West Bengal has an unusual concentration of living craft: terracotta from Bankura, dokra metal casting, kantha embroidery, sholapith, patachitra scroll painting, Shantiniketan leather. Most of it is sold through the state emporia at Dakshinapan and the Biswa Bangla shops, which matters because provenance in this trade is otherwise hard to establish.
Kumartuli is the other one: the idol-makers’ quarter in north Kolkata, where the Durga idols are built from Hooghly clay and straw. It is a working district, not a shop, and it is at its most remarkable in the six weeks before Puja.
North Kolkata
Shobhabazar · Shyambazar · Bagbazar · Hatibagan · Kumartuli · Jorasanko · Maniktala| Name | Where | What they carry |
|---|---|---|
| Kumartuli1700s | Kumartuli, north Kolkata | The idol-makers’ quarter. Durga, Kali and Saraswati idols built from Hooghly clay; busiest from August to October. |
| Kumartuli workshops | Banamali Sarkar Street and around | Individual karigar studios, several run by the same families for generations. |
South Kolkata
Bhowanipore · Kalighat · Gariahat · Ballygunge · Lake Market · Jadavpur · Tollygunge| Name | Where | What they carry |
|---|---|---|
| Dakshinapan Shopping Centre1980s | Dhakuria, near Gariahat | The state emporia complex; every Indian state has a shop here. |
| Biswa Bangla2014 | Dakshinapan, Park Street, airport | The West Bengal government craft and handloom outlet. |
| Gariahat craft shops | Gariahat | Smaller independent craft and home stores. |
Central Kolkata
BBD Bagh · Esplanade · New Market · Park Street · College Street · Bowbazar · Burrabazar| Name | Where | What they carry |
|---|---|---|
| New Market craft shops1874 | New Market | Crafts, brass, curios. |
| Biswa Bangla | Park Street | The central outlet. |
| Chitpur and Rabindra Sarani | Chitpur | The old trade in ritual goods, instruments and craft. |
Worth knowing
- Dakshinapan for the state emporia, which have reliable provenance
- Kumartuli in the weeks before Durga Puja, which is when it is working hardest
- Bankura terracotta horses and dokra metal, which are the signature Bengal crafts
- Kantha embroidery, which is old cloth quilted with running stitch
- Shantiniketan leather, sold widely and imitated widely
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