Shilpgram- Udaipur

‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever’ is aptly said by John Keats. We might have indulged too much in our hectic schedules, but beauty has always helped in escaping the monotony.

Udaipur is a beautiful city, set between the mighty Aravali Ranges in Rajasthan. The city is well known for its history, shimmering lakes and temples. Udaipur has a combination of colours, cultures and art, and to see everything together in one place, one must visit Shilpgram. Shilpgram is a crafts village, situated in the west of Udaipur, where you get to perceive a composite world of art, craft and lifestyle of the diverse cultures of rural India. The place is composed of folk dancers and singers and tribal artists showcasing their talents. This place also has a living ethnographic museum depicting the lives of tribal people.  Shipgram has become an iconic place which aims at amalgamating rural and urban artists to come together and interact and develop together for the better and also to create awareness and provide knowledge about rural art and culture to the people. 

Shilpgram Festival

Shilpgram festival is one of the most enchanting fairs of the city. The Shilpgram mela (fair) is organised every year from 21 December to 30 December, where artists from all over the nation come to become a part of the celebration. These artists also give an opportunity to people for learning craft skills through different workshops organised during the fair. This festival has something to offer to everyone irrespective of age. Dancers, singer, craftsmen and sellers come from states like Bihar, Bengal, Kashmir, Goa and many more. Traditional huts are constructed within Shilpgram where the sellers’ upkeep their items like decorative items, traditional handicrafts, leather items, metal and wooden workmanship, amazing terracotta work, etc. Goods of daily use and fancy items are also sold here. The Mela encourages conventional pottery and miniature paintings. Handwoven cloths with vividness of colours are also very popular, apart from the traditional bandhni there are also embroidered and mirror work cloths. Rajasthan is well known for gorgeous jeweleries, Shilpgram offers a significant stock of jewelry from polka jhumkas to Kundan naulakha necklace, and everything has hand-picked stones and stunning aesthetic appeal.  The devotees of antique items can get to see a good collection of articles associated with the antiquity of Rajasthan.

The main tourist attraction in the fair is the cultural program taking place in the evening, consisting of traditional state vise dance, classical music, breathtaking performance by acrobats, creative plays, puppet shows and many more that makes everyone relive their happy days. In spite of chilling cold spectators certainly do not miss the cultural program.  The local food stalls help in retaining the excitement and energy of the people. Udaipur gets a boom in tourism at the end of the year due to The Shilpgram festival; local as well as tourists come here and take keen interest in the celebration.

A visit to shilpgram festival will be a mesmerizing experience where one can have knowledge, fun and lots of shopping.

Wish you Happy Memories!! 

PS: This is my last post for the year 2016, I will be back again in 2017. Wish you all good health and positive thoughts. Thank you for being with me throughout this year. 

Love and Light 

-Raneeta Pal