The Stone Trail

The Stone Artefacts Promotion Project
The Government of Rajasthan undertook an ambitious project (entitled the ‘Stone Artefacts Promotion Project’) in early 2007 to address the problem of declining craftsmanship and to foster contemporary applications of stone in building. The project began under the aegis of the Stone Craft Foundation, a society established by the Government of Rajasthan and steered by the Indian Institute of Craft and Design (IICD), Jaipur.

In Rajasthan, the regions most rich in stone include the districts of Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Dholpur, (rich in sandstone), Makrana, Pindwara, Kesariyaji and Rajasamand (known for their abundant marble reserves), Jalor (rich in granite) and the considerable reserves of grey stone in Kota. Besides these, there are several sources for a variety of stones used for atrefacts across Rajasthan in areas like Dungarpur, Jaipur, Bagru, Deeg, Hindon, Alwar, Thanagazi, Neem ka Thana, Kishori, Dausa etc.Given the diversity of stone types and their geographic distribution, it was important to identify focus areas for fieldwork in the first of the project. One prerequisite for identifying areas was that the areas in question need not just be rich in stone but should also show evidence of—or the potential to develop—stone craftsmanship.

Although geographical areas with such concentrations of craft skills and resources are now known as clusters, a more precise definition is provided by UNIDO: “Clusters and networks are different yet linked phenomena. Clusters are agglomerations of interconnected companies and associated institutions. Firms in a cluster produce similar or related goods or services and are supported by a range of dedicated institutions located in spatial proximity, such as business associations or training and technical assistance providers. Vibrant clusters are home of innovation oriented firms that reap the benefits of an integrated support system and dynamic business networks.”

Using the above definition as a guideline, pilot field surveys and initial research were conducted to arrive at a context-specific of a ‘stone cluster’: A cluster implies a rural or urban concentration of craftspeople producing stone crafts on a seasonal or annual basis for a livelihood. By definition, it implies anything around the concentration that supports the production of stone crafts.

The Clusters
The Resource Directory- The Stone Crafts of Rajasthan is structured as per the nine stone craft clusters identified under the project. It provides quick references on each cluster; approach, history, available resources, products and a list of craftspersons with their contacts. It is a dynamic document that needs to be updated with subsequent addition of more clusters as well as inclusion of revision in craftspeople’s list for each cluster. www.aecworldxp.com offers highlights of the153 page compilation only. For details and to order please contact: IICD JAIPUR Historically established clusters have existed for centuries, and are home to craftspeople who possess an inherited, indigenous knowledge of stone craft (for example, in Jaisalmer or Makrana), and who practise in the area. Recently constituted clusters are recently developed market-driven clusters comprising of
newly trained craftspeople from other professions like agriculture (with no hereditary association to craft work), who tend to use more recent methodologies/ templates/ design patterns from trendy catalogues (e.g. Sikandra).

A third possibility became evident in areas such as Kota, Bundi and Jalor, which have been identified as potential clusters where stone is available and stone crafts may be promoted to nurture or cultivate potential crafts clusters. The stone craft clusters of Rajasthan have been short-listed based on the above definition and categories. above definition and categories.

The stone craft clusters in Rajasthan considered for this project follow the definition and categorisation described above. As a result, the final list of clusters for the project has come to include Makrana, Udaipur, Pindwara, Jodhpur and Jaisalmer as established clusters, Sikandra and Dholpur as constituted clusters for building crafts, and two more, i.e., Jaipur (known for moorti making) and Jalor, as potential clusters for building crafts.