Find Out How Important Crafts Were to Indian History

There are few things that people take for granted and that is crafts. In the past, Indian handicrafts were the only way people could survive. Today with the invention of machines, technology and so much more, the need for crafts and art people is still important.

India has produced crafts over centuries, in different periods, and under different rulers. These crafts were a medium to express oneself, a way to survive, and, most importantly, a method to pass down knowledge from generation to generation. Here are a few ways how Important crafts were to Indian History and Culture.

They were a medium to express oneself.

No doubt,Indian handicrafts were useful and a means to survive. But at the same time, they helped us express ourselves. The art and craft people were the media to convey ideas, beliefs, and ideologies that we had in our minds and thoughts. The sculptures were the expression of thoughts; paintings were the expression of a person’s feelings; jewelry helped people to show that they were a part of the ruling clan; the musical instruments told us about the musical forms of those times. All of these were expressions and all were meant for conveying certain messages and not for making money or showing off.

They were a way to communicate with people

Indian handicrafts were, for a long time, used for communication and not just for consumption. In the past, they were used for communication between the different states and between the different people in a state. They were a medium to convey the messages between the rulers of different states to each other and also the messages about events that happened in the kingdom or the region. The rulers would send their ambassadors and messengers to convey messages from other rulers. They would send craftsmen to other states to give them gifts.

To communicate with others, they used different types of paintings, textiles, and metal art. There are examples of texts written on textiles.

They passed on knowledge.

As the people learned from crafts, they started teaching each other. Craftsmen would teach their skills to others and as their knowledge and skills increased, they would pass them on to others. This was the way that they learned from each other. As time progressed, people started to invent machines and machines taught us more and more. But crafts like pottery and jewelry were passed on to generations as it took very little time to learn the basic skills and the knowledge.

Today, machines are taught, but you have to learn skills, like cooking, sewing, and cleaning as the knowledge and craftsmanship have moved from crafts to a new generation of crafts.

They were a medium to transmit important information.

Crafts have a significant impact on our culture. These crafts have been used for generations and were part of our life. The ancient Indian tribes practiced the craft of making weapons, clothes, household utensils and more. This was the beginning of trade, one of the significant factors that led to the development of the country. Crafts were also practiced in the Indian subcontinent as an alternative to farming. While early crafts were mostly used in daily life, with the invention of machines and tools, crafts have been on the decline. The recent efforts to revamp the Indian economy and boost economic growth has resulted in a significant rise of people who are interested in crafts. Crafts have been a big part of life in India and have been practiced since ages.

A craftsman is a person who is well-versed in the art of his or her craft. A craftsman can create things from scratch and is good at reproducing something that has already been created. Crafts are the work of artisans who are experts in their field. India is known for crafts and even today, you can see Indian handicrafts at different levels.