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Material Preparation
Handspun local sheep wool yarn is chosen for intricate, pictorial designs, while machine-made yarn lends itself to simpler patterns, each prepared to enhance the unique character of the carpet.
Kharad Art
Gujarat's Thread Poetry
Kharad, a legacy of 9 generations
Kharad is poetry in motion, woven into intricate patterns on ancestral looms, carrying within it the essence of a people who have long walked the delicate line between tradition and survival. It’s a story that has seen the highs of royal patronage when its rugs adorned the palaces of kings, and the lows, as industrialization threatens to sweep away the very hands that keep this craft alive.
Kharad is a technique that uses local sheep wool, woven on an ancestral loom to create products of strength and beauty. The craft carries a legacy that has lasted nine generations; a story of a community that has evolved through their struggles and disasters, a tale of their beliefs that tradition will sustain as they struggle to defend their art against booming industrialization.
The Journey of a Kharad Product
Empowering Communities
The Kharad community were traditionally farmers bred cattle, migrated from Marwad about 600 years back in search of fodder. Weaving was an integral part of the community and used to make essential items like rugs, tangas, bags. Kharad was used to keep them warm during their journeys.
The women have been creating exquisite embroideries and quilt which are given to their daughters as a part of the wedding trousseau. The royal families were patrons of the craft and Kharad adorned lots of palaces in Sindh and Gujarat.
Kharad has been practised in the community for close to nine generations. It is a representation of their culture and history, a way of their ancestors! The artisans weave geometrical patterns as well as pictorial rugs and draw on their history to preserve and honour their past!
The community strongly believes that man and nature must work together to achieve balance. Their knowledge is rooted in observation and supported by traditions based on survival. The community struggle to defend their art – Kharad is a diminishing craft practised by only two families.
Empowering Communities
Storytelling via the weaves
Storytelling via the weaves
Craftsmanship, you see, is in their blood. These artisans are not only skilled craftspeople but storytellers, weaving their histories, beliefs, and dreams into the very fabric of their rugs. In each piece, there is a reflection of the past, a nod to a time when their community thrived, and Kharad was a symbol of wealth and prestige.
There is the present, a delicate moment where they fight to preserve their heritage against the tide of mass production. And there is the future, where they dream of Kharad remaining a vibrant part of their identity, a legacy carried forward with pride.
Artisan's voice - “To weave Kharad is to weave my hopes and dreams for the future, to show respect for the past and for the traditions my ancestors gave us.”
Explore the Handcrafted Collection
By choosing Kharad, you are not just purchasing a rug or a mat. You are becoming part of a story—a living legacy of resilience, beauty, and tradition. You are helping to ensure that this art, born from the earth and the hands of those who understand it best, does not fade away. Together, we can bring dignity back to the artisans and give Kharad the future it deserves—strong, beautiful, and everlasting.
Traditional Carpets
Textile Art
