A cluster is defined as a geographic concentration (a city/town/few adjacent village and their adjoining areas) of units producing near similar products and facing common opportunities and threats. An artisan cluster is defined as geographically concentrated (mostly in villages/townships) household units producing handicraft/handloom products. In a typical cluster, such producers often belong to a traditional community, producing the long-established products for generations. Indeed, many artisan clusters are centuries old Artisan.

About Guptkashi Cluster:-

Guptkashi Cluster falls under Uttarkhand State in Rudraprayag district.

The Guptkashi cluster is able to form 200 plus Artisans & 20 SHGs supporting the strong work force. The mobilization gains momentum day by day.

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Textile Handloom:-

Pankhi is the woolen shawl in which the traditional weaving is cherished. It ’s a long shawl. Gudma is a blanket which is very soft, warm and has long and there is another form of blanket known as thulma which is very thickly woven and this property makes it very warm. These two blankets are very famous in hills of uttranchal. Mufflers, sweaters and many other products are designed in many colorful out of special rabbit wool called Angora wool.

District of Pithoragarh, chamoli and Uttarkashi have tribe belonging to Bhotia. The people of this tribe are skilled in making carpets and ashans. The designs on these carpets are of mixed culture of Tibet and Kashmir. Pashmina shawls are hand made and are made out of the wool of special high altitude goat.Local tweed called pattus is woven all over uttranchal and is warm. Coats, jackets are the main products made out of tweed.

While the Daccai Jamdani is strictly a party affair, the other Jamdani are much sought after by fashion-conscious working women for their elegance. These are mostly Jamdani motifs on Tangail fabric and are generally known by the confusing nomenclature of Tangail Jamdani. Although beige background is the most popular, these are available in a riot of colors, at affordable prices.

Raw Materials:-

1.Thread
2.Cotton Cloth
3.Wood Blocks
4.Colours

Process:-

The wool is collected every spring, and spinning is done by hand. The yarn is spun on a spinning wheel locally known as ‘Charkha’. Prior to spinning, the raw material is treated by stretching and cleaning it to remove any dirt and soaked for a few days in a mixture of rice and water to make it softer. Hand-spinning is an extremely painstaking and a lengthy task. It requires extreme patience and dedication, and is an amazing process to watch.

Yarn is too fragile for the vibration caused by power looms thus the weaving of the traditional 100% shawls is therefore done on Hand Looms. It is essential for the weaver to have a uniform hand, for par excellence fabric. Weaving is done with a shuttle. The weaving process is in itself an art, which has been passed over from generations to generations. It takes about 4 days to weave a single shawl on a handloom.

Dyeing is also done by hand and each piece individually. Dyers with immense patience and generations of experience are the ones who dye the shawls, as even the smallest negligence reflects on the quality of the product. Only metal and azo-free dyes are used, making the shawls completely eco-friendly. The pure water used for dying is pumped up from deep beneath the surface. Dyeing is done at a temperature just below boiling point for nearly an hour. Pashmina wool is exceptionally absorbent, and dyes easily and deeply.

Techniques:-

In Jamdani the pattern of design drawn on paper is pinned beneath the warp threads. As the weaving proceeds, the designs are worked in like embroidery. When the weft thread approaches close to where a flower or other figure has to be inserted, the weaver takes up one of a set of bamboo needles round each of which is wrapped yarn of a different colour as needed for the design. As every weft or wool thread passes through the warp, he sews down the intersected portion of the pattern with one or another of the needles as might be required and so continues till the pattern is completed. When the pattern is continuous and regular, a master weaver generally dispenses with the aid of paper patterns.

How to Reach:-

By Air:-

The nearest airport is Jolly Grant Airport at Dehradun (159 kms)

By Road:-

Rudraprayag is well connected by road with important towns of the region.

By Train:-

The nearest rail head is at Rishikesh (142 kms)