Art And Craft Of Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is also 
known for its leather chappals (flat, open shoes) and belts. Chamba chappals with their open toes and partially woven 'vamps' catch even the most unobservant eye. Besides their aesthetic appeal, they are light and comfortable.
All over the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh, straw, and treated bark shoes or pullas, used for walking on snow, are an unusual sight for strangers from the plains. The valleys of the Western Himalayas like Chamba, Kulu, Mandi, and Kangra, which till recently were rather inaccessible have preserved vestiges of ancient and later civilisations from the Kushan and Gupta times, to the late 18th and early 19th century art of Kangra.
1. Wood carving
Carved wall panels, doors and window ledges are very common. Today, the woodcarvers are mainly concentrated in the Kangra Valley, around Palampur, and use the wood of walnut and birch trees as the medium for carving a range of items such as trays, fruit bowls, mythological figures, pens and their stands. Bamboo and wickerwork is also popular folk craft. The locals are adept at making baskets, containers, trays and bowls in various shapes and sizes.
2. Leather Craft
Himachal Pradesh is also known for its leather chappals (flat, open shoes) and belts. Chamba chappals with their open toes and partially woven 'vamps' catch even the most unobservant eye. Besides their aesthetic appeal, they are light and comfortable.
3. Kangra paintings
The Guler-Kangra paintings are mostly illustrations of Krishna-Radha legends, absorbing within its divine framework the aspirations of human lovers.Apart from devotional themes, Kangra paintings specialise in portraying women drawn after the masterly classification of nayikas by Keshavdas in Rasik Priya.
4. Architecture
The valleys of the Western Himalayas like Chamba, Kulu, Mandi, and Kangra, which till recently were rather inaccessible have preserved vestiges of ancient and later civilisations from the Kushan and Gupta times, to the late 18th and early 19th century art of Kangra. In Chamba, one comes across wood beam temples with rich wooden reliefs, and brass and stone statues, which date back to the period of Ajanta and Ellora. In Kulu, there are well-preserved 7th and 8th century Shiva temples. The strikingly powerful stone sculptures in Gupta style can be found at Bajaura, Naggar, Dashal, and Jagat Sukh.
5. Jewellery
Fine jewellery is crafted out of silver and gold. The jewellers of the once-Rajput kingdoms of Kangra, Chamba, Mandi and Kullu were famous for their enamelling skills.They mainly worked with silver and were partial to deep blue and green enamelling. They created exquisite pieces like elliptical anklets, solid iron-headed bangles, hair ornaments, peepal-leaf-shaped forehead ornaments, necklaces known as chandanhaars (a bunch of long silver chains linked by engraved or enamelled silver plaques) and pendants with motifs of the mother goddess.
An old Kangra pattern for silver anklets is a series of birds, archaic in design, connected by silver links. Unfortunately most of this is old jewellery and is no longer made. You could check it out in museums like the Kangra Art Museum in Dharamsala, the State Museum in Shimla and the Bhuri Singh Museum in Chamba.
6. Stone Craft
Beautifully carved memorial stone slabs called panihars are also found in several places, especially near temples and fountains.Stone carvers in HP are hammering away at their blocks even today, producing several artefacts of domestic use widely available in the markets. These include traditional stoves (angithi), circular pots for storing (kundi), pestle and mortar (dauri danda), mill stones (chakki) and other things. The centres of sculpting in Himachal are concentrated mainly in Mandi, Chamba, Kinnaur and the Shimla Hills.
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