The oldest hub of carpet-weaving in India, the Bhadohi district makes up over 60 percent of the
sub-continents rug-making industry.
Passing along the enshrined banks of Varanasi, the Ganges touches the Bhadohi
district at its carpet-weaving hub - Mirzapur. While the district received a GI
(Geographical Indication) tag in 2010 that marked its carpets ‘hand-made in
Bhadohi’, the tradition of carpet-weaving came here as far back as the 16th century
during the reign of the Mughal Emperor, Akbar.
Artisans that travelled along the Grand Trunk Road, brought with them the
intricate art of hand-knotting carpets & passed their skills down to the craftsman
here. Over the past five centuries, the artisans of Bhadohi have watched their fathers
weave & apprenticed to become gifted weavers themselves. The tradition of
carpet-weaving here, is truly in their blood.
Spread over 100,000 sq. kms., looms stretch across the villages & towns of
this district as each craftsman ties between six & nine-thousand knots a day. A single
Bhadohi carpet can boast up to 425 knots per sq. inch – the penultimate figure in
premium carpets. As technology aides them, their skill is still steeped in tradition that
has not aged.
We stay connected to weavers from seven surrounding villages from our
headquarters in Mirzapur through production officers that visit each loom at least
once every fortnight. Every rug supports the livelihood of those who created it. In
our case, that means sustaining an extended family of more than 100,000 people in
what is truly, a cottage industry.