Hands behind the craft
All our products are handcrafted with love by Chhipa community of the largest Princely state of India i.e. Rajasthan.
The Art
India’s taste for art is not unknown. Printed/painted garments can be seen in Ajanta paintings. While many scholars have different views, a number of them agree that the roots of hand block printing even date back to the 5th Century CE. The art is said to be prevalent in North West provinces back then. However, it was the patronage of the Jaipur rulers, that popularized the art. They established Chhapkhanas, a separate facility dedicated to hand block printing. During that period, Sanganer, a small village near Jaipur, became the centre point of hand block printing.
The Artist
Talking about the artists who give life to a piece of cloth, “Chhipas,” have been creating magic with their art for hundreds of years. Some studies claim that Chhipas migrated to Jaisalmer from Pandharpur (Maharastra), while the Imperial Gazetteer of Rajputana indicate they came from Gujarat during the seventh to eleventh centuries. It talks about both Hindu and Muslim Chhipas in the Marwar region. As per the census, Hindu Chhipas are divided into Namdev vanshi and Wamdev vanshi, clearly showing their roots in Pandharpur, the sacred land of Saint Namdev.
There are also many folklores about the origins of Chhipas community. As per a belief, Chhipas and Rangaris are the descendants of Kshatriya Princes Bhavsingh and Sarsingh. Even the community Bhavsar is named after them.
Currently, the Chhipa community is concentrated majorly in several districts, such as Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Bharatpur among others, in Rajasthan.