Page 97 - Travel + Leisure India & South Asia (January 2020)

Padmanabh Singh with
the women who work
for Princess Diya
Kumari Foundation,
at Badal Mahal.

the resultant revenue and exposure towards the
artisans of the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation.
Another significant aspect that brought Jaipur
the title of a UNESCO World Heritage City is its
rich repository of art and craft. In the labyrinthine
lanes of this ancient city, thrive traditions as old as
the city itself. The blue pottery that you may have
acquired from your local market, the meenakari
bangles you treasure, the tarkashi antiques you
love to hoard, and the rugs that add finesse to your
home are all crafts that have flourished in
the capital of Rajasthan.
How did they all come to be here? When Jaipur
was founded, craftsmen from all over the country
were invited to come and make their home in this
new city. Royal patronage, lucrative offers, and the
allure of living in a beautiful city led many artisans
and craftsmen to the walled city of Jaipur. By the
th
beginning of the 19 century, the city was well
established as a thriving art centre. In keeping with
the traditions of his forefathers, Sawai Ram Singh II
set up the state’s foremost art school (better known
as the Rajasthan School of Art). This set the
precedent for Jaipur’s current art and crafts culture.
Blue pottery may be Turko-Persian in origin.
But Sanganer, a town 16 kilometres south of Jaipur,
is now famous as the best market for these eye-
catching artefacts. Similarly, Sawai Madhopur is
popular as a women-led handicraft village. Aptly,
this is where the primary centres of Princess Diya
Kumari’s eponymous foundation are based. To
understand the fine process of inlay work, you may
raid the street with the magical name, Khazane
Walon ka Rasta. And for an immersive experience
of block printing, the Anokhi Museum near Hawa
Mahal is the ideal base.
They say people make places. I find this to be
true more often than not. And in Jaipur, you will
see that it is profoundly evident. The kaarigars in
the old city and the guardsmen of the palace, the
ones donning proud turbans and the sari-clad, the
royals and their globetrotting guests—the mysterious
appeal of the Pink City lies not in its historic walls
but in the people who have built them and those
who continue to preserve them.

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