra’s Tajganj area are said to descend from Mughal-era weavers, with the craft passed down through generations.

About 80% of the artisans in the Jaipur Rugs network are reported to be women, many working from looms in their own villages.

In Sanganer’s block-printing tradition, the Chhipa community carries out printing and dyeing, while the Kharadi community traditionally carves the wooden blocks.