Shilpgram Festival Udaipur, Rajasthan

Shilpgram Fair Udaipur occupies a significant place in Craft and culture festival of India. Shilpgram is situated 3 kms west of Udaipur near the Havala village is the Centre's Shilpgram - the Rural Arts and Crafts Complex. This is basically a handicraft fair in which different types of hand woven clothes, embroideries, mirror works, handicrafts are showcased. This fair takes place in the western part of Udaipur in Rajasthan. The central idea behind organizing this fair is to enhance the production and to uplift the small scale cottage industries of Rajasthan.

Shilpgram Crafts Mela of Udaipur offers an opportunity to the local people to come forward and display their talent and they rightly do so as many tourists from the national as well as international come to witness the painstakingly and intricately done handiworks of the people. There are many items that are displayed during the Shilpgram Crafts Mela, Udaipur the most notable ones among them being the hand woven clothes and the leather items. These items are a hot favorite amongst the foreigners who marvel at the handiwork of the craftsmen. The tourists get an opportunity to witness the procedure of making of leather goods and cloth weaving in the Shilpgram Crafts Mela of Udaipur. Shilpdarshan is a continuing activity at Shilpgram in which traditional performing artists and craftsmen are used to draw from the interior villages of the member states. They are regularly invited to exhibit their skill and to demonstrate their crafts, and sell their masterpieces in order to have direct access to the buyers. This programme has encouraged the rural craftsmen and performers in a big way. The Shilpgram has become an important landmark in India and Government of India has decided to replicate them in all the Federal States of India.
There are 7 representative huts from the state of Gujarat. A cluster of six huts from Banni area and one from Bhujodi have been selected from the arid wastelands of Kutch. the Banni cluster consists of two huts each of the Rebari, Harijan and Muslim communities famous for their weaving, embroidery, bead & mirrorwork, wood work and rogar work. Equally well known for its valiant horses, Lambdia village near Poshina in North Gujarat is represented with a potter's hut. Adjoining to the Lambdia potter's workshop at the Shilpgram is the weaver's hut from Vasedi village in Chota Udaipur area in western Gujarat. Two huts represent the Dang and Rathwa tribal farmer communities of southern Gujarat. In addition to these, there is an ornately carved wooden house from Pethapur near Gandhinagar.
When to visit: In order to witness this fair just plan your tour to Rajasthan in the month of November and December and this is the best time to travel to Udaipur since a lot of tourists flock to this lovely place. The tourists will also get an opportunity to purchase these handicrafts and take them back as the sweet memories of their vacations in Rajasthan.