Whether looking to decorate your home or to give as a gift, handicrafts are a great idea. Cheap handicrafts (handmade not machine made) given as gifts to carry back home or for decoration is one of the benefits of visiting Hyderabad. Especially, for art lovers, Hyderabad is the best place to shop, as the city offers a wide variety of arts and traditional handicrafts from different parts of the state.
Hyderabad is the main center for handmade arts and crafts in the entire state of Andhra Pradesh. Artisans from different parts of the state bring their works to sell in the city. So, one can find an authentic collection of handicrafts in Hyderabad, all at a place and at a reasonable price.
Lets explore various arts and crafts available in the city. We also provide you with the list of places to shop various handicrafts to ease your shopping in our city.
Handmade toys: A huge variety of handmade toys from different parts of Andhra Pradesh are available in Hyderabad. We can find the popular Kondapally and Nirmal wood (ponki chekka) toys, Etikoppaka lacquer toys, Tirupathi red wood toys, and leather toys. Kondapalli toys made in different miniature forms like fruits, vegetables, birds, animals, etc., coloured with water colours look so natural. On the other hand, Nirmal toys made using same material are coloured with oil paintings and have a glossy golden finish. Various decorative items like toys, trays, bowls, boxes, etc., are also available in various designs.
Banjara embroidery works: Banjara embroidery is a bright and colorful work produced by Banjara or lambada tribes. One noticeable feature of this work is the use of vivacious colours, ornate patterns and delicate mirror work, which makes the embroidery look original and elegant. Various colored threads, mirrors, shells, motifs, beads, etc., are used and the embroidery is often done on cotton fabric. Banjara embroidery also got a GI tag. Various Banjara work items such as gaghras, cholis, odhnis, kerchiefs, purses, bags, waist bands, bed spreads, sofa backs, cushion covers, wall hangings, etc., are available in Hyderabad
Kalamkari art: Kalamkari is one of the fine arts that involves painting and printing fabrics. The name itself depicts the kind of work – ‘Kalam’ means pen and ‘kari’ means work. In Hyderabad, we find this famous ‘pen painted’ fabrics portraying various mythological characters from epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. You can find sarees, dress materials, bed spreads, cushions covers, wall hangings of Kalamkari.
Nirmal paintings: Nirmal, a small village in Adilabad district, is also famous for paintings (besides, producing Nirmal toys). Nirmal painting artists generally use the themes from Indian epics and make the artwork look aesthetic. The painting are made on flat wood board (specifically on ponki wood), using bright colours. The specialty of the wood is that, as the painting ages it acquires a nice muted glow. The colours used in the paintings are natural which are made of minerals, gums, and herbs.
Bidriware crafts: Bidriware is a fine art metal handicraft made with a blackened alloy of zinc and copper designed with thin sheets of pure silver. It looks authentic because of its dark background and fine silver/gold contrast finely designed over it. Bidriware is also recognized as ‘Geographical Indication (GI) craft’ of India. Various items crafted using this technique are bidriware flower vases, wine decanters, plates, hookah stands & bases, ashtrays, bowls, bangles, show pieces, wall decorations, etc. We can find most famous bidriware crafts in Abids.
Places to shop: Here are the list of all the places in the city where you can find all the above mentioned arts and crafts. So, have a look at them and pick up a location which is near to you –
- Lepakshi Hasthakala Bhavan, Opp: Telephone Exchange, Musheerabad, Hyderabad, Phone: 27616461/27611957
- Lepakshi Handicrafts Emporium, Gunfoundry, Hyderabad Ph: 040-23235028, 23212902
- Lepakshi Handicrafts Emporium, Minerva Complex, S.D.Road, Secunderabad Ph: 040-27814729
- Nirmal Industry, Musheerabad, Hyderabad Ph: 040-27610008
- Kalanjali, Hill Fort Road, Saifabad, Hyderabad Ph: 040-23231147, 23423440/41
- Kalanjali Arts & Crafts, JNTU Road, Kukatpally Housing Board, Hyderabad, Ph: 040- 23056813/14
- Bidri crafts, Gunfoundry, Abids, Ph: 040-23232657, 23233663
- Cauvery Karnataka State Arts & Crafts Emporium, Seven Hills Plaza, S.D. Road, Secunderabad, Ph: 040-27810604
- Sheela’s Arts & Crafts, Shop No: 17, Lal Bahadur Stadium Complex, Hyderabad, Ph: 040-23236944, Timings: 10 AM – 8 PM (including Sundays)
- Crafts Museum Calcutta Emporium, Behind Lepakshi, Gunfoundry, Hyderabad, Ph: 040-66614360
- Shilparamam Arts crafts & cultural society, Hitech city, Hyderabad, Ph: 040-64518164
In addition, artisans from other states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, etc. are also opening outlets and exhibiting their products in various exhibitions conducted at different times in the year to promote their state’s handicrafts.