Dhurries/ Floor Covering and Carpets of Rajasthan

Rajasthan is traditionally well-known for fine-quality hand-knotted woollen carpets. Jaipur, Ajmer, and Bikaner are main centres for this craft. It is also found in smaller towns like Tonk, Chaksu, Manaharpura, and Barmer. Some of the motifs used are little rosettes of Indo-Heratic origin; the colours found are blue, red, and purplish-tints in combination. The other combination is light green and deep blue. The border motifs include bold flowers and long serrated leaves.

There is a move to revive traditional designs like dushala, charkona, mehrab and shikar. Otherwise the designs are slanted towards the Indo-Persian. The carpet in Indo-Kerman design has ivory or cream as the background colour with floral design all over or in the centre. Complex carpets, requiring 400 to 600 knots per inch, are not woven any more; simple carpets with counts of 16 to 36 knots are being woven. Rajasthan has a strong wool base as it controls 50 per cent of total wool production in India and there is enormous scope for disseminating this craft in rural areas.

In Indira Colony in Salawas which is twenty two kilometres from Jodhpur reside about 5000 weavers making dhurries with hairs from Goat and camel. Recently weavers started using cotton, wool and silk yarn as well.Dhurries are known for their geometric patterns and figurative symbols in myriad colours. The weaving happens on the floor horizontally with foot treadle loom. The weavers in Salawas have also worked with designers like Shyam Ahuja.