The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB) is contemplating development of another crafts village in the state at Kukshi in Dhar district, akin to the Chanderi crafts village.Kukshi and Bagh in Dhar district are renowned for their Bagh print, a unique and traditional form of wooden hand-block print adorned with natural colours and vegetable dyes.
The tourism board has submitted a proposal to the development commissioner for handicrafts under the ministry of textiles for the establishment of the crafts village.
“The objective is to conserve and provide a platform for the state’s traditional and opulent art forms. Similar to the crafts village in Pranpur, we are envisioning the creation of another crafts village in Kukshi for artisans specializing in Bagh art. The proposal has been forwarded to the Union government, and we are optimistic about receiving approval soon,” said Bidisha Mukherjee, additional managing director of MPTB.
In partnership with the central government, the board has established a “Craft Handloom Tourism Village” in Pranpur village, located in the Chanderi tehsil of Ashok Nagar district in Madhya Pradesh. This village is home to approximately 240 weavers who specialize in crafting Chanderi sarees and locally handmade crafts.
As a subsequent project, the board is envisioning the development of another craft village that amalgamates the artisans of Kukshi and Bagh. Kukshi is situated approximately 19 km from Bagh, and these regions are home to at least 25 sizable Bagh printing units.The tourism board intends to engage more than 1,000 artisans from these regions and provide them with training through the development of the crafts village.
