HANDICRAFTS AND HANDLOOM
India's Himachal Pradesh state is known for its carpets, leather goods, shawls, metalwork, woodworking, and paintings, among other arts and crafts. The product that is most in demand nationwide, not only in Himachal Pradesh, is the pashmina shawl. Vibrant Himachali caps are another well-known example of folk art. Dom, a particular tribe, is skilled in producing bamboo furniture such as boxes, couches, chairs, baskets, and racks. Utensils, ritualistic vessels, idols, and gold and silver jewellery are examples of state-owned metalware.
The arts of weaving, carving, painting, and chiselling are regarded as integral to Himachali culture. Particularly in Kullu, Himachal is widely recognised for its shawl designs. The buildings, items, stores, galleries, museums, and craftspeople all have a timeless charm.
CHAMBA RUMAL
The embroidered handcraft known as the Chamba Rumal, or Chamba handkerchief, was formerly encouraged by the old Chamba kingdom rulers. It is a typical wedding present, with intricate patterns in eye-catching colour combinations.
Chamba Rumal, dubbed a "needle wonder," is now produced in square and rectangular forms. The ingredients still include silk threads without knots, khaddar (a coarse cloth), muslin, malmal, and fine charcoal or brush. To keep the design consistent on both sides of the rumal, the double satin thread is used for the embroidery on both faces of the cloth, sewn simultaneously in both directions. Following the completion of the stitching, a 2 to 4 inch border is sewn around the entire piece of fabric.
MINIATURE PAINTINGS
There were two main stages in the evolution of Pahari art. The older period, which began in the middle of the 17th century, is incredibly colourful, with its raw expression full of life and passion. The fish-shaped large eyes, oval faces, receding foreheads, round chins, and broad noses that characterise these early Pahari paintings can be easily identified.
Carefully placed bold figures are set against a monochromatic background of either red, yellow, green, or brown. The sky is barely depicted by a thin strip on the horizon, while ornamental pigmy trees imply a sense of perspective.
In the second quarter of the 18th century, the style changed, and a new style phase emerged in the Guler region. This phase's paintings have a relatively naturalistic style. The lines' energy subsided and took on a lyrical quality; they now appeared to flow rhythmically. Additionally, the colour palette grew a little bit colder. The Guler-Kangra schools stand out for their exceptional delicacy and freshness in colour.
METAL CRAFT 
The antique metal statuettes found in many of the state's temples are among the most important examples of Himachal Pradesh's metal craft. Gods and goddess statues can also be seen in metal plaques, called "mohras." Himachal Pradesh's metal crafts are used as practical objects in addition to their religious significance. According to history, the growth of metalworking in Himachal Pradesh can be attributed to the presence of skilled metalware craftsmen in the courts of the Himachal monarchs in the year 600 AD. The artisans have been honing their craft and gaining expertise in the realm of unique creations since that time. Excellent craftsmanship can be clearly seen in the statuettes at the Vajreshwari Devi temple in Kangra and the temple gates in Brahmaur and Chamba. The craftsmen excelled in the Repousse technique, which is evident even in the temple doors of Vajreshwari Devi, Jwalamukhi in Kangra, Bhimkali in Sarahan, and Chandika Devi in Kinnaur. One of the most celebrated specimens of Himachal Pradesh's metalwork is a gold canopy at the Jwalamukhi temple, which is thought to have been a gift from the Mughal emperor Akbar.
JEWELLERY OF HIMACHAL PRADESH 
Jewellery from Himachal Pradesh TribalHimachal Pradesh makes a very distinctive and wide variety of jewellery. In this area, the hill people's chunky beaded and metal jewellery is highly prevalent. Similar to numerous other societies, the customary attire and grooming involves adorning every region of the body. There are constantly vendors selling amulets, pendants, necklaces, daggers, and rings in the Himachal Pradesh jewellery market. These all draw customers from throughout the globe.
Himachal Pradesh's fine jewellery is typically made of gold and silver. The enamelling abilities of the jewellers in the districts of Kullu, Mandi, Kangra, and Chamba were well-known. In the past, Kangra was the capital of the Rajput empire. They mostly dealt in silver. Green and deep blue hues were commonly utilised in enamellings. Some of the exquisite pieces they usually make are elliptical anklets, solid iron-headed bangles, hair ornaments, peepal-leaf-shaped forehead ornaments, necklaces known as chandanhaars, which are basically a bunch of long silver chains connected by engraved or enamelled silver plaques, and pendants with mother goddess motifs. All forms of art require high levels of expertise and craftsmanship.
Jewellery from Himachal Pradesh Tribal Traditional patterns can also be found. For example, an antique Kangra pattern for silver anklets features an archaic succession of birds connected by silver links. Though all of the previous designs were exquisite in terms of style and design, the majority of them are no longer in use. Museums such as the Bhuri Singh Museum in Chamba, the State Museum in Shimla, and the Kangra Art Museum in Dharamsala display all these older designs.
STONE CARVING
Himachal Pradesh's stone crafts are a major component of the travel industry. Their recognisable variety and unique style of stone carving are evident in the enormous buildings and other stone-made objects they have produced. A wide range of stones are available in Himachal Pradesh for usage in stone crafts. Out of all of them, Himachal Pradesh's stone crafts mostly use sandstone. Large amounts of high-quality lime stone are also utilised. Another stone that's mostly used for construction is rubble masonry. The stones are found in Mandi, Kulu, Bilaspur, and Kangra, and they are used by artists to make a vast array of items.The traditional hubs of stone crafts in Himachal Pradesh have been identified as Kangra, Mandi, Bilaspur, Sirmaur, Chamba, and Kullu states. The Bataihra or Batada community's residents are skilled stone carvers.
Himachal Pradesh's stone crafts are seen in a variety of temples, materials, and components. Temples and practical objects are a couple of the common examples of stone crafts.The abundance of sandstone in the Shivalik hills has boosted Himachal Pradesh's stone crafts industry. Himachal Pradesh's landscapes are littered with countless exquisitely carved temples, each with an own style of carving. The best examples of stone craftsmanship are the temples of Masroor, the Baijnath temple in Kangra, and the Shiva and Devi temples in Jagatsukh, Naggar, Nirmand, and Kullu. Along with these temples, some of the best examples of the magnificent works of the 7th and 13th centuries AD are the shrines at Brahmaur, Chhatrahi, Chamba, Bilaspur, and Sirmaur, which are situated on the banks of the river Beas in Mandi.
With their own designs and styles, the stone crafts of Himachal Pradesh have earned a special position in the craft arcade thanks to the artisans' creative variants.
HIMACHALI CAP
Similar to the turban, or pagri, worn in other regions of India, the Himachali topi is an essential piece of clothing during weddings, festivals, religious ceremonies, fairs, and other regional gatherings. These vibrant caps, which were historically used as a headgear to shield the wearer from the bitter winter winds, have seeped into the state's culture and evolved into its official symbol. The Himachali Topi is the best gift or keepsake that can be given to symbolise a state. Nothing matches the allure of this traditional headgear, despite the existence of other handicrafts such as the exquisite Kullu shawls.However, the topi is mostly worn in the Himalayan highlands in Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, and other places. Typically, the cap is adorned with a brooch, marigold flowers, peacock feathers, or lovely tassels made of dried Himalayan Brahma Kamal (Lotus of Lord Brahma) flowers. It was once adorned with the vividly coloured Monal (Impeyan pheasant) feathers until the bird's status as an endangered species was announced.
In the Kinnaur region, the headgear is known as thepang and is typically worn by men, but women also wear it. In other parts of the state, women typically don the traditional head covering known as a dhaatu.KULLU SHAWL
Kullu is well-known for its colourful life and shawls with eye-catching geometrical patterns. The Kulivi people used to weave plain shawls before the Bushehari craftsmen from Rampur, in the Shimla area of Himachal Pradesh, arrived. This is when the trend of patterned handlooms began.On both ends, Kullu shawls are typically adorned with geometric patterns. In addition to geometric patterns, the shawls are also woven with floral patterns that can be found all over, on the corners, or just on the borders. One to eight colours may be used in each design. Bright colours, such as red, yellow, magenta pink, green, orange, blue, black, and white, were traditionally used for patterning, while the bases of these shawls were made of white, black, and natural grey or brown.
However, pastel tones are rapidly replacing these vivid colours in the modern era due to consumer demand. The ground is made of mill spun yarn dyed in different hues, and the pattern in the border is made of acrylic in a wide variety of colours. Wool from sheep, angora, pashmina, yak, and handspun materials are used to make these shawls. Either vegetable or chemical dyes can be applied to the yarn.The quantity and width of designs used in a shawl, as well as the wool's quality, determine its price. The pricey shawls made from pashmina wool are a result of the significant labour costs associated with sorting the fine fibre.
PULLAS 
The highest reaches of Inner and Outer-Seraj, in the Jalori and Bashleo pass regions, are where this handicraft is most well-liked. Pullans are grass-covered shoes that people wear. Fibres from the bark of the wild bush known as Bhang (Cannabis sativa Linn.) are used to make these shoes. The bottom of the shoes is made of Bang fibre, while the upper part of the pullan is constructed of goat hair and embellished with colourful designs utilising threads. These come in various sizes and are regarded as warm footwear by the locals.
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