Crafts and Textiles

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Crafts and Textiles

Highlights

  • Visit to the Mughal Gardens,Shalimar and Nishat Garden, and Chasme Shahi
  • Visit to Sri Paratap Museum
  • Floating market
  • Buddhist ruins of Harven
  • Shikara ride

Day-1

Arrive in Srinagar Check in at Nadis and get into the flow Take a walk around the historical Mughal Gardens built by Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Make your way through Shalimar garden, Nishat Garden, the Royal Spring, Chesma-Shahi, where water is ice cold and clear as a glass. Hop across the street to stroll in the serene Harwan garden should you want to catch a sunset walk amidst mighty chinars.

Day-2

Start the day by visiting Sri Pratap Museum – with relics from Kashmir’s ancient to modern past on the banks of the Jhelum. Once oriented in history, you can walk into the present. After a brisk lunch on the go along the bund, we get inducted into the history of crafts and move to any two art clusters of the group’s choice – choose from pashmina weaving, carpet weaving, embroidery, and woodcarving. Through the day, you will discover the unparalleled beauty of various Kashmiri Handicrafts. A rare opportunity to meet the artisans and craftsmen involved in creating Kashmiri handicrafts, you can engage with them or merely watch as they create magic with their hands. Time permitting, we can do a short cultural tour of old Srinagar City – packed with architectural and spiritual gems.

Day-3

An early day! We start in the morning at 4 am to visit the floating vegetable market on the Dal lake where vendors trade on boats. This unique local experience must be had at the crack of dawn, right before sunrise. After breakfast at Nadis, we head out to the old city again, and visit the remaining three art clusters. The day also holds hands-on workshops conducted exclusively for you to let you try your hand at painting on papier-mache.

Day-4

We start with a morning walk up the Buddhist ruins of Harvan, where an ancient school of Buddhism was held sometime in the 1st or 2nd century CE. We then hop over to the nearby Shankaracharya hill to get a peek at another ancient spiritual tradition that lived here. With breathtakingly beautiful views, and steeped in history we start our day well and head to Kanihama village. An hour’s drive away, you visit the weavers of Kani shawls and watch them create beauty on a loom. On the way back, a relaxed Shikara ride on the Dal awaits this busy day.

Day-5

Choose between a day trip to Gulmarg and Pahalgam, hill stations outside of Srinagar. A picnic will be organized for you to take a break from your workshops and discover the unparalleled beauty of Kashmir away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A time to unwind and connect with nature.

Day-6

An easy morning to choose what you do around Harvan, bid farewell to Nadis, and leave for the Airport.
Central India

Saffron fields, apple orchards, silk carpets woven around prayers… the imagery of Kashmir is exotic, beautiful, and startling all at once. The valley is soaked in the history of the ancient Greeks, Mughals, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and British.

Kashmir today is a melting pot of cultures and traditions. The breathtaking landscape has yielded literature, poetry, and handicraft that is both exquisite and unmatched. This getaway encourages you to get up close and personal with Kashmir – the land, Kashmiriyat – the culture, and with Kashmir’s rich tradition of handicrafts. Pashmina, one of the finest fabrics known to man, calls Kashmir its home. Made from Pashm fiber that is 1/10th the width of human hair, you can watch weavers weave this impossibly delicate fabric in action. Not just any weavers, these are master weavers, those who have achieved three decades of mastery in their art.

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Next, you can visit the handful of surviving Kani artisans and discover how several thousand lines later, a two-meter shawl is woven painstakingly, one thread at a time. Another treat to experience is to watch embroiderers work with silk skeins on Jamavaar shawls – the same ones made famous by Empress Josephine – that take months to create. Learn why mystic Sufis practiced this art for its meditative qualities and found it a perfect way to surrender themselves to the divine. Gold, mineral dyes and cats’ hairbrushes make up the delicate art of Papier-mâché – the craft of painting over the pounded paper. Master craftsmen create delicate art that is a legacy of the ancient Persians who visited Kashmir and left behind this treasure of knowledge. Witness the delicate carvings in walnut and admire how these elaborate carvings of the beautifully grained wood are made one tap at a time across days and months.

Walkthrough history at Zaina Kadal, and through narrow streets into the Jama Masjid, and Shah-eHamdaan. Meander through old bazaars bedecked with dry fruits, silks, spices, and much more. And finally, work up your appetite to feast on Wazwan, a traditional Kashmiri banquet or if you’re brave enough, indulge in some mouthwatering street food.

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Central India

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