Tryst With Traditional Woodcrafts

The legendary carpenters from Haryana’s Khati community transformed basic material into highly decorative, aesthetic and outranking pieces of art.

- Ranbir Singh

If we studied the growth and development of woodcraft manufactures in Haryana, with focus on their explicitly precise designs, shapes, dimensions and diversity in addition to the styles in carving, we’ll realise the immense range of artistic forms that required perseverance and great skill. By sheer dint of their creative regularity, several woodcraftsmen trained under the guidance of a master could ensure patronage in a traditional society that was on a steady path to attain some affluence due to trading. The excellence in innovation regarding woodcrafts touched its climax during early decades of the 20th century. As a result, the impact eventually became visible in the havelis (traditional mansions) in the state as early as 1880s. The old masters worked with hand tools to produce variety of art work in wood.